THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, May 24, 1995 TAG: 9505240612
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DENISE WATSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 83 lines
When Rhonda Burton's fingers do the walking through the Yellow Pages, they rarely stumble over the names of female business-owners.
To Burton, that's a problem. As owner of a carpet-cleaning and pest-control business, she'd like to patronize other women's companies.
``Many women prefer to go to women for business, to keep that dollar in the community,'' Burton says. ``Women make so much less than men.''
To encourage gender-based spending, Burton is developing the area's first Women's Yellow Pages. The free directory, which will be available in December, will feature businesses that are owned by women and businesses that cater to female clientele. The Yellow Pages will also feature profiles of local women and men who are involved in women's and children's issues.
``This sounds funny coming from a businesswoman; we're supposed to be about making money,'' Burton says. ``But this is very, very important to me: going back to the community and supplying what it needs.''
Burton got the idea a couple of years ago after reading an article about the effectiveness of the Black Pages, a local directory that features black-owned businesses.
She called various agencies trying to find a similar guide for women.
``Only recently, the Virginia Small Business Development Center developed a list of women-owned businesses, but it's not a complete list,'' Burton says.
``I was amazed that an area this size didn't have a directory. It's a shame when women do so much of the buying in business and at home.''
Burton eventually discovered the National Association of Women's Yellow Pages, which provides mentoring and how-tos on producing the directories. The national group, which started in the '70s with Yellow Pages in Los Angeles and San Francisco, is now a network of about 30 directories nationwide, with an estimated audience of 1.8 million.
Burton is now a member.
The publications tap into a lucrative vein. The U.S. Small Business Administration projects that by 2000, about half of America's small businesses will be owned by women. Studies show that women influence or make 70 percent to 85 percent of all purchases and own about a third of the businesses in Virginia.
Elizabeth Johnson started the Women's Yellow Pages of Greater Richmond in 1991 and found instant success.
``I definitely felt I filled the void,'' she says. ``Previously, there were no publications that targeted working women, no resources for women to find each other and do business with each other.
``Demand was good from the start,'' Johnson says. ``It gave purchasing agents in the private and public sector a way to find women businesses. . . . One of my advertisers was looking for a female appraiser and got a chance through the directory.''
Wanda Allen, a Newport News lawyer and president of the Tidewater Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners, says she would consider advertising in a local directory.
``I'm an attorney and have women coming to me saying they're more comfortable talking to women,'' she says. ``I think anything that helps them is acceptable.''
Burton says many businesses have been receptive about her venture, but some are skeptical because of the ``pink pages'' scam of a few years ago.
In 1992, a businesswoman moved to the Hampton Roads area with a proposal for a businesswomen's directory that she dubbed the Pink Pages. She disappeared that October after collecting thousands of dollars from potential advertisers.
``I've had four or five mention the fiasco,'' Burton says. ``But I have an established business in the area. My husband is from the area. I do everything I can to let them know that I have legitimate interests . . . that this is a great way to network. For me, it's a great way to give back to the community.'' ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]
D. KEVIN ELLIOTT/Staff
Rhonda Burton
The Women's Yellow Pages will be available through libraries, the
Virginia Beach mayor's office, some banks andd various women's
shows. For more information, contact Rhonda Burton at 499-3543.
by CNB