I run a podcast that is meant to help business owners have a successful exit that keeps their needs, post-exit, in mind. When I met Lisa Schiffman, I was amazed by the type of work she and her business partners are focused on doing for women in business — particularly because this is a male-dominated industry and the stats these ladies are putting out regarding the improvements they’re making across the board are impressive.

Lisa and others at Ernst and Young are running a program called “Winning Women” which offers financial support and backing for female entrepreneurs who wish to grow both financially and professionally with their business, whether that means market research, product innovation or another aspect of the business that they wish to grow.

They did a study on the program for their 10-year anniversary because they wanted to celebrate the successes they’ve had and spread the word about the wonderful work Winning Women is doing in the business world.

The Ripple Effect

We all know the saying about fishing, which is roughly this: gives someone a fish and they eat for one day; teach someone to fish, and they’ll eat for a lifetime. Well, this organization is teaching female entrepreneurs how to fish — and these ladies are reeling in the big fish!

Winning Women recently had a study done of the impact of their business for their 10th anniversary. The results of that study showed that 83% of Winning Women say they benefited from the advice and mentorship of their peers available to them in this program. A common issue in the business world for female entrepreneurs is finding an appropriate role model or mentor; Winning Women has 430 entrepreneurs in 50 countries around the world available to be a mentor. This is a huge well of ability and knowledge that is unmatched anywhere else in the industry.

On top of that, almost every woman in the program (96% of them!) has said that she feels a unique responsibility to support other women. They do this by hiring or advancing women within their business (90%), being a role model (94%), mentoring women outside of the organization (90%) or even opening a new business with other Winning Women in the program (21%). That is remarkable networking and the best pay-it-forward model I have seen in a mentorship program.

Are There Real (Financial) Results?

If the mentorship aspect isn’t compelling enough, stats relating directly to the health and success of the businesses themselves were positively impacted as well. For example, Winning Women increased their headcounts by 166% in the last 10 years and also grew their return on average compound annual growth rate (CCAGR) by 35%.

Transactions done by these women have improved, as well. Looking into this year alone, 53% say they are planning to undertake a strategic transaction (43% of them for the first time!) through alliance (47%), merger (18%), acquisition (16%) or an IPO (5%). For those seeking external financing for these transactions (53%) in the next twelve months, 51% are still thinking about doing traditional bank loans while 16% say angel investors, 11% say venture capitalists and 2% say private equity. Winning Women looks to improve industry knowledge in this financing area for these women so that they can be more competitive in the market and garner greater success.

Direct from their website, here are some other fun stats to know: Individual participants average 20% revenue growth annually; in the second year of participation, however, their companies have been known to grow up to 50%. Winners also report increases in entrepreneurial confidence, growth goals, networks and media visibility, to name a few.

How Can I Become a Winning Woman?

You need to be a female-founded company with 51% own