A business guide for Black women: looking to start your own business? Here is a must-have list of people to contact for money, technical assistance and sisterly advice.Looking to start your own business? Here is a must-have list of people to contact for money, technical assistance and sisterly advice.ANYONE WHO'S EVER TRIED IT KNOWS THAT starting a business is no easy task. It requires an enormous amount of dedication, discipline and due diligence--not to mention money, time and energy. What keeps the successful going is the knowledge that the payoff can be enormous. Unfortunately, too many women have their efforts thwarted by inexperience, poor planning and/or a lack of financing. Here is a list of essentials that will help you from becoming one of those casualties. This resource list includes books, organizations, financial institutions and technology vehicles, all geared to advancing the entrepreneurial empowerment of women. COUNTDOWN Top Entrepreneurial Organizations These organizations will help you gain knowledge, increase your collective buying power Buying Power The money an investor has available to buy securities. In a margin account, the buying power is the total cash held in the brokerage account plus maximum margin available. Also referred to as "Excess Equity. and strengthen your relationships with other businesswomen. They offer an array of services from entrepreneurial workshops to loans by mail, and can provide you and your company with a number of cost-saving benefits. National Association of Black Women Entrepreneurs Inc., P.O. Box 1375, Detroit, MI 48231; 810-356-3686; fax: 810-354-3793 Business workshops Information services See Information Systems. Franchise opportunities NABWE newsletter National conference, Oct. 18-20 National Association of Women Business Owners The National Association of Women's Business Owners (NAWBO) is an organization in the United States founded in 1975 that has the purpose of networking the approximately 10. , 1100 Wayne Ave., Suite 830, Silver Spring, MD 20910; 301-608-2590; fax: 301-608-2590 Monthly meetings Lobbying group in Washington Discounts on NAWBO-sponsored services such as Federal Express Bimonthly bi·month·ly adj. 1. Happening every two months. 2. Happening twice a month; semimonthly. adv. 1. Once every two months. 2. Twice a month; semimonthly. n. pl. newsletter Membership directory Research foundation 50 U.S. chapters and 33 international association affiliates National Association for Female Executives  This article or section is written like an .Please help [ rewrite this article] from a neutral point of view. Mark blatant advertising for , using . , 30 Irving Pl., 5th Fl., New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , NY 10003; 212-477-2200 Group medical insurance coverage Discounted hotel and long-distance telephone services Loans by mail Subscription to Executive Female Access to NAFE NAFE National Association for Female Executives NAFE National Association of Forensic Economics NAFE National Academy of Forensic Engineers NAFE Non-Advanced Further Education (UK) Business Basics Program 200 local chapter affiliates American Woman's Economic Development Corp., 71 Vanderbilt Ave., Suite 320, New York, NY 10169; 212-692-9100 Entrepreneurial training Business workshops Seminars held in New York and Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. chapters Women's Business Development Center, 8 S. Michigan, Suite 400, Chicago, IL 60603; 312-853-3477; fax: 312-853-0145 Individualized in·di·vid·u·al·ize tr.v. in·di·vid·u·al·ized, in·di·vid·u·al·iz·ing, in·di·vid·u·al·iz·es 1. To give individuality to. 2. To consider or treat individually; particularize. 3. consulting Business training Loan assistance 10th Annual Entrepreneurial Woman's Conference, Sept. 12 Business and Professional Women/USA, BPW/USA Membership Activation Dept., 2012 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036; 202-293-1100; fax: 202-861-0298 Information exchange via e-mail Educational loans and scholarships Career assessment workshops Launch plans for loan fund Association of Black Women Entrepreneurs, Box 49368, Los Angeles, CA 90049; 213-624-8639 Bimonthly networking meetings and seminars Newsletter Once-a-year private consultation with an industry expert National Council of Negro Women The National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) was founded in 1935 by Mary McLeod Bethune, child of slave parents, distinguished educator and government consultant. Mary McLeod Bethune saw the need for harnessing the power and extending the leadership of African American women through Inc., 633 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20004; 202-737-0120; fax: 202-737-0476 Newly launched Economic Development/Entrepreneurial Program Center Individual business skills assessment Technical assistance for start-ups Galloway Braintrust Group, 1005 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314; 703-683-5588 Stringent membership requirements--limited to women who live and/or conduct business in the Washington metropolitan area The Washington Metropolitan Area, formally known as the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV