March is Women's History Month and it is celebrated in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, corresponding with International Women's Day on March 8. Canada celebrates it in October to coincide with the celebration of Person's Day on October 18.

And, before you stop reading and say "SO WHAT AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?" Let me tell you exactly why!

There isn't a day that goes by that there isn't an article somewhere on the web, in a magazine, in a newspaper or on TV that sings the praises of the advancement of women. Those of us who have lived the good fight and recognize that some progress has been made answer : AMEN SISTER!

However, acknowledging the baby steps and being aware and appreciative of how far we have come doesn't keep the story of the history of the women's movement alive. As women entrepreneurs, we choose to look ahead - that's what successful business people do. We build on our successes and take ourselves and our companies to the next level. Once we have been accepted at the table, and in the room, we no longer think about the days that we were doing our damnest to break down the barriers that kept us second class citizens.

Somehow we believe that if we can make it every woman can. The truth is, history too often repeats itself in a negative way when the equilibrium gets threaten.

I find it necessary to continually remind women that it was only in:

1920 - women got the right to vote with the passage of the 19th amendment

1963 - the Equal Pay Act - equal pay for equal work- yet women still make $.77 on a man's $1

1974 - Equal Credit Opportunity Act - giving women the right to obtain credit in their own name.

These are fragile advancements that should be cherish by all women and built on to make sure every generation that follows knows that it took laws to make sure that all women are equal to men in the eyes of the legal system. Remember, that the Declaration of Independence, signed in 1776, declared  "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness". It's author Thomas Jefferson did not mean for this to include women or children.

But now, 237 years later, it is important to celebrate the women role models that broke through barriers in business, education, politics, medicine, law and more. When our daughters and granddaughters study these stories in school and when our media take one month out of the year to showcase women's success we raise ourselves up to know that anything is still possible.

It is only when we take time to reflect on the challenges previous generations of women have had that we can push ourselves harder to believe we can be the next first woman to......

Women ran small businesses long before the government guaranteed them the right to have credit in their own name. Imagine the difficulty of growing a company without access to credit. Imagine the risk of putting your small business in your husband's or another man's name just to obtain a line of credit.

Imagine starting a business as a woman in the following industries anytime in the first half of the 20th century: manufacturing, construction, medical, legal, industrial, aerospace...

Imagine being the first woman to graduate from medical school, law school, engineering school, business school.....

Take nothing for granted. Women have blazed the trail for you and me to follow.

Please take time to celebrate them and all women during March.