The Women’s Business Center has had an excellent year.
We are excited to report the accomplishments of this great organization for the 2013–2014 fiscal year. For those who do not know as much about this center, the Women’s Business Center (WBC) is a non-profit organization within the Salt Lake Chamber that assists local business owners. The WBC provides entrepreneurs, young professionals and small business owners the critical skills, knowledge, tools and support necessary to increase their success and strengthen the economy.
“The WBC was instrumental in helping us get to the next level. Thanks to their support and technical assistance, we are now able to support language services on a global scale,” said Sabrina Morales, CEO of Linguistica International.
From 2013 to 2014 the WBC has added 187 new clients, 15 percent of which were men. They have also trained 3,363 people in 118 trainings and provided 369 consultations with budding entrepreneurs, adding up to 557.5 hours of consultation time. In the past fiscal year 33 new businesses were created, along with many new jobs. They also have helped 52 businesses with their marketing plans. What an accomplishment!
Also this year, the Women’s Business Center welcomed new leadership in November and a new business consultant in February. In addition to this, several new partnerships have been formed. The WBC now provides entrepreneurial support and training for refugees involved in the Spice Kitchen Incubator program and it supports the mission of the Organization of Women in International Trade. The WBC collaborated on an international trade conference in March, which directly benefitted WBC clients interested in exporting their products or services.
The WBC has increased capacity for consulting and increased the attendance at Business Essentials by 60% from last year. The center created a new information card to replace their brochure, which includes a simple mission statement, objections, impact and information about the Business Women’s Forum. Four clients were approved for loans, totaling $75,000 and one client was accepted into SBA’s 8a Business Development Government Contracting Program.
In the past three years, the WBC has provided 515 clients with on-on-one business consulting, totaling over 1,000 hours. They have also hosted 319 business trainings, totaling 9,000 attendees. That is nearly 10,000 people assisted! The Women’s Business Center is an excellent resource! See how the WBC can help your business by learning more about them at http://slchamber.com/section/
