EventAnnouncement Archives

Contact:
Erin Hustings
202-253-8283
Erin.Hustings@sba.gov

WASHINGTON, D.C. – (May 22, 2024) – The National Women’s Business Council (NWBC), is pleased to announce it will be holding a virtual public meeting on Thursday, June 6, 2024, from 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM EDT.

“It has been a year of obstacles and opportunities for women entrepreneurs,” shared NWBC Chair Sima Ladjevardian. “We look forward to hearing from members of the public and experts about the ways women have navigated challenges to sustain a historic surge in new business starts during our upcoming public meeting.”

The public meeting will allow Council Members to hear from SBA leadership about successes in raising awareness of supports for women entrepreneurs. Council Members will also share updates on the work of the Council’s three policy subcommittees. The meeting will conclude with a research presentation from the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center and with Council Members responding to public comments pre-submitted by audience members.

The Council encourages public comment and feedback. Council Member Samantha Abrams will read and respond to a selection of questions or statements with the most relevance to the topic of women’s business enterprise. Responses can be submitted through the Eventbrite registration page or by emailing info@nwbc.gov.

To join the NWBC Public Meeting on June 6^th, please register here.

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About the National Women’s Business Council

The National Women’s Business Council (NWBC) is a non-partisan federal advisory committee created to serve as an independent source of advice and policy recommendations to the President, Congress, and the U.S. Small Business Administration on economic issues of importance to women business owners. To learn more, please visit: www.NWBC.gov.

Contact:
Jordan Chapman
202-941-6001
Jordan.Chapman@sba.gov

WASHINGTON, D.C. – (December 21, 2023) – The National Women’s Business Council (NWBC) is excited to share its 2023 Annual Report. NWBC serves as an independent source of advice and counsel to Congress, the White House, and the Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) on issues of importance to women entrepreneurs. In fulfillment of this mission, NWBC has delivered the report to these audiences and is pleased to make it available to the public.

“The Council has worked tirelessly over the past fiscal year to develop policy recommendations designed to better support women in business,” shared Tené Dolphin, Executive Director of NWBC. “Whether it is increasing access to capital and opportunity, amplifying women’s participation in innovation, or building a more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem, the Council is dedicated to advancing entrepreneurship for women across the country. We are delighted to share the 2023 Annual Report, a snapshot of this work.”

“NWBC uplifts America’s over 13 million women entrepreneurs by engaging in research, developing policy recommendations, leading dialogues, and connecting with stakeholders from all over the entrepreneurial landscape,” noted NWBC Chair Sima Ladjevardian. “It has been an honor to further progress for women in business this past year, and we cannot wait to build on these successes in the next year, starting with our January 2024 Public Meeting.”

To explore NWBC’s 2023 Annual Report and view reports from previous years, visit the Annual Reports page on www.nwbc.gov.

In order to delve more deeply into the contents of the 2023 Annual Report and lay the groundwork for collaboration for 2024, the Council will hold a hybrid public meeting from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM ET on January 23, 2024, at SBA Headquarters (409 3rd St SW, Washington, DC 20416). This meeting will also be live streamed via Zoom. Members of the public are invited to join the meeting to learn about the Council’s ongoing endeavors, understand how the Council moves in alignment with other women’s business organizations, and share their firsthand experiences when it comes to entrepreneurship.

Some of the key topics covered in the 2023 Annual Report that will likely be discussed during the January 2024 Public Meeting include:

During the past year, NWBC commissioned two research projects: one focused on women’s entrepreneurship in high-yield and high-growth industries and the other focused on women’s entrepreneurship in rural, tribal, and other historically underserved communities, including urban underserved communities. Insights from these projects will undoubtedly inform future policy recommendations.
This year, the Council focused a selection of recommendations on creating equitable access to diverse sources of business financing and increasing federal contracting opportunities and awards for women-owned small businesses.
In 2023, the Council developed recommendations driven by a desire to foster equitable opportunity for women entrepreneurs in high-growth industries, bolster initiatives around apprenticeships, grants and the STEM pipeline, and promote and protect women’s STEM innovation.
The Council aimed various policy recommendations at bridging service gaps in underserved communities, positioning more women-owned small businesses to compete, and strengthening coordination between grassroots and federal efforts throughout the past year.
The Council highlights numerous entrepreneurial development resources each year and partners with key resource partners to enhance existing frameworks and design more just ones to accelerate economic opportunity for women.

