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CollabHERation, which has organized events such as Women First and the Shero Awards, has partnered with the new Women’s Business Center RVA to provide services specifically for women entrepreneurs.
The WBCRVA officially will open its doors Sept. 1 at 1510 Willow Lawn Drive, Suite 100 just across from Willow Lawn.
WBCRVA is a mixed-used center providing mailbox services, coworking, office rental and consulting. Shirley Crawford, former BizWorks assistant director and now director of WBCRVA, notes that the difference between the Center and the many office rentals popping up around town is simple.
"We don’t just provide space," said WBCRVA Director Shirley Crawford, a former BizWorks assistant director. "We don’t just take your money and say figure it out. We provide a safe place to launch, sustain or grow your business. Here at WBCRVA you get the space, true, but consulting, coaching, mentoring, monthly seminars and a CEO Roundtable are also ALL included for each member. And we mean member, NOT tenant.”
Visitors are welcome any time but are asked to call facility manager Tywan Lee at 929-1734 to schedule an appointment.
Thirty years ago, there were about four million women-owned businesses in the United States, according to a report by the Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship; today, there are more than 11 million.
“Women entrepreneurs, in particular, are creating new businesses, disrupting established industries and developing innovative products at a record pace," the report concluded.
But, the report showed, women-owned businesses still grow at slower rates and earn less revenue than male-owned firms, as the result of institutional barriers that female entrepreneurs face.
For details about CollabHERation and the WBCRVA, visit facebook.com/collabheration and facebook.com/WBCRVA.
