In the late 1900s, there were only a few hundred thousand women-owned businesses in the United States. Until the late 80s, females still needed a male family member to co-sign if they wanted to apply for any form of business loan. Fairly soon after, the Women's Business Ownership Act increased access to capital to provide financial assistance to organizations geared toward women-owned small businesses. 

By 2020, women-owned businesses represented nearly half of all U.S. businesses and generated almost 2 trillion in revenue. There are over 13 million women-owned businesses today, and they continue to grow.

Did you know the month of October is also National Women's Small Business Month? During harvest time, Carstens and the rest of the nation recognize women-owned businesses everywhere! Cheers to all the outstanding progress so many female business owners have made over the years. Here are some inspiring ways to celebrate with advocacy and support of female entrepreneurship all around the globe.

Share Exciting Facts

This month especially, take the time to share exciting facts about women in business. There is a steady influx of women-owned small businesses signifying an upward trend. Hopefully, this upward turn will encourage more underrepresented groups to pursue their own business ventures. 

Exciting Fact: Almost nine million employees are working for and paid by American female-owned businesses. 

We here at Carstens are proud to be a woman-owned business.

Get Certified

Female entrepreneur? Now is the perfect time to get certified as a woman-owned business. The Women Business Enterprise National Council helps female business owners get a fair shot at government contracts.  Carstens is a proud member.

Explore resources for women entrepreneurs, sign up for a free training webinar, and select an event for women-owned businesses from the Small Business Association's (SBA) general calendar. 

Volunteer

Give back to your community. Volunteer your time and work for non-profits throughout the year. Empower young women everywhere to make a difference in their communities because your voice and action can and will create a change for the better.  

Related: A health workers’ guide to preparing for a disaster 

Become a mentor for the next generations through a well-known Non Profit organization like the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America or volunteer at a local club or organization specifically for the aspiring youth in your area.

Uplift Women

Uplift All Women, everyday! Uplifting all women, especially budding female entrepreneurs, can be an easy and effective way to show your support during National Women's Small Business Month.

One simple like or share online can show women-owned small businesses you care by sharing their content with your followers. Choose your favorite social media platform and get creative this month. Hashtags included!

Invest or Donate

Instead of just hitting that like and share button, you can donate or invest in a women-run company. This funding can be as simple and cost as little as donating old work clothes to a women's shelter in your neighborhood. Or patronizing your favorite woman-owned company whenever you can. 

Related: Enhance your brand image with custom products 

Networking

This month is a great reminder to take some time out of our busy schedules to connect with women in our fields, business-related or not. Building meaningful connections, setting up professional meetups, and establishing local business groups, can help women in various areas find and help each other.

Help Promote

If you are a business owner, running independent promotions is an excellent way for other small businesses to support National Women's Small Business Month. Furthermore, as a business owner, you can create a promotion where a percentage of the proceeds will help organizations sustain women-owned small businesses. 

And if you don't have a business, you can easily promote those companies who are doing these types of promotions by liking and sharing these types of businesses on social media, via email, or just talking about it with friends and family.

Participate in the Women-Owned Small Business Federal Contracting Program

Each year billions of dollars are awarded to individuals and companies in the form of grants and other kinds of funding. A small percentage of all federal contracting work is set aside for women-owned businesses. If applicable, maintaining your certification as a women-owned business makes you eligible to compete in contracts specifically set aside for underrepresented companies.

   Here's how you can participate:

Tax Incentives 

Special initiatives are available from the U. S. Federal Government (as well as several state governments) to support enterprises run by women and other underrepresented groups. If you assist women-owned businesses, you might be able to benefit from special loan or grant programs with lower interest rates or reduced tax obligations.

Carstens is a Leading Provider of Healthcare Support Products and is Proud to be a Certified Woman Owned Company

Carstens celebrates women everywhere and serves thousands of healthcare facilities nationwide. From traditional patient record systems to EHR support products, from wall-mounted to mobile units. Our products are designed to be productive and enhance interaction directly at the point of care.

Barbara Vanderkloot, daughter of founder George and June Block, is now the company's sole owner and serves as company president and CEO. She continues on her family's pioneering legacy and holds pride in knowing she will lead Carstens today as a WBENC-certified family business.

Carstens can help you fulfill your supplier diversity needs while also offering other unique benefits and advantages.

Related: Tips for effective patient charting 

Conclusion

As women gain more influence in the business world, they bring new ideas and a fresh take on innovation. This month especially, We here at Carstens honor the milestone achievements of female entrepreneurs and women-owned businesses worldwide. 

Female entrepreneurs are right now discovering cures and creating vaccines. Women are redefining the media and entertainment industries and inventing the next big "thing" in tech. Female business owners are making lasting contributions to the business landscape all over the map. They are rising to the daily challenges and taking direct aim at the industry's glass ceiling, and breaking through it fiercely. 

Healthcare is another ever-growing field, and female entrepreneurs are dominating. Over the past decade, the number of female-owned healthcare companies has almost tripled. Not only that, but these companies are growing at an impressive rate. The need for healthcare is ever present, and women are well-placed to take advantage of that opportunity in the future. An opportunity that women before us worked hard to gain.  

Visit us today at Carstens and help support Woman-Owned companies.