click to enlarge There are 12.3 million women-owned businesses in the US and there are 114 percent more female entrepreneurs than there were 20 years ago. Women have been starting their own companies in ever greater numbers, and 40 percent of US businesses are women-owned. These national statistics are reflected in the Hudson Valley business scene, which is driven by innovative female entrepreneurship across all sectors of the economy. We talked with some of the region s business leaders on how they get it done, from the boardroom to the storefront.
Listening to Your Gut
For 20 years, Kate Bradley Chernis worked as a radio DJ and had more than 20 million daily listeners. Then a dream career turned into a nightmare. Fed up with the boys club, hostile work environment, sexual harassment and gaslighting, she knew it was time to leave when the job affected her health. I had a rash on my torso that no one could explain, and I developed epicondylitis and tendonitis t