Being an entrepreneur was a lifelong dream of mine. I've always wanted to be my own boss and run my own company ever since I could remember. While I am not quite there yet, it's encouraging to know that in 2016 there were "9 million women-owned businesses in the U.S." according to Entrepreneur and that women owned businesses have increased at 1.5 times the rate since 2001. These are amazing numbers to hear for any woman entrepreneur, however with our current social atmosphere and the US being one of the only countries with no paid maternal leave, it seems like we still have a long way to go.