WOMEN – OWNED & MINORITY BUSINESS (WOMB) PROGRAM

“A powerful idea whose time has come”

The Nursing Office. Com in Richmond Hill, NY is uniquely positioned in its current location at 115-03 Atlantic Avenue, traversed by the A & J trains and accessible by three (3) bus lines to Jamaica, Queens Blvd, and Brooklyn.  Richmond Hill is an enclave in New York City’s central southern Queens County, known to be the most richly diverse community, as almost all countries are represented here.  Asians, including Filipinos and Chinese, are 24%, second only to Whites (35%), and larger than African Americans (18%), Multi-racials (14%) and Other ethnicities (13%).  It is home to many South Asians like Indians and Pakistanis as well as Indo-Caribbean groups from Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Hispanic groups from South America, like Colombia, Paraguay and Ecuador, among many others.

In these underserved communities are many immigrant women, a majority who are isolated primarily by language, low literacy and low English language skills, as well as by social and physical environmental conditions, such as, large families, underemployment, and dependence on government benefits.  As women of color, there is an increased necessity to supplement either their existing income (since they are often paid substantially less than the national average) or creating a primary source of income.

Rationale:  According to the 2013 Global Entrepreneurs Monitor (GEM) U.S. Report, issued by Babson College & Baruch College, American women entrepreneurs ranked their well-being higher than other women in the U.S., higher than women entrepreneurs in other countries, and higher than men.  Clearly it is getting established that entrepreneurship is a path of happiness for women.  Women entrepreneurs control what they pay themselves, exert influence and power, and control their time.

What is good for women is good for the economy.  In this spirit, The Nursing Office.com (TNO) and the Philippine Community Center Services for Aging (PCCSA), through its program WOMB, seeks to reach out to the immigrant women in the adjoining neighborhood, consisting mainly of Pakistani, Indian, Bangladeshi, Filipinos, Guyanese and Hispanic women.

Vision:  To see Minority Women starting and growing their own business, supported by Office Space-sharing, Training, Mentorship and Funding.

Mission: 

1.    To offer low-cost, inexpensive Office Space to women entrepreneurs doing simple service tasks, like alteration and repair of clothes; or sale of affordable apparel; personal cosmetic services; taxation services & financial consultancy; employment referrals; care-giving services; housekeeping & cleaning services, etc.

2.    To access and/or conduct training, mentoring events, sessions, meetings with resources, such as successful women entrepreneurs or business owners, to inspire & motivate immigrant women in their business endeavours.

3.    To assist and/or enable women entrepreneurs to structure their business as a Sole Proprietorship, General Partnership, Limited Partnership, Limited Liability Partnership, Limited Liability Company or Corporation.

4.    To encourage, train and mentor women entrepreneurs to be eligible for M/WBE (Minority/Women Business Enterprise) Certification, as

·          Authorized to do business in New York State.

·         At least 51% owned, controlled and operated by US citizen(s) or permanent resident(s) who is/are member(s) of a designated minority group(s) including Black, Hispanic, Asian Pacific, and Asian-Indian OR a woman or women.

·         An eligible business also must have:

o    Been selling products or services for a period of at least one year prior to the date of application.

o    A real and substantial presence in the geographic market of New York City, which includes the five boroughs of New York City and the following counties: Nassau, Putnam, Rockland, Suffolk, and Westchester in New York, and Bergen, Hudson, and Passaic in New Jersey. Businesses located outside of New York City must have a significant tie to the City's business community (e.g., have derived 25% or more of gross receipts from business conducted in the City, possess a license issued by the City, etc.).

Note: If a business is M/WBE or LBE certified with one of the NYC Department of Small Business Services' partner organizations, the business may be eligible to submit a Fast Track Application. Businesses that have previously applied for M/WBE Certification or are currently under review with the City of New York are not eligible for a Fast Track Application. Before beginning this application, businesses should contact the organization with which they are certified with to find out whether they qualify for a Fast Track Application.

The NYC Department of Small Business Services' partner organizations are:

·         New York City School Construction Authority

·         Port Authority of New York and New Jersey 

·         Women President's Educational Organization

·         New York & New Jersey Minority Supplier Development Council Inc.

For more details on women-owned business, references include: 

Growth of Women-Owned Businesses: The Effects of Intangible Resources and Social Competence by Crystal X. Jiang (Bryant University), Monica A. Zimmerman (West Chester University), and Grace Chun Guo (Sacred Heart University)

Summary:  Previous research suggests that women entrepreneurs face many challenges in starting and growing a business. In this study, we examine the relationship of intangible resources and the growth of women-owned businesses. We focus on four intangible resources: social-, human-, and reputational capital, as well as social competence. Using case studies of women entrepreneurs, we found that a woman entrepreneur’s social-, human-, and reputational capital are related to the growth of her business. We also found that social competence moderates the social-, human-, and reputational capital – growth relationship in women entrepreneurs.

http://digitalcommons.sacredheart.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1099&context=wcob_fac