Posted by Molly Nelson - After attending the National Women's Business Council 2009 Women's
Business Summit last week, I started thinking about all of the women
involved in small business.
Not only the women small-business owners that own almost 30 percent
of American businesses and are responsible for $1.1 trillion in sales
and 7 million jobs, according to a letter from Senator Mary Landrieu
(D-La.) to the summit, but also the numerous women involved with small
business at the federal level.
Representative Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.) is Chairwoman of the House
Committee on Small Business. Senator Landrieu is Chairwoman, and
Senator Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) is Ranking Member of the Senate
Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Together, they are
the first all-female duo to lead a committee in either chamber.
Additionally, venture capitalist Karen Gordon Mills is President
Obama's nominee for the new Small Business Administration
(SBA) administrator. Mills is expected to be confirmed by the end of
March.
Will having so many women involved federally with small business be
good for women-owned small businesses? Only time will tell, however
considering that "not less than 5 percent" of government contracts are
supposed to go to women-owned small businesses as part of the SBA's procurement program, but in FY 2007 (the
last year for which data was available) only 3.41 percent of contracts
went to women-owned small businesses, these firms could use a little
boost!