Certification

Greater Women's Business Council (GWBC) is one of 14 Regional Partner Organizations in the U.S. that certifies women-owned businesses in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. GWBC certification is recognized by the national organization, WBENC.

WBENC is the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, a leading nonprofit organization with a mission to help women-owned businesses thrive by promoting innovation and creating partnerships that open doors and fuel the economy. 

A WBENC certification validates that a business is at least 51% owned and operated by a woman or women. WBENC has more than 350 major corporations who accept this world class certification.

If you are looking to do business with the federal government then you can consider applying for the Women Owned Small Business (WOSB) certification by the Small Business Administration (SBA). As with the WBENC certification, the WOSB certification validates that a Woman Owned Small Business not only meets the standards of female ownership and control of a business, but also meets certain size and revenue requirements.

Note: Applicants must be approved through the WBENC certification process prior to review of the WOSB applications.

Most major corporations have supplier diversity initiatives to support diverse suppliers such as women businesses. Certification is a vetting tool used to identify these diverse suppliers for procurement opportunities that may support the company’s annual diversity spend goals. Most corporations require vendors to register on their company supplier diversity website.

While WBENC Certification can be an incredible marketing tool, it does not guarantee a contract with a corporation. WBEs have to be willing to invest the time to build relationships to get the most out of certification.