Women's conference highlights Indiana businesswomen - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

With 140,000 women running businesses in Indiana, a conference downtown Tuesday focused on celebrating the success of Hoosier women who put others to work.

Now in its sixth year, the Invent Your Future conference started in the Silicon Valley, but on Tuesday the Midwest played host. While female-run businesses here in Indiana generate over $20 billion in sales annually, the income gaps between men and women still exist.

Pure Barre owner Becky Retrum is one of the youngest business owners in Indiana. At 23 years old, Retrum opened Pure Barre fitness studio in Carmel. 

"The Pure Barre franchise has made it very easy for someone like me; young, college graduate, to go on her own and open her business. They have template to use and as long as I stick with it, it is easy to follow," said Retrum.

While in college at the University of Kentucky, Becky Retrum became passionate about fitness. When she moved back home to Indiana, she decided it was time to spend seven days a week teaching classes to women in Carmel: "It is not something I thought was too hard to reach."

The young business owner majored in radiography in college. Without a business background, Retrum says she leaned on her family and friends for support. 

Business women in Indiana employ more than 100,000 people each year. Retrum has hired eight so far.

The women gathered at the Invent Your Future conference are on a mission to find more women like Becky Retrum. The one-day program featured authors and entrepreneurs who focused on reminding young Hoosiers that they can be their own boss.

Author Charlotte Beers wrote the book "I'd Rather be in Charge." Beers spoke to the women gathered about leadership: "Women need to put down their approved virtues like teamwork and collaboration and learn to stand and be strong."

While statistics show women have as many graduate degrees as men, there's still an earnings gap between men and women. In Indiana, men earn nearly $20,000 more.

Billie Dragoo, the co-chair for the Invent Your Future conference, hopes those numbers change soon: "As we create economic opportunities for corporations and our folks that want to start staying here and young people, this will create more opportunities for this state."