Women's Business Plans Capture Attention. Why? Because Women Succeed.

Keyword: Business plans for women

For decades women in business have been the brunt of a gazillion jokes. Well, fellas, the joke may be on you. Financiers at all levels -- bankers, angel investors and venture capital -- are taking notice of women's business plans. And it is not because the ladies are pretty. It is because the ladies are surviving this recession a whole lot better than their male counterparts.

The Florida International University's Center for Leadership and The Commonwealth Institute South Florida discovered this in a survey released last week. And they explored why women are succeeding in such dire times.

The reasons:

First: Women-led businesses traditionally have taken on little debt and therefore have the flexibility to maneuver during tough times. Instead of going to banks for help, women leaders are overcoming challenges by using their own cash from operations to finance growth.

Second: Women are coping with the economic downturn by looking for new opportunities. Rather than focusing on cost-cutting strategies, they're strengthening relationships with customers and vendors, and forming strategic partnerships or creating new division to bring in new business.

Third: Women don't let the economy get them down.

''These women leaders were very positive about their ability to survive the current economic situation,'' says Joyce Elam, executive dean of the College of Business at FIU. "The environment has not affected their psychological state.''

Fourth: Women are self-motivated, well educated and passionate about their business. They also are optimistic. The majority of the 116 women-led organizations in the survey continue to expect an increase in revenue over the next two years.

Fifth: Women leaders are taking a collaborative approach to recession survival, turning to strategic alliances or partnerships for financing growth.

Joyce Landry, CEO of Landry & Kling of Miami, a 27-year-old cruise event services firm, credits alliances with her company's growth. She's launching a new division, an Internet portal, financed mostly through a partnership. ``We think that will help it grow much faster than looking for traditional financing options.''

Sixth: Women leaders also consider networking and mentorship important factors in their individual career success, the survey shows. Almost half actively participate in professional business associations and 90 percent believe that mentors have been important in their careers.

For these women, work and home life are extremely intertwined. The survey found most of the women leaders talk about work problems and concerns with their family.

For all of these reasons, and more, women business owners are being taken much more seriously than ever before. So, ladies, spiffy up that business plan and set your sites upward. It may be a bit of a bumpy road, but you are really on the right path!