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The VWEC is a national initiative launched in 2017 in southern Dallas based on research and recommendations from the National Women’s Business Council, the Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development, and the Advisory Committee on Veterans Business Affairs to create programs designed specifically to engaged women veteran entrepreneurs. In addition, during this period all three agencies confirm and recommended that more veteran gender specific local, regional, and national research be conducted to assess the continued needs of this population.
The national focus on Women Veteran Entrepreneurs erupted after the 2007-2012 Census Survey of Business Owners reported that women veteran-owned businesses in just five years, grew from 4% of all veteran-owned to 15.2% representing nearly 400,000 new businesses. Women veteran-owned businesses during this period outpaced African American women owned businesses identified as the fasted growing group of women owned businesses in the United States. However, since 2017, there have only been small sporadic investments to support programming specifically for Women Veteran Entrepreneur. In addition, there are no other women veteran entrepreneur programs in the United States that provide year-round programming with a consistent touch point.
In 2019, Military.com published the article "It's Time to Turn Up the Volume on Women Veteran-Owned Businesses," and VWEC is working to bring that time to fruition, and if you take on this Leadership Challenge you can too!
To this end, the VWEC was develop, and is currently providing mentoring services nationally to entrepreneur women associated with the military across more than 30 states, and based on its 2022 National Expansion Strategy (NES) is working to provide their full CEO Suite of Services with annual regular programming, and consistent touch points, inclusive of cost-effective modern ergonomic Co-working spaces; a structured schedule of Engagement programs/activities; and Other resources that entrepreneurs need to succeed. The onset of COVID 19 forced the VWEC to take all its programming virtually engaging nearly 500 clients in just one quarter; to date, the VWEC has engaged nearly 4000 individuals; and reinvested nearly $100k directly into entrepreneurs via its 4BusinessRecovery Campaign.
The VWEC’s is a bold innovation positioned as a viable "hub" for the mirage of entrepreneur programs currently supporting entrepreneur women associated with the military specifically; and veteran entrepreneurs in general, promoting a collaborative environment that reduces service duplication, and streamlines available resources. The VWEC's national initiative is positioned to play a foundational role in the development of a viable veteran entrepreneur ecosystem filled with genuine camaraderie, and viable collaborative contracting opportunities supporting continual growth, increased revenues, and workforce development that will literally fuel our local, regional, and national economies.
VWEC ultimate economic opportunities, and services to Entrepreneur Women Associated With the Military include goals to:
Empowering Low-to-Moderate Wage Earners & Entrepreneurs to be truly self-sufficient.
Creating a viable and vibrant veteran entrepreneur ecosystem that clearly documents business growth and expansion outcomes.
Building long term automated organizational systems to not only sustain our projects but allows us to scale our entrepreneur ecosystems across the nation, via a regional expansion plan.
Embracing proven sustainable business solutions for empowering our entrepreneurs to access, build and maintain the social and financial capital they need to succeed, by tracking members/sponsor relationships as well as capital accessed via our support
