Home sweet office: Utah's women are launching more and more home businesses.

• Author: Little, Candace
• Position: Business Trends - Interview

In Utah, women and entrepreneurialism go hand in hand. In fact, a sizeable chunk of the state's micro-businesses are launched by women.

According to the most recent American Express OPEN report, Utah is one of the leading states for women-owned businesses at No. 7. However, these tend to be very small businesses, with no employees or very few employees. Many of these businesses are owned and run by stay-at-home moms looking for a way to contribute to their communities, earn extra income or explore a creative outlet.

Many women are driven to create businesses out of a real need to support their families, says Rene Johnson, Power Zone Coaching CEO and president of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) SLC-Utah chapter. While Johnson is excited to see an increase in women in leadership capacities, she knows these women face significant hurdles.

"Even though we have a wealth of resources, the biggest obstacle is being willing to seek after and ask for support, and not think that being a confident woman in business means you have to have all the answers," Johnson says. "The more we embrace the power of collaboration, the more all women in business can step into roles of leading their goals and influencing the communities they serve."

The business women included in the following Q&A open a window into the trends among women owned businesses in the state. The Q&A participants include Samantha Kelly, owner, Kelly Arts Films; Amie Larsen, realtor at Exit Realty Success and owner of The LAR Team, LLC; and Kirsten Wright, owner and founder of the new iPhone app KID CHATTER00 and co-editor of TheCraftingChicks.com.

WHAT ARE THE PITFALLS, CHALLENGES AND BENEFITS OF OPERATING A SMALL BUSINESS OUT OF YOUR HOME? HOW HAVE YOU OVERCOME THOSE?

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Kelly: Even though my family lives in a small, two-bedroom apartment, we haven't come across many challenges in operating our business out of our home. Logistically, all we need is our computer and a small amount of storage room for our equipment and business supplies/documents. So if all our packaging materials are stored in a box behind our living room couch, so be it. So far, as long as we try to stay organized, we're able to make it work.

Wright: One of the largest challenges with operating a business out of your home is compartmentalizing. When you are in your home, you wear many hats, just as a member of your family. When you are operating a business out of your home, you...