About 13 women have already signed up for the next cohort of ValleyBuild NOW (Non-traditional Occupations for Women), which matches the total for the first cohort. The application window closes in April. Photo contributed

Though everyone in business gets tested to some extent, historically, women business owners encounter unique challenges. Local and national organizations are standing up to support women in business in the Valley.

The Small Business Administration (SBA), which has a district office in Fresno, coordinates the Office of Women’s Business Ownership, with programs for business training and counseling, access to credit and capital, and marketing opportunities, including federal contracts.

According to the SBA’s 2022 Small Business Profile, there are more than 12 million businesses with female ownership in the United States.

The Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation, a local non-profit organization that supports the growth and development of the Hispanic business community, launched its “Latinapreneur” and “Womanpreneur” virtual cohort programs amidst the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The “Latinapreneur” (Spanish) and the “Womanpreneur” (English) programs was geared to help minority women owners pivot during the crisis by helping them transition their businesses online, market their products and services on social media platforms and preserve cash flow.

More than 700 women entrepreneurs have completed the online training since the programs have launched.

 

Needing help, giving Help

In Central Fresno, the Vision View Business Formation Center, a local business hub and incubator, is helping local business owners start and expand their business by providing support with leasing space, business development services and resources for startups.

Lynisha Senegal, founder and executive director of Vision View, started her training and entrepreneurship programs as a low-income mother of five, struggling to make ends meet for her family.

In her journey, she encountered others who also had interest in starting their own business but were facing the obstacles of poverty. She wanted to help others overcome these barriers.

Senegal said Vision View has been helping women in business by ensuring the little things that challenge a startup are taken care off — marketing, administrative assistance, accountants, back-office support, technology, and professional mentoring.

As a businesswoman herself, Senegal said that in the corporate world dominated by men, it can be difficult as a woman to attract investment.

“There should be a lot more preparation, or more grace, for women entrepreneurs,” Senegal said. “Having a coach to help them present what interests investors could help. Sometimes women don’t choose the business models that interest men so there is already that disconnect.”

Senegal said women might choose to go into health, beauty or fashion, whereas male investors might be more interested in technology. There is a disproportionate investment by dollar amount for women-owned businesses, she said.

Sabrina Green first met Senegal as she was deciding to move forward with her own business, Legacy Business Hub, a provider of flexible office space and business services.

On Feb. 28, the Legacy Business Hub will hold the grand opening of its first location in Northwest Fresno. It offers business services including virtual mailboxes, receptionist services, notary services, live scan and finger printing, and free business workshops.

It also features amenities such as a filming room, a coffee bar, a conference room and Wi-Fi.

Throughout the years, Green said she supported Senegal in all her work, and when it came time open her own business, she received the same support in return.

Coming from a corporate accounting background, she eventually started doing accounting on her own.

Around 2016, Green started Legacy, handling taxes and financial credit, growing the company on the side as she worked a full-time job.

Green said she encounters business owners interested in resources to help grow their business, and she wants Legacy to be a one-stop shop for entrepreneurs to get their work done.

Green said wants to be the resource that she wishes she had when she was starting her own business.

She has some practical advice for people who used to be in her position.

“Build your clientele so that your business is paying you more than what you are making,” Green said. “I know many women entrepreneurs are mothers and you can’t just jump into it and quit your job. Build your system so that you know how to make things run and what your clients need.”

 

Building women builders

Women entering historically male-dominated arenas isn’t just occurring in corporate boardrooms, but also in industries such as construction, transportation and manufacturing.

Last July, ValleyBuild, a regional program training people for good-paying jobs in construction, launched its first-ever all-female class for its eight-week ValleyBuild NOW (Non-traditional Occupations for Women) for traditional apprenticeship readiness training and specialized workshops.

All 13 students graduated from the first cohort, with several of them joining unions and others working in transitional jobs within the construction industry.

Once the program is completed, graduates receive certificates including a Multicraft Core Curriculum certificate, CPR and first aid certifications, OSHA 10 certificate, training, forklift certification and hazardous waste training.

ValleyBuild is currently recruiting for its second all-female cohort, with the application window closing in April.

Beatriz Lopez, a project coordinator at the Fresno Regional Workforce Development Board (FRWDB), said it is important for the women in the cohort to know they are supported.

“They were supported in multiple ways, not just by each other, but from our providers. Them being able to get supportive services to get them through training was very helpful and important to them,” Lopez said.

Along with workshops to help the students get acclimated with construction culture, Ashley Matthews, a senior project coordinator with the FRWDB, said that female mentors in the classrooms helped them see themselves in construction positions and feel a part of the industry.

Lopez added that seeing women in those positions — interacting with them, hearing their stories, and learning tips and tricks — helped women in the class feel they belong.

There was a huge increase from women in applying for this year’s cohort, Lopez said, with 13 women already signed up.

“They’re primed and ready to start entry level construction and apprenticeships,” Matthews said.

Matthews said that when she first started with ValleyBuild three years ago, only one or two women would sign up for apprenticeship programs, but they would excel and be some of the top performers in the class.

For women, she said, overcoming the hurdle of feeling comfortable in the industry can be the biggest barrier.

Matthews hopes ValleyBuild can help more women overcome it.