WBE and Me
Here we are at post #2 in my commitment to pulling back the curtain on the adventures of running a woman-owned small business. My goal is to share small nuggets of wisdom that may be useful to all entrepreneurs, but today’s focus is specifically on women-owned enterprises.
WindsorTurner is a New York State-certified Women-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) and is currently undergoing the federal certification process. Given our current environment, who knows what this may look like, but placing this in the ‘out of my control’ file. When I started this business, I believed that obtaining WBE certification was absolutely critical to my success. In hindsight, I’m not entirely sure why I thought this. Perhaps it was because so many Requests for Proposals (RFPs) included language that encouraged—and even implied—a preference for awarding contracts to minority- and special designation-owned businesses.
The punchline? Being a New York State-certified woman-owned business has never been the defining reason for securing a contract. I share this insight because if your business growth strategy hinges on becoming a WBE, you may be missing the bigger picture. Here’s why:
Your business will grow because of the quality of your product or service, not because of a certification. Focus on improving, expanding, and strengthening your offerings. That’s what attracts new and returning clients.
The certification process is lengthy. If you’re delaying growth until you obtain WBE status, you could be waiting a long time—mine took about two years. As a new business, you can’t afford to wait; the market certainly won’t wait for you.
Certification can be a distraction. In the early stages of your business, you’ll spend countless hours navigating processes, agencies, protocols, and an endless stream of paperwork. If, like me, you’re the only one handling these tasks, adding another bureaucratic layer to your to-do list may mean spending midnight hours uploading forms instead of, well, sleeping.
Misreading your market. Regardless of your industry, most clients prioritize quality, value, and trust. If you spend too much time emphasizing your WBE status instead of demonstrating the true value of your services, you may be underselling yourself.
That said, I’m not discouraging anyone from pursuing certification. If your industry involves state-funded projects, having WBE status can give you a competitive edge.
If you decide to pursue certification, here’s my advice:
Don’t make it an early priority. If possible, delegate the process so you can focus on selling your services—or getting some much-needed rest. Never underestimate the power of a good night’s sleep.
Once certified, don’t make it your primary selling point. Mention it as an added benefit if it helps a client, but ensure they hire you for your expertise and not just for the designation.
Promote it strategically. Unfortunately, some may perceive your success as solely due to your certification. Always highlight your achievements as the result of your hard work, expertise, and dedication.
You may be wondering: given all of this, why is WindsorTurner pursuing federal certification? The reason is simple—our work often involves federally funded subcontracts focused on community development, particularly brownfield reuse planning. We recognize that this designation may ultimately benefit our clients. However, we made sure to prove our capabilities first, and now we are incorporating certification as an additional value. Plus, at this stage, I no longer have to stay up all night uploading documents to an anonymous federal portal. Not that I’m sleeping much—I’m just busy organizing tax files for my accountant at midnight. But that might just be the topic of blog post #3.
Cheers, folks—if you’re still reading, thank you! I hope this has been helpful. And to the women out there starting their own businesses—keep going. You’ve got this, certification or not. If I can be a source of support - reach out anytime - I’m always happy to share my experience, or at least a few laughs.