The SBA and the Department of Labor will launch www.women-21.gov – the official site for federal government resources for women. Women business owners are concerned about roadblocks to growth, long-term viability and their financial health. The site is shaped to help women navigate the ever-changing business climate and serve as a vehicle that champions the cause of women small business owners. It will feature up-to-date information on key issues for women entrepreneurs, including access to capital, health insurance, government procurement, retirement security and technology.

• Women are starting businesses at twice the rate of all businesses.
  
  
• Between 1997 and 2002, the number of minority women-owned firms increased four times faster than all U.S. firms and over twice the rate of all women-owned firms.
  
  
• Between 1993 and 2002, the SBA approved almost 108,000 loans to women entrepreneurs, amounting to more than $17 billion.
  
  
• In 2002 alone, the SBA granted more than 12,000 loans, worth more than $2.2 billion, to women small business owners.

About Women Entrepreneurship in the 21st Century
The growth of women entrepreneurs in the United States has been spectacular. Today, there are 6.2 million women-owned firms employing 9.2 million people and generating sales of $1.15 trillion. But women are impacting much more than how business gets done in America. They are shaping and redefining the workplace, the nation's business networks, financial institutions, and our culture. Perhaps most of all, women entrepreneurs are deeply influencing how the business community, public officials and the media perceive and respond to women.

This Administration is determined to promote policies and programs that remove roadblocks to growth and ensure the long-term viability of women in business. The U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Small Business Administration have partnered to keep attention focused on this vibrant sector of the economy. We recently launched Women-21.gov, a premier one-stop federal resource for targeted information, registration for online programs, and networking opportunities to help women entrepreneurs navigate the ever-changing business world and do what they do best: innovate, create jobs, and make a vital contribution to the strength of America.

Credit:
SBA Press release - http://www.sba.gov/news/current03/ma03-03.html

Women Entrepreneurship in the 21st Century - http://www.women-21.gov/index2.asp
About - http://www.women-21.gov/about.asp

Related Information:

NBA Benefit Provider - U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)

NBA Benefit Provider - Office of the 21st Century Workforce of the Department of Labor

NBA Resource Article - Women Business Owners Keep On Rolling!