InnovateHer Challenge Winner 


Congratulations to Tracie A. Burress, our local winner of the U.S. Small Business Administration InnovateHER Challenge! Born and raised on the south side of Chicago, Tracie currently resides in Rockford, IL with her husband and two teenagers. 


 

In October 2013, Tracie created a small wearable product, SockTABs, pairing devices that combats the infamous Sock Monster and alleviates the issues of sorting, matching and searching for lost socks.


 

Tracie has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Clark Atlanta University and currently, she works as a pharmaceutical sales rep and was recently awarded with the top presidential award that is only given to the top 5% of reps in the company. SockTABs was officially launched in November of 2014. SockTABs is available at 11 retail locations and also online at www.socktabs.com or www.amazon.com

 

NAWBO Small Business Week Woman Business Owner (WBO) Video Contest

In honor of Small Business Week in May, NAWBO National has launched a "No Small Thing" video contest calling for women small business owners to submit a 2-minute or less video highlighting one thing that has contributed most to their success as a small business. 


The top five winners will receive a $40 credit toward their membership/renewal fees and invited to attend and be honored on stage at the 2015 National Women's Business Conference. The top winner will receive a complimentary full conference registration to NAWBO Women's Business Conference on September 28-29 in San Antonio, TX. 


Learn More

Featured Event! 
Thursday, April 16 
STEMpreneur Insights: Next Generation Of Women Leaders

Join the Women's Business Development Center and the Enterprising Women Foundation, sponsored by ComEd for a panel discussion with accomplished women entrepreneurs in STEM-related fields. Michelle Blaise, Senior VP of Technical Services for ComEd, will moderate the discussion of the benefits, challenges and strategies for establishing and growing successful businesses in science, technology and engineering as well as contracting opportunities and hurdles in the private and public sectors. Be a part of making a difference. 


 
Click here to RSVP today! 

Featured Event!
April 13-16, 2015 

SAME 2015 Energy Forum and Small Business Industry Days

Join the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) in Chicago for the SAME 2015 Energy Forum and Small Business Industry Days Conference. This three-day event is SAME's initial commitment to bring together local, regional, and national professionals from the public and private sectors to present information on technology, policy trends and business opportunities within current Federal energy programs.


 

In addition to the technical sessions, the conference will include the SAME 2015 Energy Forum Industry Day trade show, where exhibitors can present the latest program technologies, objectives, and solutions in the Federal marketplace, and to network with fellow attendees. The Conference will also feature special programs for college students participating in SAME's Student Chapter and veterans looking to enter the private sector.

 

Learn More

Featured Event!
April 22, 2015 

Women Vetrepreneurship Program (WVP): Back2Basics: Reloaded (12 Week Series)

This 12-week veteran entrepreneurial training series that consists of 3 modules is designed for military spouses, women veterans, reservist and guardsman who want to create a business plan and work on the steps towards self-employment or economic self-sufficiency. Sharpen and strengthen your skills with this hands-on business development training.

 

Prerequisite: Must be a veteran, military spouse, reservist or guardsman

Note: Class meets every Wednesday except for the 3rd Wednesday of the month. 
 

Learn More

Featured Partner Event!
Tuesday, April 28, 2015 

Crowdfunding for Impact 

The Chicago Innovation Exchange (CIE) is the University of Chicago's new hub for multidisciplinary collaborations and support for business start-up activities by University faculty, students and area entrepreneurs. On April 28th they will discuss how to create a successful campaign for your startup or project from entrepreneurs who have held successful campaigns on popular platforms such as Kiva Zip, Indiegogo, and the joint Accion/Kickstarter curated Seed Chicago. Representatives from each platform will share their experiences and ways on how to choose the right platform for your crowdfunding effort. 


 
Learn More

Click here to RSVP! 
Featured Event! 
Monday, May 11, 2015
6 Steps to Building Your Business Empire: From Start Up to Growth to Expansion 

Are you ready to lead a business empire? In this powerful and inspiring presentation, CEO Mentor, Allison Maslan will share the proven roadmap, steps and strategies necessary to shift from growing your company to creating your business empire. 


As a multi-million dollar and ten-time entrepreneur, Allison Maslan was recently named "One of the Top Women Entrepreneurs Who Inspire" by Self Made Magazine and is the author of the #1 best seller Blast Off! 

Featured Event! 
Thursday, May 28, 2015
TEDx Forum Coming to Oak Park-River Forest 

The Technology Education Design (TED) talks lecture series, known for highlighting innovative speakers on hundreds of topics, is coming to River Forest and will focus on women's issues. The lecture series will be held on May 28 and will correspond with TEDWomen, a three-day TED conference in Monterrey California.


 

TEDx Oak Park will feature speakers: Blagica Bottigliero, VP Digital Media, Metaverse Mod Squad; Heidi BrownFounder/CMO/CFO, Options Away; 

Renee Coover, Attorney, O'Hagan LLC;  Loren Mercola, Clinical Psychotherapist, life matters inc.;  Cheryl Munoz, Founder/Executive Director, Sugar Beet Co-op;  Lisa Parker, EMCEE. Investigative Reporter, NBC5 Chicago; and  Lisa Thornton, Asst. Professor of Pediatrics, University of Chicago. 

For more information, click here
Connect to Cash Through Our Direct Lending Program  

April is National Financial Capability Month and whether you are an established small business owner, a new small business owner or have aspirations to be a future small business owner, it is inevitable that you will at some point have to deal with securing the capital to fund and/or expand your business.


 

The Women's Business Development Center's (WBDC) Access to Capital Program provides access to microloans and small business loans for entrepreneurs in any stage of business development that may not qualify for traditional bank financing. Partners with the City of Chicago and State of Illinois, we provide business owners a source of funding and support to help build their business. Additionally, we offer assistance with packaging loan requests and preparing you with presenting your loan packages to lenders. 

 

Click here  to learn more about our upcoming financial workshops! 
City of Chicago Buying Plan 
2Q 2015 - 3Q 2016 

Are you interested or currently involved in the City of Chicago's Procurement process? The Department of Procurement Services (DPS) has provided the City's Buying Plan as a guide to assist you in your efforts to compete for City of Chicago contracting opportunities. Summarized in the Buying Plan are hundreds of potential opportunities for goods and services required for use by 27 departments such as the Department of Transportation, Fleet and Facility Management, Department of Finance and the Office of Emergency Management and Communications. Please use this Buying Plan in your planning process and to consider public contracting as a way to increase your revenues and grow your business. 


 
Click here to learn more. 

Upcoming Events! 

UPCOMING WBDC-WEBINARS 
(Click title to learn more)
April 15: GrowthWheel Series:The Next Employee: Getting Ready

UPCOMING WBDC-MN EVENTS 
(Click title to learn more) 
April 17: I'm Certified, Now What?
April 22: Project Management Best Practices to Build Capacity
May 6: Using Technology to Organize Supplier Diversity Registration Data
May 13: Is Certification Right For You? (Lunch & Learn)

UPCOMING WBDC-PARTNER EVENTS 
(Click title to learn more) 
April 23: Military & Veterans 101
April 24: How To Find Your Angel Investor
April 28: How To Tell Your Company's Story
May 5: Women's Leadership Breakfast: "Courage: The Main Ingredient of Change"