BY ANNE JANIAK
Will women business owners lead the way to economic growth in the United States? Yes, they will, according to the Ewing Marion Kaufman Foundation”™s recent report “Sources of Economic Hope: Women”™s Entrepreneurship.”
The report, issued last November, suggests that “accelerating women”™s entrepreneurship could have the same positive effect on the U. S. economy as the large-scale entry of women into the labor force had during the 20th century.”
- Anne M. Janiak
Since 1997, entrepreneurs have turned to the nonprofit Women”™s Enterprise Development Center for the skills, tools and resources they need to start and expand their businesses. WEDC empowers female entrepreneurs to build successful businesses by providing training programs, advisory services and access to capital to generate economic growth in Westchester County and the Hudson Valley. With offices in Dutchess and Westchester counties, WEDC serves more than 2,400 clients each year on an array of business topics from when clients are first thinking of starting a business to when they are ready to grow them and access capital.
Starting a small business takes motivation, desire and talent, and it also takes planning and preparation. This is where WEDC comes in. Our core program is a comprehensive 60-hour “put your business plan together” training program, which is offered in English and Spanish. Participants go over all aspects of business ownership: management, financing, marketing and operations. In addition, WEDC offers a number of other small-business services to help entrepreneurs at every stage of business development, including workshops, webinars, one-on-one counseling sessions in English and in Spanish and assistance with certification as a minority/women business enterprise. We also provide programs for the more established women business owners, such as our daylong “Business Explosion Boot Camp” and “Update Your Business Plan for Greater Profitability.” Most of our programs and services are free of charge; others have a minimal cost.
As the designated U.S. Small Business Administration Women”™s Business Center for the region, WEDC”™s all-embracing goal is to build a vibrant community of women entrepreneurs throughout Westchester and the Hudson Valley. Our ever-expanding community includes businesses such as management consulting, construction, catering, wellness, health and food service. We encourage our network of entrepreneurs to support each other”™s businesses and thus promote the advancement of women”™s entrepreneurship.
WEDC is proud to be part of the larger national picture in which women continue to start businesses at 1.5 times the rate of men. According to American Express OPEN”™s State of Women-Owned Businesses report, there are more than 9.1 million firms owned by women, employing nearly 7.9 million people and generating $1.4 trillion in sales as of 2014.
The Kaufman Foundation report also suggests there should be programs to help women access the capital they need to grow their small businesses. Again, this is where WEDC comes in. Through our micro loan program, entrepreneurs can access loans ranging from $500 to $50,000, and as a Kiva Zip trustee, we can support our clients through this online crowdfunding platform with interest-free loans.
If your passion is to start or grow your own business, and if you want to support and promote women”™s economic empowerment, then be a part of WEDC”™s growing entrepreneurial network. Connect with us today to be a client and/or a mentor and join this exciting movement to help women succeed with business ownership, support their families and fuel our local economy.
Anne M. Janiak has been the executive director of the Women”™s Enterprise Development Center Inc. since it was founded in 1997. She has been active in women”™s issues, local government and public policy matters in Westchester County for more than 30 years. Janiak can be reached at 914-948-6098, ext. 12, or ajaniak@westchester.org.
