National Association of Women Business Owners

4 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 4 For Karen Bennetts, owner of brand development and strategic creative services frim Little Red Bird, the most gratifying part of her work as NAWBO National Board Chair is knowing that it’s having an impact on women’s lives and their livelihoods. “At our National Women’s Business Conference in October, a woman came up to me in the hall between sessions and she said, “my business would not have made it past this year if it hadn’t been for you all and for NAWBO,” Bennetts recalls. Headquartered in Washington, DC, NAWBO is the only dues-based organization representing the interests of all women business owners across all industries. As a collective, the association works to be the voice of the more than 12 million women business owners in the United States by working to strengthen the wealth-creating capacity of its members, effect change in business culture, provide educational resources and help to transform and influence public policy. “We pride ourselves on really being a one-stop resource,” Bennetts explains. “It’s not just about advocacy, although it’s the core of how we started and a huge part of what we do today. We also work really, really hard to provide all kinds of resources to our women business owners. Our mission is to propel women business owners into greater economic, social, and political spheres of power worldwide.” NAWBO was first formed in 1975 when a group of 12 like-minded women business owners met in DC to create their own professional organization. At the time, groups like the local Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Clubs wouldn’t accept women as members. “They had big dreams of entrepreneurial success and what they wanted to accomplish, but there were lots of obstacles in their way,” Bennetts recalls. “They decided they were better together and formed NAWBO. They set out to get us a seat at the table with legislative decision-makers, invite other women to join, and use our collective NAWBO voice to create positive change, and we’re still doing that today.” Today, NAWBO has grown significantly with more than 50 chapters across the country, representing NAT IONAL ASSOC I AT ION OF WOMEN BUS INESS OWNERS