Overview of Women’s Business Enterprise

Certification

By Renee Fraser

Overview of Women’s Business Enterprise Certification

Fraser Communications, an award-winning advertising agency founded by Renee Fraser, has gained widespread recognition in the business world for its status as one of Los Angeles’ top women-owned companies and the biggest women-owned advertising firm in the western United States. Those descriptions seem straightforward, but many people may not realize that “women-owned business” is more than just a branding term: it is an official certification.

Overview of Women’s Business Enterprise Certification

Originally devised by the U.S. Small Business Administration to help the government effectively meet quotas for the awarding of contracts to women-owned businesses, Women’s Business Enterprise certification offers several benefits beyond the potential for increased access to private-sector work or public contract procurement. In addition to practical considerations like easier access to financing, WBE certification provides companies with the opportunity to belong to a community of like-minded businesses, and thus to enjoy the support of peers and the efforts of advocacy groups for women in business.

Overview of Women’s Business Enterprise Certification

To qualify as a certified WBE, a company must be at least 51 percent owned, controlled, and managed on a day-to-day basis by one or more women, as Fraser Communications is by CEO Renee Fraser. The women in question must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. A certified WBE can be any size, though a special certification also exists for small businesses. A number of third-party organizations currently offer WBE certification, including the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council and the National Women Business Owners Corporation.