I have a splendid poster on my desk. It is bright pink with white lettering: “All men are created equal … poor.”

For years I have believed that women should not aspire to equality with men, nor should any minority aspire to equality with the “norm.” Women are better than that. Also the blacks. Also Hispanics. So are all other minorities.

Every time I forget this little lesson in life, something seems to pop up to remind me. Most recently, I read an interview BusinessWeekOnline conducted with Marianne Sensale-Guerin, the Small Business Administration Small Business of the Year. In response to the question about why she thought the SBA chose her, Ms. Sensale-Guerin said, “… I think they watched closely how I treat my employees. I take pride in taking care of my employees – they have to have Insurance, flexible hours, vacation time. We live in a world where both parents work, and as an employer, I am very sensitive to those issues. “

And the objective of Ms Sensale-Guerin? To be successful enough to sell her business to her employees, they could then reap the benefits of her hard work while she retires.

How many employers have you ever worked for that were so sensitive to the present AND future needs of their employees? How many employers care?

No, I am very glad that women are not equal to men. Women bring a whole new perspective to the business world. And it is about time.

I am also very happy that we have made it through the early years of “women’s freedom”. Back then I was one of the first members of the Silicon Valley Women Entrepreneurs Association. I am sad to report that we once spent an entire meeting talking about what kind of scarf / tie to wear with our business suits – should it be soft and loose, or short and stiff? Worse still, the consensus was that it should be as close to a man’s tie as possible, so that we could “fit in.”

We’ve come a long way, darling. And it is about time.

My grandmother was an entrepreneur before the word was invented, as yours could have been. Many women were left alone to fend for themselves and raise their families. My grandmother owned a gas station and ran a small farm, with two stickers on her window that she was immensely proud of: one from the Army and one from the Navy, each showing that she had a child in her service. That was during the Second World War. She had raised those two children herself with her gas station and her small farm, and continued with both until her death a decade later.

I would venture to say that Grandma didn’t care for floppy scarves. He had more important things in mind. And so do we.

We have families that need our guidance and love. We have communities that need our leadership and sensitivity. We have a world that can benefit immensely from the gifts that we, as entrepreneurs, can bring to it. And we have businesses that need … yes, a woman’s touch.

My other grandmother also raised her family alone: ​​5 children and a disabled husband. She was a nurse, bless her heart. It is to her, and legions like her, that the modern women’s liberation movement is meant to help more than anything.

Thanks to the armies of women in the mid-20th century who fought for equal pay, better working conditions, child care, health insurance, Medicaid programs, and job sharing, our part of the world has become a better place.

We certainly haven’t won all of our battles. There is still a long way to go. But, my God, can you imagine what our world would be like if we had been like men? If we had just put on our suits and said, “Yes, sir.”

No, we choose to be different. We choose to represent the underrepresented, the poor, the underserved. And more power to us for trying. I will go the slow and steady way of the turtle so that as we win our wars, everyone benefits.

Recently, there was a program on History Channel that showed the Nazis proclaiming that American women could never help in the war effort because we couldn’t do anything more severe than dust a table. They didn’t know Rosie the Riveter, neither you nor me.

I celebrate our difference.

I will fight tooth and nail so that women and minorities do not have to be equal to men.

Will you join me? Is the time.