National Women’s Business Council Releases 2020 Roundtable Report
The National Women’s Business Council (NWBC) has released its 2020 #LetsTalkBusiness Roundtable Series Report, a collection of testimonials from women entrepreneurs on current challenges and opportunities associated with access to capital, childcare, and patenting and trademark.
After the successes of the 2019 Women in Small Business Roundtable Series, the Council rebranded the initiative and continued hosting policy discussions through 2020.
The #LetsTalkBusiness Roundtable Series launched in San Juan, Puerto Rico just before the onset of COVID-19. Participants highlighted women business owners’ role in catalyzing an economic recovery following recent natural disasters and shared effective methods to increase female founders’ access to growth capital.
The Council then indefinitely postponed planned stops in New Hampshire, Texas, and Michigan and pivoted to virtual conference platforms for critical engagement with women business owners across the nation.
The next two virtual roundtables included entrepreneurs and experts from around the country to explore prevailing issues. The Rural Women’s Entrepreneurship Subcommittee hosted a conversation on childcare affordability and availability, specifically impediments to industry profitability and the impact of childcare shortages on a beleaguered workforce navigating the pandemic.
The Women in STEM Subcommittee led a discussion on women’s participation in patenting and trademark and remaining barriers to enter and launch new ventures in these industries.
The feedback received during these roundtables served as the foundation for the Council’s Fiscal Year 2020 policy recommendations to the White House, Congress, and the Small Business Administration.
“During this unprecedented time, we must recommit to empowering our nation’s female founders and celebrating their irreplaceable role in the economy. We urge lawmakers to carefully consider the stories in this report and use key takeaways to develop sound, effective public policy pertaining to women’s business enterprise,” said Chair Liz Sara. Read the full report at https://cdn.www.nwbc.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021
