Write on Time: Differentiating Your Company by Certifying Your Business

by Adrienne Tange
EBSTC President-Elect

Adrienne Tange is the co-founder of Write on Time Solutions, LLC , a technical writing company that creates clear, concise and accurate technical documentation or Web content — always on time and on budget.

To lure prospective customers to your business and away from competitors you must offer a unique selling proposition. This proposition must differentiate your company from others and offer a marketable benefit for your customer. Melody and I have chosen to set our business apart from others by becoming a certified women-owned business.

What does this mean? A certified woman-owned business is one that has gone through a certification process that proves they are truly at least 51 percent owned and controlled by a woman or group of women. The certifier uses the applicant's legal and financial documentation to determine if the applying company is 51 percent owned and controlled by a woman or group of women.

Why Certify?

Obtaining certification is an important business development strategy for two reasons. First, most city, state, and national government purchasing agencies track and/or have programs for doing business with women business owners. Second, many publicly-held corporations, as well as larger private corporations, also track and have programs for doing business with women-owned vendor companies. To prove to these potential clients that we truly are a women-owned business, we must go through the certification process.

Note: The reason for the certification process is because some companies to win bids will lie about their status. This process ensures the contracting businesses are legitimately women-owned.

The Certification Process

There are two private national women's business organizations that certify qualified women-owned businesses: The National Women's Business Owners Corporation (NWBOC) and the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). Melody and I have chosen the WBENC, the largest third-party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women in the United States, to certify us.

To begin the process, we are gathering all required supporting documentation. This supporting documentation includes resumes, tax returns, financial statements, and legal structure documents. We then will submit all this information to WBENC as well as fill out an online application and pay a processing fee. This application asks for all records on your business and proof of your 51 percent or greater ownership and control. Once WBENC receives the application and all required documents, a trained Certification Committee reviews this information and also performs an onsite visit.

Conclusion

We know certification is no guarantee for success but we are hoping that it will allow us to break into new markets. If you are interested in becoming a WBE, go to the WBENC website.