The Benefits of Being a Certified Woman-Owned Business

The National Women’s Business Council (NWBC) says the number of women-owned small businesses fell by 25 percent in the early days of the pandemic. Fortunately, it looks like that downturn is in the past.

​The Enterprising Investor says, “The future is female” and points to pre-pandemic statistics that show women-owned businesses (particularly startups) “may be bigger than we think.” And the latest statistics we have about female business owners from the NWBC Report show they own 42 percent of all businesses in the U.S. (that’s about 13 million female entrepreneurs), employ 9.4 million people, and earn $1.9 trillion in revenues. Even the female business owners who had no employees had total revenues of more than $229 billion.

For many women, entrepreneurship is the means to a limitless future. So how can you take advantage of that? One way is to get certified. If you’re a female business owner, getting your business certified offers several benefits, including increasing your company’s visibility, gaining access to opportunities you might not otherwise have, and securing the chance to win corporate or government contracts.

Who should attend: 
Women who want to learn more about the advantages of being certified as a woman-owned business.

What will you learn?

• Why do these certifications matter?
• Who looks for these certifications?
• What are the requirements to obtain the certifications?
• Who issues the certifications?
• How do these certifications benefit you when seeking government contracts?
• What business sectors and markets do Women Business Owners dominate and what it means to be a woman in business?

Marie Myszkier, a Procurement Specialist from the Small Business Development Center at the University of North Florida, will be addressing what it means to be a certified women-owned business in the commercial and government sectors here in St. Johns County.