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The goal of the program airing four times a day on cable channel 98 “is to encourage women to open more small businesses in Cape Coral” by showing them the advantages of locating in the city and growing their companies, said Lewis, who helped produce the show.

The demographics of Cape Coral make it a good place for women to start small businesses, said Debra Shane, one of three panelists interviewed during the program. She owns Train With Shane, a business education and mentoring firm.

She also is a consultant for the local branch of the Florida Women’s Business Center.

Women make up 51.5 percent of the city’s full-time work force, said Shane. Cape Coral’s population is 160,000. She said that a total of 60 percent of households include married couples with children younger than 18 and the average age is 43.

“These demographics make Cape Coral a family-oriented community. Cape Coral is a great place to grow a family and build a business,” she said.

Women, she said, are starting home-based businesses on the Internet and in the fields of insurance, retail sales, marketing and consulting.

“They are tapping into their passions and what skills they have,” Shane said.

Annette Watkins was laid off from her art teaching job at Ida S. Baker High School.

Watkins, a single mother, said she got the idea for starting a business after talking with a friend who suggested she teach art classes.