Useful Websites for Women-Owned Small Businesses
A number of websites serve as useful resources for women-owned small businesses.
Below is a list of some of these sites, organized into eight categories: government-sponsored
sites, women’s business centers and associations, women’s trade organizations, financial
assistance resources, research organizations, miscellaneous sites, women’s business
publications, and regional resources.
Contact Sara Mitcho if you know of other
useful sites that should be added to this list.
GOVERNMENT SITES
Contract Assistance to Women Business Owners (CAWBO) Program
http://www.sba.gov/gc/indexprograms-cawbo.html
The Women-Owned Business Procurement Pilot Program is an aggressive initiative to assist in achievement of a five percent government-wide goal for contract awards to small women-owned businesses. This program aims to develop meaningful cooperation between SBA programs and other federal agencies to ensure this goal.
A major goal of the program is to expand the available pool of women-owned firms, as well as awareness of them, within the federal procurement community. Through the pilot, the SBA pursues extensive outreach to alert women-owned businesses to the opportunities in federal procurement.
Department of Defense Women-Owned Business Page
http://www.acq.osd.mil/osbp/programs/wosb/index.htm
The focus of the DoD WOSB program is the provision of effective outreach, training and technical assistance in order to increase the accessibility of WOSB concerns to DoD procurement opportunities.
National Women Business Council
www.nwbc.gov
info@nwbc.gov
NWBC is a bi-partisan federal advisory council that advises the President, Congress, and the U.S. Small Business Administration on issues of importance to women business owners.
Office of Women Business Ownership (OWBO)
www.womenbiz.gov
This office offers women business owners programs and services in the following areas: pre-business workshops; technical, financial, and management information; information on selling to the federal government; access to capital; small loan programs; Women's Network for Entrepreneurial Training (WNET); free Woman's Business Ownership Kit.
Small Business Administration’s Online Women’s Business Center (Office of Women’s Business Ownership)
www.onlinewbc.gov
owbo@sba.gov
The SBA’s Office of Women’s Business Ownership promotes the growth of women-owned businesses through programs that address business training and technical assistance and provide access to credit and capital, federal contracts, and international trade opportunities.
Women-21.gov
www.women-21.gov
This site, created jointly by the U.S. Department of Labor and the Small Business Administration, is a federal resource for targeted information, registration for online programs, and networking opportunities to help women entrepreneurs navigate the ever-changing business world.
Womenbiz.gov
www.womenbiz.gov
This site walks female business owners through five steps to exploring contracting opportunities with the federal government.
Women's Business Centers
http://www.sba.gov/idc/groups/public/documents/sba_program_office/sba_pr_wbc_ed.pdf
SBA’s network of more than 80 Women’s Business Centers (WBC) provide a wide range of services to women entrepreneurs at all levels of business development. These WBCs, located in 47 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, teach women the principles of finance, management and marketing, as well as specialized topics such as how to get a government contract, or how to start a home-based business.
Women’s Business Associations and Organizations
American Business Women's Association - ABWA
www.abwahq.org
abwa@abwa.org
This association provides training on career management and leadership development to businesswomen in diverse occupations.
Association for Women In Management
www.womens.org
awm@benefits.net
AWM supports research and education to further the acceptance of women in management positions.
Association of Women Professionals
www.awoman.org
awoman@bizland.com
An association for professional women in business.
Business and Professional Women, USA
www.bpwusa.org
memberservices@bpwusa.com
BPW promotes equity for all women in the workplace through advocacy, education, and information.
Catalyst Women
www.catalystwomen.org
info@catalystwomen.org
Catalyst is a non-profit research and advisory organization working to advance women in business.
Executive Women International
www.executivewomen.org
ewi@executivewomen.org
This organization provides networking and leadership development opportunities to businesswomen and their firms.
Federally Employed Women
www.few.org
few@few.org
FEW is a non-profit organization that works to improve the status of women employed by the federal government.
Ms Foundation - The National Women's Fund
www.ms.foundation.org
info@ms.foundation.org
An organization that provides training, grant making, and education to improve economic opportunities for women.
