SCORE Celebrates “National Women in Small Business Month
The United States has more than 11 million woman-owned small businesses, and we celebrate each and every one of them during National Women in Small Business Month in October.
Women are starting businesses five times faster than the national average, and they’re making strides in leading industries like healthcare and educational services. Women of color lead the way, starting nearly eight in 10 new woman-owned businesses since 2007.
SCORE takes pride in guiding diverse entrepreneurs in all stages of their business journey.
Gina Grillo revived and relaunched her small business in 2015, after a Lyme disease diagnosis motivated her to develop a better insect repellant. Grillo Essentials opened more than 30 new wholesale accounts while working with her SCORE mentors and saw dramatic increases with her total sales and direct-to-consumer sales in 2016. Grillo was recognized as one of three grand champions in the 2017 American Small Business Championship.
Yashica McKinney had an idea for offering her popular desserts in smaller portions, but she didn’t know how to develop a business plan. McKinney met with her SCORE mentor every two months to continually develop her marketing, sales, and branding efforts. Since starting in 2014, Desserts Out the Jar has moved into a commercial kitchen and office and offers more than 30 flavor options. McKinney was recognized as Outstanding American Manufacturer Small Business at the 2017 SCORE Awards.
Lindsey Haaser started her disability-only staffing and recruiting firm, Advocations, when she was just 25. “Chuck’s tough-love approach challenged me in ways no one else ever has,” she says of her mentor, Chuck Sawicki. “As a result, our revenue doubled in 1.5 years and continued to grow.” Along the way, she also learned how to diversify her client base and position her business for significant growth. Haaser was named Outstanding Job Creator at the 2017 SCORE Awards.
These women are a testament to the strength of small businesses across our country.
Resources for women in small business
Aspiring businesswoman have various resources available to help start and grow their own businesses with confidence.
The Small Business Administration has an Office of Women’s Business Ownership to provide business training and counseling to businesswomen. Women can also take advantage of the 8(a) Business Development program that helps small, disadvantaged businesses compete in the broader marketplace, and the Woman-Owned Small Businesses Federal Contracting program to help women compete for federal contracts. The SBA online hub for women in business is packed with resources and programming for small business owners.
Visit SCORE’s archive of recorded webinars, where you can find these sessions created especially for women in small business:
Funding Options for Women Entrepreneurs: Learn about the five Cs of credit, access to capital, and the various financial institutions you can work with to grow your small business.
Overcoming the Four Barriers Blocking Women Entrepreneurs: Explore real-life examples to help you face risk, find more time, and think bigger about your business.
You’ll also want to mark your calendar for our Small Business Success Virtual Conference, presented with Verisign. This live, half-day event on November 9 allows you to chat online with other business owners and industry experts while learning from a schedule of 10 educational webinars. Sign up now to save your spot!
Resource: SCORE