MSA is a U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as of November 2004. . Female entrepreneurs must have been in business for five years and have a minimum of $200,000 in company revenues Benefits include mentorship, research, lobbying and the opportunity for business promotion Seminars open to nonmembers WHAT'S THE URL URL in full Uniform Resource Locator Address of a resource on the Internet. The resource can be any type of file stored on a server, such as a Web page, a text file, a graphics file, or an application program. ? Enterprising Sites Online Looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. a fast and easy way to access business information? Go online. By subscribing to any Internet service provider Internet service provider (ISP) Company that provides Internet connections and services to individuals and organizations. For a monthly fee, ISPs provide computer users with a connection to their site (see data transmission), as well as a log-in name and password. (i.e., America Online See AOL. , Prodigy, etc.), you can dial up the World Wide Web and dive into cyberspace. But first, take a look at the offerings of your own commercial provider. For example, America Online offers Your Business, which lists valuable resources and offers financial advice. To start you Web hunting, here are a few must hits: Entreprenet (http://www.enterprise.org). A small business guide library covering product pricing, the arithmetics of a deal, a venture capital resource center and Q&As with industry experts. The guide is produced by Enterprise Corp. of Pittsburgh, a nonprofit management and consulting organization. Franchise Handbook On Line (http://www.franchise1.com). Listings of industry trade show events, article excerpts and news bytes are just a few of the items in this comprehensive directory. Check out the evaluation checklist for franchise offerings. The Small Business Resource Center (http://www.webcom.com/seaquest/sbrc/welcome.html). A comprehensive overview on choosing, starting and running a small business. Covers the developmental stages of a start-up--from writing a business plan to acquiring capital. WASBEC (http://www.wasbec.uca.edu/). You don't have to be a member of the World Association of Small Business Electronic Commerce to access this small business resource guide. A calendar of events lists seminars and symposiums around the country; valuable information on Small Business Administration links is provided. American Business Information (http://www.abii.com/). A database containing sales leads and mailing lists of more than a whopping 10 million companies. Low fee-based offerings include company profiles. FinanceHub.Com (http://www.financehub.com). A comprehensive directory of topics related to venture capital, including banks, commerce and law. It also provides a compilation of venture capital firms Name Location Founding date Managing Partners/Directors Specialty Capital managed 5AM Ventures Menlo Park, CA; Waltham, MA 2002 John Diekman, PhD (managing partner), Scott Rocklage, PhD (managing partner), Andrew Schwab (managing partner) life sciences $200M [1] and organizations. You can even list your business in the company showcase. SCOR-NET (http//www.scor-net.com). Learn about the process of registering your company for a DPO DPO Direct Public Offering (finance/investment) DPO Direct Public Offering DPO District Police Officer (Pakistan) DPO Days Payables Outstanding DPO Document Process Outsourcing DPO Days Past Ovulation (direct public offering). This service provider lists attorneys and funding firms, and covers traditional IPOS as well as deals through its virtual market space. READING IS FUNDAMENTAL Books For Business Success The value of reading about business is high, whether you plan to start a company or you've owned and operated one for years. Whatever the case, the old adage that "knowledge is power" reigns supreme. And book knowledge, specifically, never hurts. The Women's Information Ex-change National Directory, Avon Books; $14.95 101 Best Home-Based Businesses for Women: Everything You Need to Know About Getting Started on the Road to Success by Priscilla Y. Huff, Prima Publishing; $12.95 Starting On A Shoestring: Building a Business Without a Bankroll bank·roll n. 1. A roll of paper money. 2. Informal One's ready cash. tr.v. bank·rolled, bank·roll·ing, bank·rolls Informal by Arnold S. Goldstein, John Wiley John Wiley may refer to:
