Resources for women entrepreneurs 

Intuit—the maker of TurboTax and QuickBooks—is proud of its progress and initiatives aimed at giving a voice to underrepresented groups, including women entrepreneurs. And although strides have been made, there’s still more to be done to support American women in business, especially women of color and the underserved. 

This guide provides women entrepreneurs of all cultures and backgrounds with resources to navigate today’s fast-paced business world. There’s a lot out there to support your journey—everything from educational resources and networking platforms to organizations that support women entrepreneurs.  

Challenges facing women entrepreneurs 

Before we dive into the resources, here’s a brief rundown of the great strides women entrepreneurs have made in recent decades:  

• The share of women-owned businesses has skyrocketed from a mere 4.6% of all businesses in 1972 to 10.2% in 2023.  
• Since 2019, the number of women-owned businesses increased 13.6%, making up 39.1% of American businesses.  
• During the same period, the WIPP Education Institute found that firms owned by women of color kept pace with women-owned businesses in general, with 14.8% growth—an addition of 2.1 million businesses in the Black community. The Latina/Hispanic (14.3%) and Asian American (13.4%) communities were close behind. 

Despite this progress, women entrepreneurs still face unique challenges. For example, although women-owned businesses perform at least as well as those owned by men, they do not have the same access to capital.  

According to a study by Yale University, women represent just 16% of first-time venture capital (VC)-backed entrepreneurs. And success doesn’t even improve their access to funding. After a successful VC venture, women are still 18% less likely to receive funding than their male counterparts.  

This is just another example of the struggle many women face in finding resources, financial or otherwise, to help them succeed in business.  

Organizations that support women entrepreneurs 

Part of the reason some women entrepreneurs struggle to find resources is that many don’t know where to look. Or they may simply not know what’s out there. The organizations and government agencies that provide this support aren’t always widely advertised.  

So, with awareness in mind, here are some organizations you can call on for resources during your entrepreneurial journey. 

Small Business Administration (SBA) 

Within the SBA is a department called the Office of Women’s Business Ownership (OWBO). One of the OWBO’s primary tasks is overseeing Women’s Business Centers (WBCs), which help women overcome obstacles as they launch their businesses.  

In addition to WBCs, the SBA also makes assistance available through the Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contract Program. This program aims to level the playing field by increasing the number of government contracts given to women-owned businesses.  

Another SBA program for women business owners is the 8(a) Business Development Program, which aims to help underrepresented businesses compete in the marketplace. You can find details for this program at your local WBC.  

Women entrepreneurs also have access to a lender match tool and various SBA loans they can leverage for business funding.  

US Department of Commerce

The US Department of Commerce promotes several organizations that assist women entrepreneurs. The US Economic Development Administration (EDA), the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), and the International Trade Administration are all go-to entities for women looking to advance their businesses.  

• EDA funds are generally used to distribute new tools and technology to economic development lawmakers. These tools help you make informed development decisions and may provide insight into opportunities in your area. 

• The MBDA’s Business Centers for Enterprising Women of Color focuses on helping women entrepreneurs reach their potential as drivers of the economy. Its primary aim is to help women-owned businesses land government contracts, access capital, create jobs, and grow into competitive businesses.  

• The International Trade Administration’s Women’s Global Trade Empowerment Program is an invaluable resource for women looking to expand their businesses into new markets.  

SCORE 

SCORE, or the Service Corps of Retired Executives, began in 1964 and has been a longtime ally of small business owners. The nonprofit organization’s goal is to connect small businesses with the resources they need in their early growth stages. 

For women entrepreneurs, specifically, SCORE offers mentorship programs and a library of online resources covering various business topics. You can log on to helpful webinars, read blog articles, and consult success stories of other women for a jolt of motivation.  

What’s nice about SCORE is its local focus. You can enter your ZIP code and find mentors or resources right in your own backyard.  

