The Commonwealth Institute's mission is to support women CEO's, entrepreneurs and senior corporate executives by helping them grow their businesses and careers.

The cornerstone of our approach is peer mentoring. We have found that interaction with other entrepreneurs who have faced the challenges building businesses is one of the most effective modes of learning.

When you join The Commonwealth Institute you:

• Gain a peer support network that gives you increased vision and build your confidence.
• Find effective solutions to challenging business issues.
• Improve your overall business operations.

The goal of The Commonwealth Institute is to reach women in the critical stages of their businesses and to provide them with the tools and resources they need to grow successful companies.

It is evident that our members are making an impact on both the economy and in the local community.  For the past six years, The Center for Women's Leadership at Babson College and The Commonwealth Institute have collaborated to conduct The Top Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts research project.  This on-going study is a systematic attempt to distinguish the state's top women-led enterprises and to understand the characteristics and qualities of women's leadership of business organizations.  The most recent study again confirmed the impact of women-led businesses on the Massachusetts economy, finding that:

• Since 2004, more than 55% of women-led businesses in Massachusetts grew by at least 5% in terms of annual revenue, in comparison to statewide average growth of 2%.
• Nearly 98% of women-led businesses regularly contribute to local charitable nonprofit organizations; one-third of participating businesses engaged in philanthropic activity on a monthly basis.
• The women-led firms in Massachusetts have a distinct entrepreneurial character.  The majority of firms participating in the study (72%) were founded by their current CEOs.
• Women-led businesses in Massachusetts are as diverse in nature as the Massachusetts economy itself.  There is virtually no industry sector in which a women-led firm cannot be found.  Leading industries include professional services, high technology, construction, health care and medical oriducts, and travel and leisure.

More than half of the women running the Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts are members of The Commonwealth Institute.

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