The Complete Book of Business Plans: Simple Steps to Writing a Powerful Business Plan by Joseph A. Covello & Brian J. Hazelgren, Source Books; $19.95 Venture Capital Handbook, Prentice Hall Prentice Hall is a leading educational publisher. It is an imprint of Pearson Education, Inc., based in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, USA. Prentice Hall publishes print and digital content for the 6-12 and higher education market. History In 1913, law professor Dr. ; $26.95 Entrepreneurs Are Made Not Born: Secrets From 200 Successful Entrepreneurs by Lloyd E. Shefsky, McGraw Hill; $12.95 MONEY, MONEY, MONEY! Sister, Can You Spare A Dime? Of all the hurdles, securing financing is, by far, the most difficult for any entrepreneur--male or female. Your business idea may be fantastic but without a bankroll it will remain just that--an idea. Unfortunately, many women business owners Many online and offline organizations have been created to collect information about businesses around the world owned and operated by women. Many other organizations have been created to assist the women that own and operate those businesses. , with little or no credit history and/or collateral, find it difficult to obtain a bank loan. So how and where do you get the money to start your business? Check out these women-friendly institutions: Women's World Banking Women's World Banking (WWB) is a non-profit organization, based in New York, whose mission is to expand the economic assets, participation and power of low-income women entrepreneurs by helping them access financial services and information. , 8 W. 40th St., 10th Floor, New York, NY 10018; 212-768-8513; fax: 212-768-8519; e-mail: wwb@igc.abc.org WWB serves as a global network for women entrepreneurs in developing countries and North America. Its mission is to assist low-income women obtain loans by brokering fund deals on behalf of its affiliates. The average affiliate loan is under $5,000. Affiliates include the Women's Entrepreneurial Growth Organization Inc. in Akron, Ohio, and the Women's Opportunities Resource Center Inc. in Philadelphia. Women Inc., 1401 21st St., Suite 310, Sacramento, CA 95814; 800-930-3993; fax: 916-448-8898; Web site: http://www.womeninc.com A $150 million loan pool administered by the Money Store allows Women Inc. to provide funds for its members. Last year, the average loan was $55,000, and plans are in the works to increase that amount. In addition to loans, WI links its members with venture capital groups that seek to invest in women-owned businesses. Lines of credit, debt consolidation and leasing programs for the purchase of equipment are part of its continuum financing. Women's Collateral Worldwide Inc., 1529 Walnut St., 4th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19102; 215-564-2800; fax: 215-564-2801 A liaison for private investors, WCW WCW World Championship Wrestling WCW Wellesley Centers for Women WCW West Coast Watchers establishes links with women business owners who are seeking equity capital. WCW focuses on existing service and product-oriented companies; the average investment is $500,000. In addition to capital, WCW also provides marketing for its new deals. A new affiliation with Dun & Bradstreet now enables WCW to offer credit cards and other products to women business owners. Wells Fargo; 800-359-3557, ext. 120 A hefty $1 billion in revolving and unsecured loans has been earmarked for women entrepreneurs through Wells Fargo Bank and the National Association of Women Business Owners. To simplify the lending process, loans up to $50,000 can be applied for over the phone. Applicants requesting $50,000-plus must reside in California. Twenty-four hour access is available through its in-bank division. Small Business Administration, Office of Women's Business Ownership; 800-8ASK-SBA; Web Site:http://www.sbaonline.sba.gov/womeninbusiness Formed to address the disparity in loans guaranteed to women, the OWBO OWBO Office of Women's Business Ownership offers two viable options for women to start or expand their business. With a simplified application process, a loan for as little as $500 can be acquired through OWBO's low-doc loan program. Loan approval takes three days. For women seeking capital in excess of $50,000, the women's pre-qualification loan program can underwrite the funds. Geared toward part-time and home-based businesses, the SBA's Micro-Loan Program designates nonprofit organizations to become lenders. There are 105 lenders throughout the country; and loan requests can go as low as $400. Blue Chip Venture Co., 2000 PNC Center, 201 E. Fifth St., Cincinnati, OH 45202; 513-723-2300; fax: 513-723-2306 Established with $12.1 million in assets, the Blue Chip Opportunity Fund has $2 million left in its portfolio for investments in minority- and women-owned companies. Focusing on varied industries, the fund arranges $250,000 to a maximum of $1.2 million in financing for both start-ups and existing companies. What makes it particularly attractive is the fact that it takes an equity stake of less than 49%. Inroads inroads Noun, pl make inroads into to start affecting or reducing: my gambling has made great inroads into my savings inroads npl to make inroads into [+ Capital Partners, 1603 Orrington Ave., Suite 2050, Evanston, IL 60210; 847-864-2000; fax: 847-864-9692 Aggressive growth is required to obtain capital from ICP (1) (Internet Cache Protocol) A protocol used by one proxy server to query another for a cached Web page without having to go to the Internet to retrieve it. See CARP and proxy server. . With $50 million in its portfolio, ICP invests in rapidly growing businesses or businesses that seek to acquire other companies. Technology and manufacturing are the hot industries courted by ICP. Its minimum investment is a cool $1 million. |
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