Great Lakes Women’s Business Council – Woman Certification (WBE)

Great Lakes Women’s Business Council (Great Lakes WBC) is a nonprofit champion for women and minority businesses. We provide access to capital, certification for women-owned businesses, corporate contracting opportunities, and small business educational support.

About

Great Lakes Women’s Business Council is committed to empowering women and minorities economically through access to capital assistance programs, business development training, vendor certification, and business-to-business networking.  We provide effective business tools and remove barriers that hinder the development of successful, sustainable businesses.  Our work strengthens the community by building collaborative partnerships and leveraging resources that increase equitable business growth opportunities. Great Lakes Women’s Business Council’s commitment to equity is evident through diverse representation and unique perspectives of our employees, industries, corporate partners, and board members. This level of inclusion helps us form and implement a strategic plan that creates sustainable and equitable business growth opportunities.

 

Services Provided

Business Planning

  • Business Plan Consulting
  • Forming a Business
  • Identification and Research of Foreign Markets
  • Market Plan Development
  • Market Research

Financial Resources and Assistance

  • Equity Funding Preparation
  • Financial Statement and Cash Flow
  • Government Funding
  • Lift Loan
  • Loan Providers
  • Matching Fund Providers
  • Oakland County Revolving Loan Fund
  • SBA 504

Human Resources, Workforce and Talent

  • Leadership/Professional Development

Import and Export Assistance

  • Networking/Exploring Exporting
  • Trade Education and Training

Libraries and Research

  • Business Research Resources

Management Issues

  • Diversity Equity and Inclusion
  • Leadership/Professional Development

Marketing and Sales

  • Competitive Analysis
  • E-Commerce/Internet Marketing
  • Feasibility Studies
  • Identification/Research of Foreign Markets
  • Market Plan Development and Training
  • Market Research
  • Social Media Consulting

Mentoring

  • One-on-One Counseling
  • Peer Mentoring

Networking and Associations

  • Demographically Based
  • Home Based
  • Small Business/General

Space

  • Coworking

Public Policy and Government Relations

  • African-American Business
  • Small Business Policy
  • Women’s Business Issues

Selling to the Government and Large Corporations

  • Bid Matching and Preparation
  • Government and Military Specifications
  • HUBZone Certification
  • Obtaining Certification
  • Obtaining Corporate Contracts
  • Obtaining Government Contracts
  • Price History
  • Registration Assistance
  • Selling to Foreign Governments and Businesses
  • Subcontracting Opportunities

Technical Assistance

  • Bookkeeping/Accounting Software Training
  • Coding Schools, Bootcamps, Classes
  • Commercialization
  • Cyber Security
  • Design Services
  • Industrial Technology Research
  • Pollution Prevention
  • Technology Transfer
  • Virtual Consulting and Online Services
  • Website Development

Training

  • Business Plan Training and Assistance
  • Diversity Equity and Inclusion
  • E-Commerce/Internet Marketing
  • Home-Based Business Training
  • Human Resources Training
  • Online Courses and Videos
  • Startup Classes
  • Trade Education and Training

Accelerators and Incubators

  • Accelerator
  • Incubator

Events and Community Building

  • Hackathon / Startup Week or Weekends
  • Match Maker Events
  • Pitch Events
  • Supplier Diversity Events

Professional Business Partners

  • Marketing
Contact Information
Veronica Johnson