Member Login | Become a Member | Business Directory
Key West Chamber of Commerce
  • Home
  • Visit Key West
    • Community Calendar
    • Getting Here
    • Map & Places of Interest
    • Places to Stay >
      • Lodging Online Booking
    • Places to Dine
    • Things to Do >
      • The Florida Keys & Key West
    • Weddings
    • Coupons
    • Sunset Times
  • Live, Work & Relocate
    • New Residents Guide
    • Important Telephone Numbers
    • City of Key West >
      • Utilities
      • Disaster Preparedness Resources
    • Monroe County >
      • School/College Registration
      • Auto/Drivers License Info
      • Fishing/Hunting/Boating Licenses Info
    • Latest Community News
    • Job Listings >
      • Job Board
    • Statistics on Tourism
  • The Chamber
    • Why Join the Chamber >
      • Membership Application
      • Referral Roundup
      • Testimonials
      • Member Login
    • Board of Directors
    • Chamber Staff
    • Chamber Calendar >
      • Holiday Decorating Contest
      • Masquerade March
      • Showcase of Key West Businesses
      • Annual Golf Outing
    • Advocacy >
      • Legislative Agenda >
        • Advocacy Request Form
      • Election Information
    • Committees
    • Chamber Resources >
      • 2022 Business Magazine
      • Business Directory
      • Ribbon Cuttings
      • Member Discounts and Affinity Programs
      • Marketing & Advertising Opportunities
    • Awards >
      • Athena Award Nominations
    • Chamber News >
      • Member To Member Emails
      • Cybersecurity and Ransomware
    • Photo Gallery
    • Blog
    • Contact Us
  • Foundation
    • Tom Sawyer Five Star Program
    • Teacher Appreciation
    • Past Scholarship Award Winners
    • Scholarship
  • Economic Development
    • Business Resources >
      • Economic Partners
      • Quick Facts
      • Business Survey
      • Community Survey
      • Workforce Housing Survey
      • Monroe County Score Card

How to Get Certified as a Woman-Owned Business

6/8/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
​If you’re a woman who owns a business and you’d like to apply for federal contracts, getting officially certified as a woman-owned business is essential. The federal government’s goal is to award at least 5% of its contracts to women-owned small businesses each year. While the certification process may seem daunting, it’s not that difficult if you know the basic application rules and materials needed. 
​Two Kinds of Certifications
There are two types of women-owned certifications, Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) and Women-owned Small Business (WOSB). WBE is a designation that many private sector businesses and organizations, and some state and local governments use. To be given this designation, you must apply through one of the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) third-party certification partners.
 
WOSB is a designation used by federal government agencies. Under the WOSB designation, you may also be qualified to apply for an Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB) designation.
 
How to Apply for WOSB Certification
The certification process for these designations changed in 2020. While there is a lot of paperwork involved, the federal government has done a lot to streamline the process.

  1. Verify that you meet WOSB eligibility requirements, which are:
    • Be considered a small business by SBA size standards
    • Be at least 51% owned and controlled by women who are U.S. citizens
    • Have women manage day-to-day operations and make long-term decisions
  2. Gather the materials you will likely need to apply. These may include things like:
    • Company name and/or “Doing Business As” (DBA) name.
    • Owners’ names, addresses, and company website.
    • The company’s legal designation/structure. For LLCs, articles of organization and operating agreements.
    • Incorporation date.
    • A list of each proprietor, partner, shareholder, or member within the 12 months leading up to application filing.
    • Affiliate relationships.
    • Business certificate, current passport, or naturalization papers.
    • Driver’s and personal loans.
    • Birth
    • licenses of all owners.
    • EIN (Federal Tax ID). 
    • Resumes of all owners, directors, partners, officers, etc.
    • Current bank statements and financial institution signature cards.
    • Documentation on how the company was funded.
    • Financial statements for three years, including balance sheet, profit & loss statement.
    • Tax returns for the past three years.
    • Authority to conduct business in the state and certificate of good standing issued by Secretary of State.
    • Articles of incorporation and articles of amendments filed with the Secretary of State.
    • Bylaws and amendments.
    • Statement of information filed with Secretary of State listing officers, directors, managers, members, or general partners.
    • Partnership agreements.
    • Professional, industry, and/or business licenses.
    • Copy of lease or deed for business location, if applicable.
  3. Apply online through the self-certification tool and complete the process. This site also provides a wealth of resources to answer your questions.
  4. Upon receipt of the full application and paperwork, the SBA usually decides to grant or deny the designation within 90 days. Incomplete packages may require additional documentation before a decision can be made.
 
Once approved, you will need to maintain your designation with an annual recertification.
 
While there are about 13 million women-owned businesses in the US, only 4,800 are certified as WOSBs. With the increasing visibility into data and the government’s goal of providing funds for small and minority business, this is an ideal time to get certified.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Write something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview.

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022

    Categories

    All
    Advocacy
    AI
    Awards
    Black History Month
    Board Of Directors
    Business Owners
    City Of Key West
    Complimentary Business
    Customer Satisfaction
    Cybersecurity
    Employees
    Facebook
    Grant Writing
    Help For Business
    History
    Holidays
    Human Resource
    Internships
    Labor Day
    Marketing
    Membership Spotlight
    Mother's Day
    Post Pandemic
    QR Cpdes
    Ribbon Cutting
    Sales/Marketing
    Small Business Season
    Social Media
    Stand Out
    TikTok
    Trends
    Website
    Wellness
    Why Join Chamber
    Women Owned Businesses

    RSS Feed

Thanks to Our Sponsors

Greater Key West Chamber of Commerce.  All Rights Reserved.
510 Greene St., First Floor  |  Key West, FL 33040
info@keywestchamber.org | sitemap
Picture
  • Home
  • Visit Key West
    • Community Calendar
    • Getting Here
    • Map & Places of Interest
    • Places to Stay >
      • Lodging Online Booking
    • Places to Dine
    • Things to Do >
      • The Florida Keys & Key West
    • Weddings
    • Coupons
    • Sunset Times
  • Live, Work & Relocate
    • New Residents Guide
    • Important Telephone Numbers
    • City of Key West >
      • Utilities
      • Disaster Preparedness Resources
    • Monroe County >
      • School/College Registration
      • Auto/Drivers License Info
      • Fishing/Hunting/Boating Licenses Info
    • Latest Community News
    • Job Listings >
      • Job Board
    • Statistics on Tourism
  • The Chamber
    • Why Join the Chamber >
      • Membership Application
      • Referral Roundup
      • Testimonials
      • Member Login
    • Board of Directors
    • Chamber Staff
    • Chamber Calendar >
      • Holiday Decorating Contest
      • Masquerade March
      • Showcase of Key West Businesses
      • Annual Golf Outing
    • Advocacy >
      • Legislative Agenda >
        • Advocacy Request Form
      • Election Information
    • Committees
    • Chamber Resources >
      • 2022 Business Magazine
      • Business Directory
      • Ribbon Cuttings
      • Member Discounts and Affinity Programs
      • Marketing & Advertising Opportunities
    • Awards >
      • Athena Award Nominations
    • Chamber News >
      • Member To Member Emails
      • Cybersecurity and Ransomware
    • Photo Gallery
    • Blog
    • Contact Us
  • Foundation
    • Tom Sawyer Five Star Program
    • Teacher Appreciation
    • Past Scholarship Award Winners
    • Scholarship
  • Economic Development
    • Business Resources >
      • Economic Partners
      • Quick Facts
      • Business Survey
      • Community Survey
      • Workforce Housing Survey
      • Monroe County Score Card