ABSTRACT
One of the most imp011ant discovelies of this study was the extent to which women business owners relied on social contacts in garnering resources to stat1 businesses. These women sought help from both "strong" ties (family, friendship, and community contacts) and "weak" business ties. They sought information, skills, and knowledge. They also sought financial resources, both in monetary funding and in help through cost reduction (see Chapter 9). From close role models or even strangers, women sought information, donations, labor, services, and financing from their social contacts.
