Did you know that there are more than 7.8 million women-owned businesses in the United States? That number increased by 20.1 percent between 2002 and 2007 according to the National Women's Council. Also as noted by the National Women's Council, women have an economic impact of $3 trillion. That $3 trillion translates into the creation and/or maintenance of 23 million jobs, which makes up 16 percent of all U.S. jobs! The number of women-owned businesses is continuing to rise at rapid rates.1

Last year I wrote a blog post on why women owned businesses should get certified. A year later, I still feel strongly about this. As a certified women-owned business, we've experienced first hand the benefits that being certified offer. The following five benefits have held true for us and other business owners we've spoken to.

1. National WBENC-certification recognition by hundreds of major corporations.
2. Exclusive opportunities to participate in events and workshops designed with women in mind, such as the WBENC Conference.
3. Opportunities to partner with other certified businesses.
4. Opportunities to promote our business (and yours) at events through sponsorships.
5. Access to a diversified list of executives at more than 100 major United States entities.

For more information on these benefits and a plethora of others, visit the WBENC website.

Source: 201 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report