National Association of Female Executives (NAFE)
www.nafe.com
nafe@nafe.com
NAFE is the largest women’s professional association and the largest women business owners’ organization in the country. The organization provides education, networking, and advocacy to help members with their careers and their financial security.
National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO)
www.nawbo.org
national@nawbo.org
NAWBO is a national organization for women entrepreneurs who own businesses of varying sizes and are involved in many different industries.
National Education Center for Women in Business
http://maura.setonhill.edu/~necwb/
info@setonhill.edu
This center aims to strengthen the economic impact of women business owners as a collective force and to advance their growth through innovative programming in entrepreneurship and new venture creation.
National Women Business Owners Corporation
www.nwboc.org
info@nwboc.org
NWBOC is a sister organization to the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) and the Center for Women’s Business Research (CWBR) that offers a national certification program for women-owned businesses as an alternative to the local and state certifications required by many public and private sector agencies.
Organization of Women in International Trade
www.owit.org
OWIT is a non-profit professional organization that encourages women to do business in international trade by providing networking and educational opportunities.
SCORE (The Service Corps of Retired Executives)
www.score.org/women.html
SCORE "Counselors to America's Small Business" is a nonprofit association that provides entrepreneurs with free, confidential face-to-face and email business counseling. Counseling and workshops are offered at 389 chapter offices nationwide by volunteers who are experienced entrepreneurs or corporate managers/executives. SCORE has numerous resources available to women business owners, including free mentoring and counseling, workshops and seminars developed for women entrepreneurs.
U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce
www.sblink.us/html/uswcc.aspx
As the leading advocate for women on economic and leadership issues, the USWCC is creating economic and leadership opportunities for women by building a strong community voice, lobbying for you, and providing programs and benefits to support the growth of our women across America.
Women's Business Development Center
www.wbdc.org
wbdc@wbdc.org
An organization that provides support for prospective, emerging and established women business owners.
Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC)
www.wbenc.org
bfernandez@wbenc.org
WBENC is an advocate of women-owned businesses as suppliers to America’s corporations. The organization also certifies American businesses owned and operated by women.
Women's Global Business Alliance – Peer Counsel
www.wgba-business.com
administration@wgba-business.com
The Women’s Global Business Alliance - Peer Counsel is a member-based organization for senior-level executive women worldwide.
Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP)
http://www.wipp.org
WIPP is a national bi-partisan public policy organization that advocates for and on behalf of women in business, strengthening their sphere of influence in the legislative process of our nation, creating economic opportunities and building bridges and alliances to other small business organizations.
Women Presidents' Organization
www.womenpresidentsorg.com
info@womenpresidentsorg.com
WPO is a non-profit membership organization for women presidents who have grown their businesses to earn at least $2 million in gross annual sales (or $1 million for service-based businesses).
Women Work!
www.womenwork.org
womenwork@womenwork.org
Women Work! Is a membership organization dedicated to helping women achieve economic self-sufficiency through job readiness, education, and employment.
Women’s Trade Organizations
Association for Women in Science
www.awis.org
The Association for Women in Science is dedicated to achieving equity and full participation for women in science, mathematics, engineering and technology.
Financial Women International
www.fwi.org
info@fwi.org
A professional association of women working to achieve success in the financial industry.
Hard Hatted Women
www.hardhattedwomen.org
info@hardhattedwomen.org
This organization supports women who are engaged in or seeking non-traditional trade and technical careers.
National Association of Women in Construction
www.nawic.org
The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), founded in 1955, has 5,900 members with more than 187 chapters in 48 U.S. States and three Canadian provinces. NAWIC also has affiliates in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. In its 48 years of service to its membership, NAWIC has advanced the causes of all women in construction whose careers range from business ownership to the skilled trades.
Women Construction Owners & Executives, USA (WCOE)
www.wcoeusa.org
WCOE, conceived in 1983, promotes opportunities and business for women-owned firms and policy-making executives in the construction industry. WCOE's member businesses include general contractors, top-level policy-making executives, architects, engineers, construction project managers, subcontractors and other business women and professionals related to the construction industry.
Women in Technology
www.womenintechnology.org
WIT provides women in the technology community with a networking and professional growth environment to develop relationships and create new opportunities.
