CORNELIUS, NC (WBTV)- In recent years, women-owned businesses have started outpacing all other businesses in terms of growth – that’s according to the Small Business Association.

It’s an interesting phenomenon evident in our area, especially in downtown Cornelius, where the majority of businesses are owned by women.

So we visited a kind of co-op in Cornelius today to talk about what might be driving the shift. Salon Sabeli is home to more than a dozen entrepreneurs – all women who’ve recently gone into business there for themselves.

Melissa Putnam owns a tanning service there, and believes that women-owned businesses are growing like wildfire because of the economy.

“It doesn’t surprise me,” she says. “I think historically we’ve seen that before with the Great Depression. Women step in, and try to help out their families.”

But one thing that is different today – the amount of help available for them.

“It’s great that there are a lot of opportunities now for women,” Putnam says. “There are a lot of businesses that do help us get into businesses a little bit easier than maybe in the past.”

That’s why Marsha Lindsey has been able to become her own boss after years of working for others.

“When it’s your business, you take pride in it,” Lindsey says.  “And you learn to love it, and that’s what motivates you and gets you excited about getting up and going to work.”

Stylist Nicky Babb says going out on your own is also a little scary too.

“There’s a lot of daunting things about it,” she says, “because I’ve never done it before. Just taking charge and doing the marketing…”

But one of the best things about having so many other women going through the same experience at the same time – there’s a lot of support.

“The girls that we work with have such a great team spirit,” Babb says.

“We have a lot of knowledge and I love to brainstorm ideas,” Putnam adds. “If you think deeply enough, there’s something that you have that you can share with other people, and if you can turn that into a business, that’s fabulous.”

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