Support for the next generation of women entrepreneurs

Jamar Cobb-Dennard National policy helped a generation of women start, fund, operate and thrive in business. Now, it is up to those women to support, train, guide and invest in the next generation of businesses owned by women. According to the Small Business Administration (SBA) in 1972, there were a little over 400,000 women-owned businesses in the United States. In 1988, the Women’s Business Ownership Act increased the SBA’s access to capital that gave assistance to organizations that supported women-owned businesses. This policy added so much fuel to the fire that, within two decades, 42% of businesses in the U.S. were owned by women. By 2019, national revenue created by 13 million women business owners rose to $1.9 trillion. Yes, this growth took 50-years, but produced 114% growth in women business ownership over the last 20-years. Government and non-profit leadership made sure that women had a seat at the table of entrepreneurship. There are still many programs that help women get started in business ownership. However, those programs may not cause the rapid growth of entrepreneurship that we experienced between 1972 and 2019. The current class of successful entrepreneurs must lead Gen-Y and Millennial leaders as they begin their journey...