To register for NWBC’s January 2024 Public Meeting, visit the Public Meetings page on www.nwbc.gov.

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About the National Women’s Business Council

The National Women’s Business Council (NWBC) is a non-partisan federal advisory committee created to serve as an independent source of advice and counsel to the President, Congress, and the U.S. Small Business Administration on economic issues of importance to women business owners. To learn more, please visit: www.NWBC.gov.

For over 50 years, National Small Business Week has highlighted thriving small businesses and encouraged communities around the country to support local enterprises. This year, National Small Business Week has been postponed. Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, women business owners have been forced to adapt rapidly to new realities and market demands. In the spirit of American innovation, women-owned small businesses are taking steps to adjust to new societal norms and continue to provide essential services and products – with an eye towards ecommerce and inventive approaches to marketing and funding their enterprises.

Women-owned businesses comprise 42% of all small businesses. The approximately 13 million women business owners in the U.S. have demonstrated great resiliency and a keen ability to adapt to our current “new normal” by providing products via ecommerce, leveraging digital marketing, and looking to alternative sources of funding.

With the recent, substantial shift toward online purchasing, the World Trade Organization delved into the impact that the pandemic has had on ecommerce. The analysis noted that ecommerce can benefit small businesses and make economies more competitive. Women are particularly equipped to pivot to online platforms and resources and fill commerce voids. Etsy’s 2019 report, Celebrating Creative Entrepreneurship Across the Globe, notes that of the 2.1 million Etsy active sellers, 87% are women. Online marketplaces like Etsy and Anytown USA are great platforms for business owners and entrepreneurs to reach consumers. Home-based solopreneurs in rural communities also rely heavily on digital platforms to expand their market reach and boost sales. They are leading the charge in keeping the economy strong under social distancing measures and online purchasing is a safe way to support women-owned businesses during the stay-at-home-order.

Social media is another great way to acknowledge and support small businesses. The lockdown has produced an uptick in social media engagement and activity, along with advertising that goes along with it. With more people online and scrolling through social media platforms, we have great opportunities to share and highlight small businesses across the country. Women entrepreneurs have certainly tapped into the benefits of social media to build awareness and raise capital.

According to the NWBC report, Crowdfunding as a Capital Source for Women Entrepreneurs, there is a positive association between social media engagement and success in crowdfunding. Storytelling through social media is an effective way for women to promote their businesses and connect to potential customers or clients. Sharing their stories with other networks can be very beneficial to small business owners and provides another outlet for them to reach consumers.

Despite the impact COVID-19 has had on our economy, women business owners and entrepreneurs continue to work diligently to provide for America’s consumers and innovate in newly-discovered fashions. Even as we transition back to our pre-pandemic way of life, women will have contributed and devised new means to do business.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – (October 8, 2020) – The National Women’s Business Council (NWBC) held its second public meeting and subsequent listening session on September 29, 2020. SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza joined the proceedings to share agency priorities as well as the successes of the Paycheck Protection Program. NWBC Chair Liz Sara then announced an interagency agreement with the U.S. Census Bureau for unique data tabulations on women entrepreneurs and reiterated the Council’s support to reconvene the Interagency on Women’s Business Enterprise.

The Access to Capital & Opportunity Subcommittee outlined its proposals relating to disaster relief, impact investing, financial literacy, and federal procurement. The Rural Women’s Entrepreneurship Subcommittee followed with a three-pronged approach to childcare availability, reliability, and affordability. The group also underscored the need for federal broadband infrastructure grant programs to engage small providers and shared recommendations to strengthen the Women’s Business Center Program. Finally, the Women in STEM Subcommittee issued its proposed action items to boost women’s participation in the SBIR/STTR programs as well as the patenting and trademark process. Senior Policy Advisor Sandra Mayoral Pedroarias shared the key findings from the Council’s newly released report on women’s inclusion in America’s Seed Fund.

The meeting concluded with the reading of several public comment submissions on pressing issues for women’s business enterprise. Attendees were then encouraged to join a follow-up listening session and share thoughts on potential policy priorities for Fiscal Year 2021.