Share Your Story
The NAWBO South Jersey Advocacy Committee is spearheading a project that intends to support women in business from a unique perspective. We are collecting women’s stories about opening a business, with a particular interest in roadblocks that may have been encountered along the way and what steps were taken to overcome them? If you’re interested, please review the following request! We look forward to hearing from you!
What’s Your Story?
As women in business, we all know there are struggles related to entrepreneurship from securing financing to procurement, to fit up issues and marketing. Your stories are powerful tools that can drive change, impacting government legislation needed to positively support our ability to prosper. National can use our stories in their lobbying efforts. We can’t predict when our stories will be tapped to support legislative revisions needed to help ALL women business owners in the United States to succeed. Just having access to them will be a great resource if and when the time comes.
Many of us have similar stories of struggle when embarking on the path of entrepreneurship. NAWBO National lobbies in Washington for bills that aid women in business by incorporating their stories into the conversation. Have you ever been denied government financing? What about healthcare coverage for you and your staff? How are you handling issues you need help with? These issues are just some of the topics of discussion NAWBO National addresses for our members. What issues have been important to you on your journey?
Everyone’s story is unique, and we hope you will share them with us. This is what Women’s Advocacy is all about and why representation through NAWBO National in Washington, DC for our members is so vital in setting us apart from other women’s groups.
If you’ve had struggles starting a business, running a business or any type of discriminatory issues as a business owner, please share your story in 200 words max, and send it to dlpereau@gmail.com by August 31, 2024 or fill out the form linked here. Also, please include your name, the name of your company or business, your state, and your signature Two links have been added to help you create your signature (Option 1, Option 2).
Don’t miss the chance to have your voice count in this effort.
My story follows as an example. Remember, our stories combined gives us a powerful voice to help initiate change in government policy. I will contact you to confirm receipt of your story and help edit, if necessary, before sending it on to National. By submitting your story, you acknowledge that it may be utilized as necessary by NAWBO National.
Thank you so much for your kind consideration and support!
Denise Pereau (Previous) Owner Salon Pereau, New Jersey
In about 1990, I had heard there was a program for minority women business owners to secure low interest government loans in the State of New Jersey. Unfortunately, there were no loans available in my county as they had all been granted and the State was supplying loans to start ups in the southern counties only. I was frustrated because I learned the money available was just sitting there unused because no one was applying for loans in those counties. Why couldn’t they make an exception? When I tried to secure a regular bank loan to open my salon, (I was a single mother at the time) I didn’t qualify even though I owned my own home and carried superlative industry credentials. I had taken the equity out of my home for the fit up etc. but fell short to finish the project and have working capital to open and but was already paying rent on the location. I finally secured loans from private investors but felt the government had abandoned me in my time of need. (187 Words)