Women in Technology International
www.witi.com
WITI is an international network designed to assist women working in various technological fields.
Financial Assistance
Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence
www.count-me-in.org
Count Me In champions the cause for women's economic independence by providing access to business loans, consultation and education. The first online microlender, Count Me In uses a unique women friendly credit scoring system to make loans of $500-$10,000 available to women across the United States who have nowhere to turn for that all-important first business loan. The organization provides access to networks that expand contacts, markets, skills and confidence.
Financial Women’s Association
www.fwa.org
Founded in 1956, the Financial Women's Association (FWA) is a 1,100-member organization committed to shaping leaders in business and finance with a special emphasis on the role and development of women. The FWA serves its members through educational programs and networking opportunities, and serves the community through its scholarship, mentoring, and training programs.
Independent Means - An Income of Her Own
www.independentmeans.com
webmaster@independentmeans.com
IMI aims to prepare teen women to become financially independent by sponsoring programs that educate these young women about starting a business and making, saving, giving, and growing money.
Springboard Enterprises
www.springboardenterprises.org
Springboard Enterprises is a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to accelerating women's access to the equity markets. The organization produces programs that educate, showcase and support entrepreneurs as they seek equity capital and grow their companies.
Women's Financial Network
www.wfn.com
WFN is a financial institution created for women and by women that offers mutual funds, stocks, bonds, college savings plans, and retirement accounts. WFN’s website features financial information and resources for women.
Women's Institute for Financial Education (WIFE)
www.wife.org
info@wife.org
WIFE is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing financial education to women in their quest for financial independence.
Women’s Venture Fund
www.womensventurefund.org
The Women's Venture Fund, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization that targets women entrepreneurs in under-served urban communities. As a multi-service micro-lender, the Women's Venture Fund, Inc. assists these entrepreneurs in pursuing their business aspirations, thereby benefiting themselves, their families and their communities.
Research Organizations
Center for Women's Business Research
www.nfwbo.org
info@womensbusinessresearch.org
Providers of statistics, research, worldwide news and leadership initiatives.
Center for Women Policy Studies
www.centerwomenpolicy.org
Founded in 1972, the center’s research includes work regarding women in the workplace.
Institute for Women’s Policy Research
www.iwpr.org
IWPR is a public policy research organization dedicated to informing and stimulating the debate on issues of critical importance to women and their families.
Miscellaneous Women’s Business Sites
Advancing Women
www.advancingwomen.com
publisher@advancingwomen.com
This site contains job search tools, career resources, information about diversity recruiting, workplace studies, and related information.
BlueSuitMom.Com
www.bluesuitmom.com
mail@bluesuitmom.com
Provides tips and advice for working mothers.
Business Know-How
www.businessknowhow.com
attard@businessknowhow.com
This site contains Information useful for female business owners.
Business Women's Network
www.bwni.com
inquire@tpag.com
Provides resources and news that help women in business improve their careers, and finances.
Career Women
www.careerwomen.com
feedback@careerwomen.com
Helping women achieve success in their careers and life.
Concerning Women
www.concerningwomen.com
editor@concerningwomen.com
This site’s “Women in Business” section provides useful tips and relevant news items to professional women.
Corporate Woman
www.corporatewoman.com
info@corporatewoman.com
A web site dedicated to helping women entrepreneurs and women leaders achieve.
Digital-Women.com
www.digital-women.com
This site provides a forum for businesswomen to network. It also contains business tips and resources.
DiversityBusiness.com
www.div2000.com
admin@div2000.com
This site provides online tools to help small and large businesses establish partnerships to encourage diversity and a multicultural marketplace.
HerSmallBusiness.com
www.hersmallbusiness.com
donna@hersmallbusiness.com
This site offers resources to help women start and maintain a small business.
IMDiversity.com’s Women’s Village
www.IMdiversity.com
editorial@imdiversity.com
The Women’s Village contains articles of interest to professional women.
Impacting Women
http://impactingwomen.com
Impacting Women is a membership-driven online community that offers a newsletter, networking programs, peer groups, coaching, and other resources.
