Dawn Golik

Each March during National Women’s History Month,  the Small Business Administration recognizes the importance of female entrepreneurs.

According to SBA data,  there are  1.1 million women employer businesses in the U.S., which employ  10.1 million workers, annually generating $1.8 trillion in receipts. Female entrepreneurs are a powerful economic force across the country, around California and throughout the San Joaquin Valley. In Fresno, Madera, Tulare and Kings counties, SBA resources are helping women business owners get going and keep growing.

Training and education are critical to the success and growth of women-owned businesses.  The SBA recently provided grant funding to Fresno State’s Office of Community & Economic Development for the Central Valley Women’s Entrepreneurship Center, the first SBA funded Women’s Business Center serving the entire San Joaquin Valley. Other trusted SBA Resource Partner agencies in Fresno, Madera, Tulare and Kings Counties including SCORE and the Small Business Development Center also provide free counseling, consulting, training and technical assistance to women business owners.  As our region continues emerging from the pandemic, these organizations are helping the smallest and hardest hit businesses —  including sole proprietors, independent contractors and self-employed women — reopen, recover, and rebound.

SBA data has found that women-owned businesses are concentrated in professional, scientific and technical services, health care and social assistance industries. These sectors offer tremendous opportunities for female led firms to contract with the Federal government. The SBA administers the Women Owned Small Business and Economically Disadvantaged Women Owned Small Business (WOSB/EDWOSB) certifications which provide a powerful competitive advantage for female entrepreneurs who want to do business with Federal government agencies. 

The federal government’s goal is to annually award at least 5% of all federal contracting dollars to women-owned firms. In 2022, the SBA announced that women-owned Small Businesses received more than $26 billion in Federal contracts for the third straight year. The SBA is increasing the number of certified firms and expanding the types of specialties for which women-owned businesses can receive set-aside awards to  help increase federal contracting opportunities for female led firms. Women business owners can visit the beta.certify.sba.gov website to identify and apply for certifications they could be eligible for in order to gain a valuable advantage over their male-owned competitors when bidding on government work.

Access to capital is critical for women business owners who need funding to get going and keep growing. For many years,  female entrepreneurs could not obtain a business loan on their own without a male cosigner.  Thankfully things are different now: over the last two Federal fiscal years, businesses owned 51% or more by women in the 15 county San Joaquin Valley & Central Coast region received over $100 million in SBA loans for working capital, lines of credit and purchase of commercial real estate.  And since not every business needs a million-dollar loan, the SBA network of Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) are a resource for women whose businesses need smaller amounts of capital that make a big difference in their ability to start and grow.

The Fresno SBA District Office proudly supports San Joaquin Valley women entrepreneurs who are creating jobs, serving their customers, and opening new businesses at unprecedented rates.  This month, we honor them, and every month, SBA programs help them start up, scale up, and continue succeeding.

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Elmy Bermejo was appointed by President Biden in 2022 to represent the Small Business Administration in California, Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii, Guam & American Samoa as Region IX Administrator. Dawn Golik serves as director of the Fresno SBA District Office, serving 15 counties of the San Joaquin Valley and Central Coast.  For more information on the SBA visit www.sba.gov.