By Jackson State University
Jackson State hosted its official grand opening for the Women’s Business Center @JSU in the College of Business Rotunda. It provides business services to women seeking federal contract dollars as women-owned small businesses (WOSB) and economically disadvantaged women-owned small businesses (EDWOSB).
“We understand that the fastest-growing entrepreneurial demographic in this country are women, and that is not going to change,” Natalie Cofield, assistant administrator for the Women’s Business Ownership Office of the Small Business Administration (SBA), said. “I’m immensely proud that our office has, to date, opened 140 centers. This gives women the opportunity to walk out of the labor force and into the door of entrepreneurship.”
The center offers confidential one-on-one counseling, low-cost training, networking, free workshops, technical assistance and mentoring to women entrepreneurs on numerous business development topics. Assistance also will include providing information about business startups, financial reporting and procurement.
To participate in the Women’s Business Center @JSU, individual participants must meet the following criteria:
(1) Be a U.S. citizen
(2) Be a woman
(3) Own and control at least 51 percent of a small business that is in the legal form of an individual proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company, S Corporation or C Corporation
(4) Nonprofits are ineligible. Debarred or suspended firms or firms owned by debarred or suspended individual(s) are also ineligible.
(5) Business must operate primarily within the U.S. or make a significant contribution to the U.S. economy through payment of taxes or use of American products, materials or labor.
(6) Business is considered small in accordance with its primary North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code.
The WBC @JSU is located on the 3rd Floor/Suite 332 in the College of Business.
The intake process and needs assessment will allow the center to identify the needs of the clients and customize the support to meet those needs. The center will capitalize on the strengths of the JSU Small Business Development Center; the Center for Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Economic Development; and faculty expertise in the College of Business.
