West Virginia Women’s Business Center Twitter image.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — As the state’s economy continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, women across West Virginia are being given the opportunity to apply for a new mentorship program.
The West Virginia Women’s Business Center has kicked off its “Start, Scale, Succeed” program which aims to empower female and minority entrepreneurs in the Mountain State.
Each aspiring entrepreneur will be paired with one successful female business owner who can share their secrets to success, how to avoid costly mistakes, as well as advice on accounting, marketing and more.
Nora Myers, the center’s executive director, said women sometimes face different challenges when men as they try to start a business.
“The usual things that face women include the challenges to finding child care — as they’re running their business — finding access to capital, finding the networking and the relationships that are so critical,” Myers told MetroNews.
Working in a rural state like West Virginia also creates obstacles and did so during the COVID-19 crisis, Myers said.
“We have a hard time sometimes finding the resources that we need to help us do what we want to do in our life. It’s no different than small business. The pandemic made it worse. It really exacerbated that sense of isolation that a small business owner might feel,” she said.
Myers said having a mentor can benefit small business owners in the long run.
“Small businesses who have mentors tend to be more profitable, tend to have better leadership, are more satisfied and tend to have greater longevity. The likelihood that they’re still in business five years down the road is significantly greater,” she said.
To apply for the free program, CLICK HERE https://wvwomen.org/.