Registering as a Woman-Owned Business

I would like to know how to register my business as a woman-owned business on a national and state level.

Answer: Of course, if you own your business, then it is a woman-owned business; however, whether any other minority or women-owned business certification would possibly be of any advantage for your particular business will depend on your target customers, financing requirements, and other factors. Minority and woman-owned businesses can often benefit from government or private grants, local bank and other loan programs, and government contracts (federal, state, or local), though certain qualifications and restrictions apply to these programs. To help assess whether minority or woman-owned status will offer your business any business or financial advantages or opportunities, you can review articles and information like the following: Myths Regarding Women and Minority Owned Businesses: gosanangelo.com
Should You Certify as a Women-Owned Business: about.com
Use Women-Owned Status to Your Advantage in Building a Business: homebusinessmag.com

The potential programs for minority and woman-owned businesses include grants, loans and contracts from government (federal, state, county, and city) and private sources; however, the qualifications vary. Typically, any business 51% or more owned by a minority, or a woman, is considered minority-owned in most situations; however, simply structuring a business with majority ownership in the hands of a minority or a woman often is not enough to qualify for these programs. In addition to having majority ownership, minority and women owners must have significant management authority and participate in the day-to-day operations of the business. Also, the business will often need to certify as a disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE) in order to qualify for government contracting and other minority-owned business programs. DBE certification is a federally initiated and mandated process established to ensure that only those firms meeting the prescribed standards receive the distinction as a DBE.

While certain minority and woman-owned businesses can benefit from certification as DBEs, there is little value to becoming certified or approved by a government agency, or other party, if they do not use your products and services. For example, most “business-to-consumer”, or B to C, businesses who sell their products and services to consumers for profit typically will not benefit from DBE certification or other minority-owned business programs. In contrast, businesses that sell to other businesses or whose products or services could be utilized by government agencies can benefit from DBE certification or other minority-owned business programs, Assuming your company focuses on the business-to-business (B to B) market or intends to pursue government contracting opportunities, then structuring the business as a minority-owned enterprise and pursuing DBE certification may be beneficial.

To evaluate the benefits of certification, you can start by investigating the Federal Small Business Administration (SBA) certification programs for small disadvantaged businesses. For example, SBA 8(a) certification gives small disadvantaged businesses greater opportunities in sole source awards, set asides, and preferential treatment in government contracting. You can review state contracting, the 8(a) Business Development Program qualifications, and related woman-owned business information and considerations at the following websites:

Federal contracting information:

SBA 8(a) and 8(m) programs:

Minority and woman-owned business information from the SBA:

Examples woman-owned business organizations:

Published: August 8, 2013
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Matt Tarkenton

Matt Tarkenton is Executive Vice President at Tarkenton Companies. He was part of a group that started Renova Partners, a boutique investment bank, and was recognized as a “40 Under 40: Up and Comer” by the Atlanta Business Chronicle in 2009. Matt performs business planning and marketing training for hundreds of professionals across the country, and co-hosts a weekly coaching program on entrepreneurial education. Matt graduated from Princeton University, where he was a member of the 1989 Ivy League Championship Football Team, and received an MBA from Harvard Business School.