Ivillage.com
www.ivillage.com
The ivillage.com work page features advice and articles on advancing one’s career and starting a business.
Minority Business Network
www.mbnet.com
This site provides information and resources for minority- and women-owned businesses.
Ms. Fiscally Fit
www.msfiscallyfit.com
infomaster@msfiscallyfit.com
This site provides financial and work-related tips for professional women.
MsMoney.com
www.msmoney.com
inquiries@msmoney.com
This site is designed to inform women about money and investing.
Wider Opportunities for Women
www.wowonline.org
Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW) works nationally and in its home community of Washington, DC to achieve economic independence and equality of opportunity for women and girls.
Woman-owned.com
www.womanowned.com
info@womanowned.com
This site contains resources and useful articles for women-owned businesses as well as a searchable database of female business owners.
Women's Work
www.wwork.com
susan@wwork.com
The purpose of this site is to provide resources to help women move from corporations to smaller firms and/or to help them set up their own businesses.
Women Venture
www.womenventure.org
This site provides female professionals with tools to begin or grow a business, find a new job, or develop a new career path.
Women Today Magazine’s Career Page
www.womentodaymagazine.com
editor@womentodaymagazine.com
Women Today Magazine’s career page features articles of interest to female professionals.
Women's Forum
www.womensforum.com
Women’s Forum’s ‘Your Business’ page contains articles of interest to women who have or wish to start their own businesses or who wish to advance or change their professional careers.
Womans-Net
www.womans-net.com
Womans-Net is a membership-based online networking community where women can create a profile page about their business, get support from other members and staff, participate in forum discussions, use site tools—including business start-up tools—and access business-related advice.
Womenworking2000.com
www.womenworking2000.com
helene@womenworking2000.com
A web site specifically geared toward women business professionals.
WorkingMother.com
www.workingmother.com
This site is published by Working Mother Media, the same marketing company that publishes NAFE magazine for members of the National Association for Female Executives.
Women’s Business Publications
Minority Business Entrepreneur (Women's Business Exclusive)
www.mbemag.com
gconrad@mbemag.com
Bi-monthly publication for and about minority and women business owners.
Minorities and Women in Business
www.mwib.com
plester@mwib.com
This magazine features success stories about minority and female entrepreneurs, highlights legislation relevant to this population, covers minority economic development issues, and serves as a marketing tool for Fortune 1000 corporations with an interest in fostering minority- and women-owned businesses.
Women's News Bureau
www.womensnewsbureau.com
jerrilynn@womensnewsbureau.com
Publishes news and events affecting women in business.
Womenof.com
www.womenof.com
sklann@womenof.com
Womenof.com’s ‘Career & Business’ page contains articles of interest to professional women.
Work at Home Moms - WAHM
www.wahm.com
chdemas@aol.com
WAHM is an online magazine for work-at-home moms. The site includes tips for choosing, starting, and promoting a business.
Regional Resources
Everywoman Opportunity Center, Inc. (Western New York)
www.everywoman.org
ewocbuf@everywoman.org
This is a non-profit organization that helps the women of western New York achieve personal and economic self-sufficiency by providing career and life planning assistance.
Executive Women's Network (Baltimore, Maryland)
www.ewn.org
ewn@us.net
EWN is a non-profit organization that serves as a resource network for Baltimore’s businesswomen.
Fort Wayne's Women's Bureau/Women's Enterprise (Fort Wayne, Indiana)
www.womensenterprise.org
info@womensenterprise.org
Fort Wayne, Indiana’s Women’s Enterprise (a program of the Women’s Bureau) promotes the growth of women-owned businesses through business counseling, mentoring, training, and technical, financial, and procurement-related assistance.
Forum for Women Entrepreneurs (West Coast)
www.fwe.org
FWE, a networking organization for women starting or maintaining high-growth technology and life science companies, has chapters in San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, Los Angeles, and San Diego.
Massachusetts State Office of Minority and Women Business Assistance (Massachusetts)
www.somwba.state.ma.us
SOMWBA is an agency within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts helping promote the development of business enterprises and non-profit organizations owned or operated by minorities and women.
