Talk about female empowerment! Charlotte, North Carolina is filled with female entrepreneurship and women-owned businesses, proving this city is truly the Queen City. When you support a female-led business, you are investing in womens’ economic empowerment and female leadership throughout the market economy.
History of Women in Business
According to data by Queen City Metro, there are 12.9 million women-owned businesses in the Untied States. Of that number, about fifty percent are owned by women of color, including African American, Asian American, Latin American, Native American, and Pacific Islander. Charlotte compares well with these numbers. In a 2018 study, the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area ranked number one for women-owned business growth between 2002-2017. Charlotte is followed by San Antonia, Austin, and Indianapolis. In those fifteen years specifically, the Charlotte region experienced a 241.6% growth rate for businesses owned by women. Charlotte went from 30,932 businesses in 2002 to 105,700 businesses in 2017.
Four years after these statistics came out, women in Charlotte are still shattering the glass ceilings despite obstacles of the infamous gender wage gap, patriarchal culture of business careers, and inherent responsibility of home and family life. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many women had to step out of their prized careers to take care of family responsibilities and become their children’s new ad-hoc teachers. In a survey from May and June 2020, one out of four women who became unemployed during the pandemic reported the job loss was due to a lack of available childcare. As vaccines become wide-spread and children are slowly returning back to daycare facilities and schools, women still shoulder the burden of enabling this transition back to a normal lifestyle for their children.
Nevertheless, women have strived to develop new skills and fill difficult roles in order to pursue their career ambitions regardless of circumstantial setbacks. Charlotte Business Journal recently revealed their 2021 cohort of women leaders in the Charlotte region who are making a mark in their careers and communities. The selected twenty-five women were honored with an editorial review of career accomplishments and community involvement, highlighting the women in workforce movement taking place in Charlotte.
Available Tools and Resources
The Women’s Business Center of Charlotte (WBCC) partners with women-owned small businesses throughout twelve counties surrounding the Charlotte Statistical Area (CSA) to promote economic self-sufficiency for these women. The WBCC offers unique tools that empower women to establish businesses, stabilize their companies, generate sustainable profits, and strategize for future growth. Partnering with Charlotte Business Resources means women-owned businesses will be part of a networking community that offers customized, one-on-one business counseling, review and feedback on written business plans, loan package preparation assistance and lender referrals, and many more development opportunities.
National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO)- Charlotte This organization aims to support women entrepreneurs economically, socially, and politically. They help propel women-owned businesses forward by sharing resources such as training, education, networking opportunities, and seminars, along with giving the women a voice in public policy creation at a national level.
SCORE is another organization guiding women small businesses and entrepreneurs to succeed in the growing economy. SCORE gives free and confidential business advice to guide women to achieving their business ownership goals and striving for an even greater success rate. They have partnered with other women-owned businesses such as Vera Bradley, Crawligator, and Lori’s Original Lemonade.
Why This Matters
Females are currently paving a new path for gender roles in society. With about 50.52% of the population in the United States being female, it is time to break social barriers and empower women to star in leadership roles.
Check out these women-owned small businesses right here in Charlotte! This list is by no means exhaustive, but a great place to start in showing the female entrepreneurs of the Queen City community some love.
· Arivella
Starting a business takes tenacity, determination, and a strong work-ethic. At DYE CULIK PC, we commend all the women-owned small businesses, but especially those in our hometown, Charlotte, NC. We applaud our local small business heroes and women in these entrepreneurial leadership roles. If you need help or legal advice for your small business, you can contact us or give us a call at 980-999-3557. Also, follow us on Instagram for the latest updates on CLT small businesses.