SBA Wants to Increase Government Contracting Opportunities for Women-Owned Businesses

Nationally, the SBA is assisting women business owners through the ChallengeHER initiative. The SBA is continuing its partnership with Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) and American Express Open on the ChallengeHER initiative, which was launched in the spring of 2014, to help more women-owned businesses get a bigger piece of the federal contracting pie and benefit from the SBA’s Woman-Owned Small Business Federal Contracting Program.

ChallengeHER helps women business owners better understand and navigate the numerous procurement opportunities available from the federal government. At ChallengeHER events, training is also provided on how to register in the System for Award Management, which serves as the government contracting portal for all small business owners that want to do business with the federal government.

The remaining ChallengeHER events for 2015 are in:
* Pittsburgh, Pa. – Sep 22
* Santa Ana, Calif. – Oct 8
* Cincinnati, Ohio – Oct 16
* Central New Jersey – Nov 4
* Baltimore, Md. – Nov 5

Other event locations are being considered. Visit the ChallengeHER website at www.wipp.org/?ChallengeHER for the most current information.

How can existing women business owners get assistance from the SBA in the certification process?
Any firms that have questions during the self-certification process and are unable to find their answer under the website guidelines should e-mail the SBA at wosb@sba.gov. Firms that are seeking third-party certifications will receive guidance directly from those resources.

Nicole Cober, Esq. is the Managing Partner at Cober Johnson & Romney, a law firm focusing on trademarks, brand licensing and small business consulting. She is a former small biz owner of the award winning chain, Soul…Day Spa and Salon. She is also a Legal Consultant for Washington DC’s NewsChannel 8 and author of soon-to-be released book: “CEO of My Soul: The Dos and Don’ts of Small Biz”. Follow her on Twitter @niccober and like her on Facebook @facebook.com/CoberJohnson. Visit her website at www.cjrlegal.com.