U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce Reports Women-Owned Business Market Share Has Dropped Ten Percent Over Last Decade

America’s leading economic advocate for women begins aggressive regional activities to support women’s businesses and fuel revenue growth

WASHINGTON, DC/July 19, 2010 -- Today, the U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce™ released an important report to Congress titled; “Women’s Businesses Struggle for Market Share,” which finds, during a decade of strong growth in the number of women-owned firms, women’s revenue-based market share shrank ten percent.

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U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce Releases Transformative Report on The Women-Led Economy™

Focused leadership leverages women’s powerful purchasing power to consummate women’s long path to economic leadership

USWCC Report: The Women-Led EconomyThe U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce released a groundbreaking report laying the foundation for a transformative new future for women as market leaders through The Women-Led Economy™. This report challenges the conventional view of women primarily as employees and breadwinners within our families and calls upon women to take the lead by focusing our tremendous purchase power with women-owned firms, building our own economic resources and institutions, and working together as market leaders to advance our objectives.

The U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce takes issue with two recent, influential reports – “The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation,” which presents women as employees and family breadwinners and the Harvard Business Review report, “The Female Economy,” which views women as consumers. The U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce argues that neither report grasps the transformative opportunity women now have to focus and leverage our clout as consumers and business owners to consolidate and leverage the gains women have made over the last one hundred and sixty years to shape the business and employer marketplace to reflect our values and objectives.  
 

>>Learn more.  Read the report.  Read the press release.  Read the introduction.   Register your interest in the monthly e-magazine.

>>We are providing a number of regional meetings on The Women-Led Economy™ -- go here to view details, and to setup a meeting in your region.

Women's Federal Procurement Program -  Senator Snowe Offers Legislation to Improve Opportunities for Women

The Small Business Administration has finally taken a positive step to bring an end to the decade of delay in implementing important women-owned small business federal contracting set-aside program. 

HOT:  View the USWCC comments filed 5/3/10.  Our thanks to Business and Professional Women's Foundation and American Association of University Women (AAUW) for their commitment to women business owners and for signing on to these comments.

And now, Senator Snowe has offered legislation to further improve opportunities for women-owned small businesses.  S. 3399 would ammend the "Fairness in Women-Owned Small Business Contracting Act of 2010" to remove the contract size limitations for women-owned small business set-asides, include the ability for a contracting officer to award a sole source contract to small women-owned businesses under the same conditions as sole source contracts may be awarded to qualified HUBZone, and calls for a study of women's underrepresentation every five years.

>>Learn more about the regulations and the Women's Federal Procurement Program.  >>  Are your NAICS included?  >> Take our survey.     

U.S. Women’s Chamber Of Commerce Calls On Congress To Support America’s Main Street Through Comprehensive Financial Reform

“Joe the orthodontist” scare tactics serve Wall Street betting against America

WASHINGTON, April 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Recent articles published in many of America’s leading news outlets are laden with big business-funded talking points against financial reform that serve Wall Street’s ruthless exploitation of small businesses and every day Americans.

The U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce disagrees with the U.S. Chamber’s big business scare tactics regarding the benefits of a strong, independent Consumer Federal Protection Agency. The U.S. Chamber would have small businesses believe that protecting the rights of bank and non-bank lenders to deceive, manipulate and bet against small businesses is good for the economy and good for our future – all evidence to the contrary.  >>Read full press release  

  Obama Forms Task Force to Increase Small Business Federal Contracting

Today, President Obama issued a memorandum announcing strong steps for his Administration to learn how federal agency spending can be more fair and open to small business contractors, bring greater transparency to the contracting process and data, and act to invigorate federal spending with small firms.  

Unfortunately, this announcement most likely comes as an early warning of sub-par FY 2009 achievement of small business federal contracting goals (this data has not yet been publicly released) and continued pressure by small businesses and trade association leaders to end the long standing failure of the federal government to assure a fair and open marketplace inclusive of small businesses including businesses owned by women, minorities, socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, and service-disabled veterans.  

Even if these steps are being taken now to lessen the impending bad news, we can be heartened by the seriousness of President Obama's response.  >>Read full article

 Wal-Mart Faces Biggest Gender-Biase Case in U.S. History

>> Read the March 27, 2007 amicus curiae brief filed by the U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce on behalf of the 1.4 million women of Wal-Mart who are eligible to be part of this claim.

 April 26 (Bloomberg) -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. female workers suing the retailer for discrimination won a ruling that said more than 1 million women employees can collectively pursue claims seeking back pay in the biggest gender-bias case in U.S. history. 
>>Read full story.  

 Get Connected at USWCC | Community 360

USWCC | Community 360 is our online community -- bringing us together to advance the Women's Ownership Movement.  Working together we learn, advance, achieve, and excel. Join us and be part of this great economic movement. 

 To get started, simply register for the community. Then explore, reachout, learn, teach, and provide support to women all across the globe. 

 If you are a USWCC | Small Business or Supplier Member, you may also setup a listing to showcase your business in the online business directory (here is an example listing) and you are eligible to have an ecommerce store in our online USWCC | MarketPlace and USWCC | Mall.  

 Business & Financial Leaders Wanted

The USWCC | Council of Business & Financial Advisors is forming now.

The U.S. Women's Chamber of Commerce is creating a select professional community of top tier professionals who provide trusted insights, education, and mentoring so as to advance business and financial opportunities for women.  

 Experts selected for membership in the USWCC | Council of Business & Financial Advisors are respected professionals from a variety of industries including: Accounting and Finance, Business Development, Career & Leadership, Government Contracting, Government Policy, Legal, Marketing/Sales, Project Management, Technology, Telcom, Training/Education, and more.  

 Learn more an apply for membership on this elite council.