Sacramento-area's Entrepreneurs Benefit from Free Business Advice and Expert Industry Guidance
When Sacramento-area entrepreneurs have questions about how to grow and maintain their enterprises, one local organization is listening – and providing answers. The Women’s Business Center at California Capital Financial Development Corporation provides free business start-up and development assistance for small business owners, via classes, workshops, aid in securing loans, and an array of other business services.
Sophia Kanaan, Director of the Center, who also serves on the board of directors for the national Association of Women’s Business Centers, keeps a constant eye on what potential clients are seeking. Says Kanaan, “We took a survey at the beginning of the year, as we do every year to check the temperature and engage the needs of our clients because they change all the time. And when we got our survey back, we found that a lot of people were really interested in how to gain Women Owned Business Certification, along with Marketing, access to capital, and accounting.”
We found that a lot of people were really interested in how to gain Women Owned Business Certification, along with Marketing, access to capital, and accounting.
Sophia Kanaan, Director, Women's Business Center at California Capital Financial Development Corporation
To address these needs, the WBC offers a range of classes, including one on Marketing and another on QuickBooks accounting software. Through a partnership with BMO bank, they’ll also present a program on financial literacy. Kanaan has been excited by the response to these classes, with several dozen Sacramento-area entrepreneurs signing up for each of them.
The testimonials of current and former clients on the WBC website speak to the Center’s ability to elevate small businesses. One coffee shop owner praises how a WBC consultant “keeps me in the loop for training and grant opportunities.” A woman looking to start a toy shop says her WBC counselor “was instrumental in helping me create a business plan, learn cash flow analysis and [determine] what to consider to begin the process of finding a storefront. I had no idea where to start.”
Nancy Swift, Chair of the California-wide Women’s Business Center network, is enthusiastic about the opportunities the organization’s Sacramento outpost provides. “The WBC at California Capital is a vital resource for entrepreneurs,” says Swift, “I’m very proud of the work they are doing, providing education and so many other services to local business owners.”
In their latest Impact Report, the Women’s Business Center network tallied 14,000 California businesses that they have served, with a remarkable returns on their investment: a 21% increase in jobs created and retained (26,761 total), a 36% rise in gross sales revenue ($525 million), and $785.5 million reinvested into local economies. For every $1 of funding received, the WBC Network generated an impressive $79 in local economic benefits.
For more information on the California Women’s Business Center Network, visit californiawbc.org.