Funding for women entrepreneurs 

If funding is the primary need for your business, here are organizations that specialize in providing financial resources: 

• MergeLane Accelerator: Companies must have at least one woman in a leadership role to qualify for this accelerator program. The company’s main office is in Boulder, Colorado, and the accelerator program ends with a showcase of participating businesses. 
• Women Startup Lab (WSLab): Another accelerator program, Women Startup Lab, takes a unique approach. The organization focuses on assisting all-women or mixed-gender startup teams via leadership development and coaching workshops.  
• Female Founders Fund: Focusing on the digital realm, Female Founders Fund assists women-led businesses in e-commerce and digital products or services. Its investment portfolio highlights innovative, women-led companies with creative community-serving ideas. 
• Biz2Credit: Use Biz2Credit for flexible loans to cover working capital, term loans, commercial, and real estate.  
• Lendio: Offering women business owners lines of credit, SBA loans, term loans, and more—up to $5 million in funding.  
• CAN Capital: Businesses can receive equipment and working capital loans up to $250,000 through this commercial lender.  
• SoGal Foundation: With a mission to close the diversity gap in entrepreneurship, SoGal Foundation offers grants for women entrepreneurs who are nonbinary or Black ranging from $5,000 to $10,000.  

Educational resources for women entrepreneurs 

Women entrepreneurs focusing more on educational resources and training should check out these resources: 

• Bank of America Women’s Institute for Entrepreneurship at Cornell: This institution takes women entrepreneurs through a step-by-step timeline of launching their business. You’ll go over key concepts like marketing, writing a business plan, creating a business model, and assessing your business readiness, all within 6 2-week online courses.  
• Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Online: Goldman Sachs offers 10 free classes for women entrepreneurs. These classes cover business ownership from A to Z. You can take any or all of the courses. If you finish all 10, you’ll gain access to the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Online alumni community—a network of like-minded women who can provide more education, training, and mentorship. 
• Ascent: This is a free online learning platform the SBA offers to business owners. Experts in women’s entrepreneurship developed the curriculum covering essential topics like hiring, raising capital, and business financial literacy.   
• US Women’s Chamber of Commerce (USWCC): USWCC courses teach you the ins and outs of securing government contracts for your business via online or in-person classes.  
• DreamBuilder: Business experts at the Thunderbird School of Global Management created 2 online courses: a 13-course curriculum to help you design and launch your business and a finance course to help you raise funding.  

Advocacy and networking resources for women entrepreneurs 

Expanding your network is a critical part of your entrepreneurship journey. If you’re struggling to find places to meet like-minded businesswomen, try these organizations and programs: 

• Wells Fargo’s Milestone Circles: Get matched with coaches and peers to plan and reach your business goals during this 12-week program by Wells Fargo.  
• US Coalition of Black Women Businesses: Gain access to workshops, courses, and networking events that provide support and guidance from fellow Black women in business.  
• National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO): NAWBO has many local chapters offering webinars, networking, education opportunities, and national conferences where you can meet and develop relationships with other women business owners.  
• SCORE Mentors: Get mentorship from experienced women entrepreneurs in your area. These are one-on-one sessions with local mentors—you can search and select yourself. Find someone with the expertise you need and meet with them as often as you need. 
• Curated Coaching for Entrepreneurs: Chase Bank for Business offers small group coaching classes to help women business owners overcome obstacles entrepreneurs commonly face. Hear from business experts who have been where you’ve been and may be able to offer wisdom to help you navigate entrepreneurship.  

How Intuit supports women entrepreneurship 

At Intuit, we are proud to do our part to further the careers of women entrepreneurs. To that end, we sponsor “The 19th Represents”—a virtual summit commemorating the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. 

Although the 19th Amendment has been in place for more than 100 years, its promise has not been fully realized for all American women, especially women of color and the underserved. Throughout the summit, diverse female voices speak on gender and racial equality, electability, breaking the glass ceiling, and truly extending the right to vote to all women. It’s a step in the right direction, but we are not done.  

At Intuit, we’ve pledged to hold ourselves accountable to sustaining pay equity for our employees. We believe pay equity is critical to achieving equality across society. While the journey to pay equity can be bumpy and complex, we all move one step closer to equality by investing in processes that champion pay equity. 

Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is critical to who we are as a company. If you want to join our team, check out our open positions. Intuit is an equal opportunity employer.