Out of my own curiosity I decided to do a little research on small businesses in Portland. It seems like everywhere I look there were people beginning a new enterprise. Home-based businesses are growing very fast as the technological advances allow people to work from anywhere that is wireless.

Many small or solo-business owners work from the many cafés in every neighborhood in town, that all offer free wireless. If you work alone it’s nice to get out and be around other people and also set up meetings with clients over a cup of coffee or tea in a relaxed atmosphere. On a weekday morning I notice the cafes are filled with business owners. In the the afternoons the students tend to take over the space to do their homework and tweet.

As I wonder around the city and try out different spots, I notice a high percentage of businesswomen with their computers, working and conducting business meetings. Generally these are women who operate from a home office, so they utilize the cafes for meetings or just to get away from their house.

It made me wonder if there are more female solo-business owners in Portland than other places. What I did find out from the Oregon Department of Employment is that Oregon ranks 10th in the nation in the percent of women owned businesses and that 85% of these women owned businesses in Oregon have no employees. They call these solo-business owners, microentrepreneurs. Many are in service based business like web design, real estate, health and wellness and artists.

I also notice that women tend to strike up conversations with each other and make business connections with people they meet in cafes. Some new business might come from it, but the real value is connection and camaraderie. They just enjoy getting to know each other. This is really what business is all about.

Kaya Singer is a solo-business owner of Awakening Business Solutions. She helps small business owners clear their focus and grow their business.