Free Certification Starter Kit

If you are a WBE, there are numerous advantages to obtaining one or more levels of certification.  A WBE certification simply certifies that a business is in fact 51% owned, controlled, and operated by one or more women.  But there are different levels of certification, and it can be very confusing on what exactly you need.

For example, if you have a business that doesn't want to have the government or any large corporation as a client, then there really isn't any need to obtain a WBE certification.  But if you would like to have one of these deep pockets as clients, then you should definitely consider obtaining a WBE certification.  The reason is because government agencies and many corporations are required to award a certain percentage of business each year to women owned businesses.  And the way they know they are dealing with a woman owned business is through ensuring you have one of the particular certifications.

So before you rush out and get a WBE certification, you should first think about who you would like to have as a client, and then obtain the type of certification that is needed in order for you to increase your chances of getting work from that client.

The next article will look at some of the levels of certification.

There are basically four different levels of WBE certifications:

1. Local WBE Certifications - These can be obtained by a local government certifying office, such as a city.  You would want to obtain a local certification if you want to increase your chances of getting business from that particular local agency (such as the city in which your business is located).
2. State WBE Certifications - These can be obtained in most states through a state certifying office.  You would want to obtain a state certification if you want to increase your chances of getting business from one or more state government agencies.
3. Federal WBE Certifications - These are self-certifying, and allow you to sell to the U.S. federal government.  So if you want to sell to the federal government, then you can self-certify that you are a WBE enterprise.
4. National WBE Certifications - This is the type of certification you would consider if you want to have large corporations as clients.  Some large corporations will accept either a National Certification or a State Certification, so before you rush out and get a National Certification, you would first want to see what the corporations that you want as clients would require.

Free Certification Starter Kit

If you want more details about how to obtain these certifications, and also how to leverage them to sell to the government and Corporate America, then check out our BizCert product.  BizCert contains instructions on how and where to obtain these certifications, demonstrations on how to find projects with each of these entities, and advanced strategies on how to market your business to them so you can grow your business.