Working Together for a Better Tomorrow

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Yesterday was a historic day in United States history. November 8, 2016 was always going to mean change for the U.S., regardless of who we elected. Whether pleased or disappointed with the results of the 2016 presidential election, we must move forward as a people for our sake and our country’s.

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Veterans Day 2016: Thanking our Veterans

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This Friday, November 11 is Veterans Day, a day to honor our country’s active and retired servicemen and women. The first Armistice Day was celebrated in 1919 and initially celebrated veterans of World War I. In 1954, a bill expanding the holiday to veterans of all wars passed and was amended six days later to officially make the holiday’s name Veterans Day.

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SBA Funding Opportunity for Women Veteran Entrepreneurship Training

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Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Veterans Business Development (OVBD) announced a $300,000 funding opportunity for women and veteran-owned businesses. The SBA’s Women Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Program anticipates giving out six awards as part of the funding opportunity, with a minimum amount of $25,000 per award.

Who Should Apply

The SBA is extending the funding opportunity to non-profit organizations, local or state agencies, private sector firms and higher learning institutions; beneficiaries of the program will range from veterans to women spouses of service members.

In their release, the SBA stated, “Successful applicants will be organizations with a demonstrated history of providing successful entrepreneurship training to women veterans, women service members, and women spouses of service members and veterans.”

A Q&A conference call will be held on November 30, 2016 at 3 p.m. EST. To join the conference call, dial 1-888-858-2144, access code 5817583#. For the opportunity to have your questions answered during the call, you must submit them to Janet Moorman at janet.moorman@sba.gov no later than November 16.

Facts on Women Veteran Owned Small Businesses:

  • As of 2012, women veterans owned 383,302 businesses generating $17.9 billion in sales
  • From 2007 to 2012, women veteran owned small businesses increased by 294.7 percent.

With Veterans Day 2016 fast approaching, we must remember to recognize and celebrate the contributions of our veterans and veteran business owners. This funding opportunity from the SBA is a great resource for these entrepreneurs whose success is vital to our country and economy.

The deadline to apply is December 12, 2016. For more information, please refer to program announcement No. WVETP-2017-01 at www.grants.gov.

Home Buying 2016: Single Women and First-time Buyers Increase

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The National Association of REALTORS (NAR) has released the 2016 installment of their Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers detailing the latest trends in home buying activity. This report is a valuable resource to the housing ecosystem as it depicts the true effects of market conditions on American homebuyers.

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Marketing to Women Consumers

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Are you tech savvy? If you answered no to this question, you are most likely hurting your business’s bottom line. Due to technology, it is no longer enough to be a subject matter expert in your field. You have to adapt to the times and become educated on gender-based marketing strategies.

Your Demographic
Knowing your audience is the basis of any marketing plan. According to 2015 Pew Research Center data, 44 percent of women use Pinterest vs. 16 percent of men; if you’re target audience is women, this is just one example showing that certain social media sites hold more value than others.
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The NAWRB Women’s Homeownership Initiative

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Homeownership is a central part of the American dream, for most people, it is the American Dream. Owning a home connotes success and achievement.

As women progress in the workforce and receive the consideration and participation they have earned, it is essential to fortify their growth with strong economic foundations. Why is it important for women to become homeowners? Homeownership provides the financial security to safeguard women’s progress, and paves the way for future generations.

Women continue to face obstacles in their career paths, with a pervasive 27 percent gender wage gap and lack of advancement in hierarchy. This disparity significantly impacts women’s ability to incur savings and secure a home to call their own, as their paychecks don’t travel nearly as far as men’s.
There are encouraging facts, however. According to 2014 Census Bureau data, there are 18,057,000 female homeowners in the United States. Ten million live alone, 6.7 million live with relatives without a husband present and 1.3 million live in two-or-more person households.
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