None of us start our own business knowing absolutely everything that is required to succeed. We may have an idea, ambition, and some motivation to go with it, but that is just about it. Most women entrepreneurs do not know much about regulatory compliance, bookkeeping, or supply chain management among other things. However, the question remains, should you be stopping yourself from your entrepreneurial dreams because of your lack of command over secondary business skills? Not at all!
In the age of the internet, most women entrepreneurs can develop amazing educational and business-related skills online, without having to go back to school. Almost everything you wish to know today is a single click away from you and can be accessed easily. Starting from online tutorials to networking tools, professional memberships, and applications for loans and grants, almost everything is accessible in the online world.
Go through these resources and find out what’s best for your brand.
1. American Business Women’s Association (ABWA)
The American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) provides much-needed leadership, networking, educational and business support to female entrepreneurs. The site is a helpful resource that provides free links to business trends, news, job postings, and social media updates. The organization also discusses various issues that women face during their entrepreneurial journeys and looks at possible ways to overcome these challenges.
ABWA is the ideal place for women entrepreneurs interested in developing practical and necessary business skills. The platform motivates and encourages members to practice and learn business skills such as public speaking, marketing, facilitating a meeting, and creating a business plan or pitch for investments. The platform also organizes monthly meetings for members. You have to pay a small fee to attend in-person conferences, while online resources are free.
2. Office of Women’s Business Ownership
The Office of Women’s Business Ownership is a national network within the United States set as part of the Small Business Administration or SBA. These centers are supported by the government and are numbered over a hundred across the nation. Each of these centers provides women entrepreneurs the skill set and aspirations they need to start their own business.
The centers provide female entrepreneurs with training, support, and education to take their business aspirations forward and to fill their skill gaps. As per the official online website of WBC, “WBCs seek to level the playing field for women entrepreneurs, who still face unique obstacles in the business world.” The website strives to offer tons of online resources from handling commercial lease agreements to something as simple as keeping books. The resources will update your skillset and give you the platform you require to move forward.
3. Women’s Venture Fund
The Women’s Venture Fund is a nonprofit organization that is focused on developing businesses in underserved communities in the urban world. The fund supports diversity and measures for equality by offering business advice and funding to women entrepreneurs coming from less privileged urban areas. Investment is one thing that most women entrepreneurs lack when starting their businesses. This online accessible fund can inject the right investment into your business and help it flutter onwards. The information on available funding and business opportunities in specific urban areas can also help direct women to other resources that might offer them the investment they need.
4. Women Entrepreneur
Entrepreneur magazine has for long been the ultimate resource for entrepreneurs to catch up on their skills and to also find out about the items trending around them. Women Entrepreneur is a separate section set up by the online magazine to cater to the needs of women entrepreneurs.
Even with the recent move toward equality, women business owners are still at a disadvantage as compared to male business owners. This women-centric resource helps you navigate the issues that are faced by women in the organizational setup today and gives solutions to the challenges you will encounter. With the tips and resources mentioned on their online blog, female entrepreneurs would finally be able to somewhat level the playing field for future growth.
5. Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC)
The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) is a community of like-minded women business entrepreneurs looking for certifications and opportunities for their businesses. The platform allows small business owners to compete for funding and contracts as they try to set sail in the complex business environment of today.
The organization has an extensive national reach and a full roster of contacts that women business owners can utilize for future growth and vendor relationships. You can also register on the website and use their grants to qualify for helpful certifications.
6. Mompreneur Center
This is another great resource by the Entrepreneur website and magazine for entrepreneurial moms. Articles and resources present on this site cover a variety of topics ranging from maintaining a work-life balance to business ideas and success stories from moms that made the jump and eventually succeeded.
These resources do not only help aspiring moms learn how to juggle their familial responsibilities with those of their business, but also give them a sense of direction and aspiration to take their business forward. Starting your own business gives you the opportunity to be more flexible with your time at home. However, flexibility isn’t something that you’d have learned at college or in school, or even at your previous workplace. Hence, this mompreneur website makes it easier for moms to succeed as entrepreneurs and leave a decent impression.
Women entrepreneurs are changing the dynamics of the business environment around us. Much of this success is owed to their ability to learn and acquire knowledge from all corners of the world. If you’re an aspiring woman entrepreneur as well, you can jump over to our website and make good use of some of our resources as well.
