According to a new survey by Lead Bank, about 35 percent of Kansas City’s women entrepreneurs are planning acquisitions – but 75 percent can’t get the necessary funding.

Part of the problem is that women don’t seek loans or lines of credit because they don’t believe they will be approved. Also, “growth by acquisition can be stressful for all business owners, and women traditionally have practiced more conservative borrowing practices,” said Sherry Turner, founder of OneKC for Women.

But there’s room for optimism: “Women-led business growth is at an all-time high with startups at 1.5 times the national average. Overall, women have been consistent in business growth with 2 percent achieving annual revenues of over $1 million,” Turner said.

Other findings from the survey, which is part of Lead Bank’s new Women in Business Initiative:

• More than 75 percent of those surveyed said that marketing or advertising is a challenge, primarily because of cost.
• A minority of respondents – 15 percent — own the building where their business operates.
• More than half outsource part of their operations, whether that’s bookkeeping or marketing.