In the world of business, women are considered to be a minority regardless of their race. Many government contracts and business arrangements require that a minimum percentage of business transactions be handled using minority owned businesses. For this reason, getting a business certified as woman-owned can be advantageous and open up new markets for goods and services. But, who offers certification and how does one get her business certified as woman-owned?

Nation Women's Business Owners

The Nation Women's Business Owners' Corporation (NWBOC) is the first organization to offer a certification program for woman-owned businesses. The NWBOC is a non-profit organization created in 1995 to provide assistance to woman business owners in competing for government and corporate contracts. Their Women's Business Enterprise (WBE) certification program is one step in this process. In order to get her business certified as woman-owned, a woman or group of women must make an application to the NWBOC for certification and supply business paperwork that supports the claim that the business is at least 51% owned and controlled by a woman or women. Incorporation papers, a partnership agreement, or a county DBA (doing business as) fictitious name filing will normally suffice.

How to Apply and become a Women Owned Business