(mention the directory of certified businesses)
National Education Center for Women in Business (Pennsylvania)
http://maura.setonhill.edu/~necwb/
info@setonhill.edu
This center aims to strengthen the economic impact of women business owners as a collective force and to advance their growth through innovative programming in entrepreneurship and new venture creation. Although it has a national scope, most of the center’s activities and events are geared toward female professionals living and working in Pennsylvania.
New Mexico WOMAN (New Mexico)
www.nmwoman.com
heygals@nmwoman.com
New Mexico WOMAN is a monthly magazine that features successful businesswomen in New Mexico.
The Women's Exchange (Alabama)
www.womens-exchange.com
info@womens-exchange.com
The Women’s Exchange supports Alabama’s businesswomen with publications, events, and information on its website.
W.O.M.E.N., Inc. (Washington, DC/Los Angeles, CA/Pasadena, CA)
www.womenof.org
womenofwas@womenhomepage.com
womenofla@womenhomepage.com
womenofpas@womenhomepage.com
W.O.M.E.N., Inc. is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that provides monthly forums for women to exchange ideas, support the community, learn from leaders, and help each other personally and professionally. W.O.M.E.N., Inc. includes affiliates Women of Washington, Women of Los Angeles, and Women of Pasadena.
Women’s Business Center (Washington, DC)
www.womensbusinesscenter.org
info@womensbusinesscenter.org
The center provides training for women in the Washington, DC area who want to start or expand their own business.
Women's Business Center (New Hampshire/Massachusetts/Maine)
www.womenbiz.org
info@womenbiz.org
The Women’s Business Center is a New Hampshire-based non-profit organization that promotes women’s business ownership as a means to maximize personal potential and achieve economic independence. The center offers programs and services across the region of southeastern New Hampshire, northern Massachusetts, and southern Maine.
Women's Business Network (Southwestern Pennsylvania)
www.wbninc.com
membership@wbninc.com
WBN supports women business owners and professionals in southwestern Pennsylvania.
Women's Economic Self Sufficiency Team (WESST Corp) (New Mexico)
www.wesst.org
wesst@swcp.com
WESST Corp is a non-profit organization devoted to facilitating the start-up and growth of women- and minority-owned businesses in New Mexico.
WOMEN’S ENTERPRISE (Texas)
www.womens-enterprise.com
vicki@womens-enterprise.com
WOMEN’S ENTERPRISE is a magazine for and about Texan women business owners and corporate professionals.
Women's Enterprise Institute (Kentucky)
www.weimidway.org
wei@midway.edu
Women’s Enterprise Institute, one of the women’s business centers funded by the Small Business Administration, offers classes, counseling, and events to support Kentucky women who own—or want to own—their own businesses.
Women's Initiative for Self Employment (San Francisco Bay Area)
www.womensinitiative.org
The Women’s Initiative for Self-Employment is a private, non-profit agency that provides business training, technical assistance, and financing for Bay Area low-income women. This organization helps female entrepreneurs start, grow, and/or expand their businesses.
Women In Management (Southern California/Los Angeles)
http://wimworks.org
mail@wimworks.org
WIM is open to all women in the Southern California/Los Angeles area. The organization helps these women make career and business contacts and provides them with mentoring, scholarships, and educational opportunities.
Women’s Leadership Alliance (Maryland)
www.wla-md.org
This site is currently under construction but will soon feature a calendar of events, online registration, an online membership directory, and other tools.
Women's Network (Northeastern Ohio)
www.womennet.org
wnetwork@ywcaofsummitcounty.org
Women’s Network is an organization in northeastern Ohio that allows its members—female professionals in the area—to act as resources for each other. Special interest groups within the organization allow members with specific interests to network with each other.
Women On The Fast Track (New York, NY)
http://womenonthefasttrack.com
lucyrosen@aol.com
Women on the Fast Track is a networking organization based out of New York City, with some chapters and members in other parts of the country.
Note that by listing these sites the Air Force is in no way endorsing them or their content.
The Air Force Small Business Office is not responsible for any content on web pages outside
the www.selltoairforce.org website domain.
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