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By Geri Stengel

Forbes - April 3, 2013

Elite businesses owned by women ¨C companies earning $10 million (U.S.) in annual revenue ¨C are increasing in numbers compared with similar-sized firms in general and nearly 100% faster than all female-owned enterprises, according to , research commissioned by  OPEN.

What do these women entrepreneurs know that others don¡¯t? Based on my observations and knowledge of the market, six factors separate the cream from the milk.

1.) Participate in peer advisory groups:&²Ô²ú²õ±è;¡° learn best from one another rather than academic courses,¡± said Marsha Firestone, President and Founder of  (WPO), a peer advisory group for women presidents of multimillion-dollar companies.

During the course of 15 years, WPO has grown to 105 chapters on five continents with more than 1,600 members. For women whose companies have reached the $10 million and $50 million marks, WPO offers separate periodic meetings.

Also known as ¡°mastermind¡± and ¡°CEO¡± roundtables, peer advisory groups bring the heads of companies together to problem-solve and brainstorm their day-to-day challenges and opportunities under the guidance of a trained facilitator. Why participate in one of these groups? Simple. Companies that participate in peer advisory groups perform better: 6% increase in revenue annually compared to a 9% decrease for businesses in general from 2005 ¨C 2009, according to  another organization that offers peer advisory groups.  has seen its female CEO members rise by 25% since 2007.

2.) Use emotional intelligence (EI):&²Ô²ú²õ±è;¡°Women have a different type of EI than men,¡± said Norma Rosenberg, a Vistage Chair in NYC. Women¡¯s ability to sense, in the moment, how others are reacting makes them great leaders. They tend to . However, the most effective women entrepreneurs balance this ability with systems thinking, which is often associated more with men. You need to be analytical to grow a business. You also need the confidence that you can do it, which is another characteristic associated more with men than women.

3.) Seek outside funding: . However, there are now more opportunities for funding from new and existing angel groups dedicated to funding women-led companies, such as , a new angel network and , the fourth largest angel network in the US and the third most active in terms of deals done in 2011.  Add in the  and we should see more women entrepreneurs going for and receiving funding.

4.) Participate in training and formal networks for high growth women-led companies: During the past decade or so, organizations such as  and  have provided leadership training, access to capital, and connections to accelerate the growth of women-led companies. ASTIA companies have a 60% plus fundraising success rate within one year of joining and raised $1 billion. Springboard companies have an 83% fundraising success rate and raised $5.6 billion. A recent entry into the training market is , which a one day intensive to help women shine when presenting to VCs.

5.) Make strategic use of mentors, advisors, and connections:Relationships can get you access to the money, customers, and talent you need to grow your business. Not all networks are equal. Skip the book club and go where power brokers hang out.   says Liz Elting, co-CEO of , which provides translation and discovery services to law firms, healthcare, and other types of companies. She also makes connections via her clients and through charity events.

Both Elting and Cristina Mariani-May, of , a family winery, make use of their college alumni networks. Mariani-May also has a  to provide objective advice and insights about the marketplace.

6.) Increase visibility: Successful women entrepreneurs  that showcase their skills. Three that honor high growth are ,  and . Elting has been on all three of the lists.

¡°Getting media visibility [for women entrepreneurs] is still a struggle,¡± said Firestone. It¡¯s better than what it was, but improvement is still needed, she added. Reporters tend to focus on a few stars, such  of . She has a great story, but other women entrepreneurs do, too. One of the reasons I created  is to give successful women entrepreneurs the visibility they deserve. The other is provide the inspiration for the next generation of women entrepreneurs.

Which strategies of successful women entrepreneurs will you use to catapult your company into the big leagues?