Resources to Check Out for Your Woman-Owned Business

Women make up 38 percent of all businesses in the U.S. but tend to be underrepresented in the business world. The many hurdles they face, especially when it comes to receiving financing, make them have to fight harder than other entrepreneurs to succeed. If you’re a woman in business, there are a myriad of resources for women owned business.  We invite you to check out these helpful resources.

Grants

1. InnovateHER Challenge

The InnovateHER Challenge was launched by the Small Business Administration in 2015. Backed by the SBA and the Sara Blakely Foundation, the InnovateHER Challenge addresses the needs of women entrepreneurs and how they help the U.S.’s economy. In 2015, the prize was a $30,000 grant, but it has since grown to $70,000.

2. The Amber Grant

The Amber Grant began in 1998 to honor the memory of a young woman named Amber who passed away when she was 19 years old. She dreamt of being an entrepreneur, so Womensnet started the scholarship to help others fulfill their entrepreneurial dreams as well. Each month, Womensnet awards a grant of $500 to a selected women entrepreneur and $2,500 to one annual winner.

3. EILEEN FISHER Woman-Owned Business Grant

The EILEEN FISHER Woman-Owned Business Grant began in 2004 as part of the company’s 20th-anniversary celebration. Today, they offer up to $100,000 grants for up to 10 women entrepreneurs annually. Applications open and are accepted from April to May annual with winners being notified the following November.

For more grant opportunities, check out Grants For Women.

Podcasts

1. GirlBoss Radio

Girlboss Radio was created by the founder of NastyGal, Sofia Amoruso, and offers weekly podcasts highlighting women who’ve made their mark in their industries. In the podcast, listeners can receive advice from these fearless leaders’ experiences and learn how to become flawlessly fearless themselves.

2. Women in Tech

The Women In Tech podcast was launched in 2016 to inspire women engineers, tech female founders, investors and much more. While women are underrepresented in the business industry, they’re even more underrepresented in the tech industry. Host Espree Devora hopes listeners can say to themselves, “If she can do it, so can I” after each episode of the podcast.

3. Biz Chix

The Biz Chix podcast is an extension from BizChix.com, an online website and community that encourages and thrives on entrepreneurial spirit in women. Host Natalie Eckdahl chats with guests to discuss social media marketing to business strategies to product development.

Books

1. “Own It: The Power of Women at Work” by Sallie Krawcheck

“Own It: The Power of Women at Work” is a career playbook in the era of new-wave feminism. Sallie Krawcheck offers new sets of rules for women in business. These rules, however, help them use their strengths and skills to their advantage in order to build on the power they already hold.

2. “Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead” by Sheryl Sandberg and Nell Scovell

Sheryl Sandberg and co-writer Nell Scovell’s “Lean In: Women, work, and the Will to Lead”received top positions in international bestseller lists. In the book, Sandberg discusses her experiences working in some of the world’s most successful businesses, how women can help themselves succeed in their industries and how they can effect change on a larger, universal scale.

3. “Breaking into the Boys’ Club: 8 Ways for Women to Get Ahead in Business” by Molly Dickinson, Jane Stimmler and Peter Dean

“Breaking into the Boys’ Club: 8 Ways for Women to Get Ahead in Business” helps women in business face office face challenges through extensive research, compelling stories, quizzes and advice. What’s more is that they offer extra advice for black women who face even more challenges in the working world.

TED Talks

1. Talks by strong women leaders

For inspiration from women leaders around the world, check out this TED Talks playlist. The list includes 16 Talks discussing women in business to diplomacy to education. Some highlights for women entrepreneurs include Sheryl Sandberg’s “Why we have too few many women leaders” and Dame Stephanie Shirley’s “Why do ambitious women have flat heads?”

2. Talks that every woman should watch

This playlist covers a wide variety challenges that many women go through. These bold talks discuss issues from race to healthcare to gender violence. For women in business, check out Anne-Marie Slaughter’s “Can we all ‘have it all’?”

3. Talks about fighting imposter syndrome

These talks help empower women into going after what they want, especially in the workplace. From asking for promotions or raises to asserting yourself, these talks can help women entrepreneurs find their voice and rightful place in the business world. For businesswomen especially, check out Casey Brown’s “Know your worth, and then ask for it” and Adam Galinsky’s “How to speak up for yourself”.

For more women in business talks, check out TED Talks’ Women in Business page.

Blogs

1. She Takes on the World

She Takes on the World has been listed on Forbes’s “Top 100 Websites for Women” four times and on ForbesWoman’s “Top 10 Entrepreneurial Sites for Women”. She Takes on the World helps women build their businesses or brands, offers advice from experts, discusses finances and much more.

2. The Kabbage Blog

The Kabbage blog provides advice for small business owners from various backgrounds and in various industries. The Women in Business section specifically targets women entrepreneurs, providing advice, inspiration, interviews and more. Along with the Women in Business section of the blog, Kabbage also offers a hub for womenpreneurs, highlighting women Kabbage customers, success stories and even more insights.

3. The Secrets of Success Blog

The Secrets of Success Blog offers resources and advice for women in business. It also highlights successful women in business in its “How She Does It” section. Tips for women entrepreneurs vary from harnessing your skills and talent to sales pitch techniques to start-up advice. The Secrets of Success also offers a podcast to accompany the blog.

Although women entrepreneurs continue to increase each year, they’re still not well-represented in the business universe. With these resources, women in business can better overcome the obstacles they face as entrepreneurs.