Certification can help women business owners gain more success

With the proper certification, businesses may put themselves in a place to work as government contractors. A recent Forbes article listed the growth of government contractors owned by women as part of a larger list of “assists” for women heads of business, alongside necessary benefits such as added leave and health benefits that have long been ignored.

The article specifically noted the need for certification before contractors obtain their much-needed positions. Meeting these important qualifiers could open up further doors for women in business, and that in turn could lead to further jobs and success.

In addition to these important achievements, potential entrepreneurs should also contend with the different steps that make up the registration process. As The Small Business Administration noted, these include first getting a small business to qualify, then determining whether or not the organization meets the qualification of prime or subcontractor. The prime contractor may generally be the more prestigious position, since it means direct interaction with the government.

While there is still much progress to make, last year did at least see a possible milestone. In May, the SBA announced that it had met its contracting goal by allocating more than 5 percent of funds to ​Women-Owned Small Businesses. The USBA administrator, Maria Contreras-Sweet, said that this achievement was, ideally, just the beginning of further work.

“A recent SBA-commissioned study revealed women-owned businesses already employ 8 million American workers, but when it comes to receiving contracts and capital, women are still under-represented,” she said. “That’s why the SBA has added 36 new industry categories where women can now compete for set-aside contracts and sole-source awards.”

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