We Are NAWBO
“Get a seat at the table or build your own table, and make sure to include other women.”
—Susan Hager, NAWBO’s founding president
Leadership
Susan and NAWBO’s 11 other founding mothers didn’t start out as advocates. They were women business owners, just like the women NAWBO serves today, with big dreams and obstacles keeping them from fully achieving those.
They formed NAWBO in 1975 in Washington, DC, because they knew they were better together. They began sharing information about federal contracts, access to capital and more. And their efforts, and the number of women who joined them, grew.
Today, NAWBO is the unified, bipartisan voice of America’s more than 12 million women-owned businesses. NAWBO is the only dues-based organization representing the interests of these women with businesses of all sizes, stages of growth and industries through:
Discover a NAWBO Chapter Near You
As the leading voice for women entrepreneurs across the nation, we understand the value of community and localized support. Dive into our dynamic network and find a NAWBO chapter closest to you.
Explore our interactive map to view all chapters across the United States.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
NAWBO seeks full participation in the organization by all business owners who support our mission to empower women entrepreneurs, regardless of race, religion, age, sexual orientation, national origin or disability
Mission, Goals, and Values
NAWBO’s mission is to propel women entrepreneurs into economic, social and political spheres of power worldwide by:
- Strengthening the wealth-creating capacity of our members and promoting economic development within the entrepreneurial community
- Creating innovative and effective change in the business culture
- Building strategic alliances, coalitions and affiliations
- Transforming public policy and influencing opinion makers
In everything we do, we value diversity and inclusion and work to ensure that all women business owners feel like they belong:
In principle and in practice, NAWBO values and seeks a diverse and inclusive membership. NAWBO seeks full participation in the organization by all business owners who support our mission to empower women entrepreneurs, regardless of race, religion, age, sexual orientation, national origin or disability. NAWBO’s goal is to effectively represent the full diversity of the women business owner community and to expand access to leadership opportunities across the full spectrum of our membership.
Your donations help to support NAWBO’s mission and empower women business owners.
Advocacy
When NAWBO was founded in 1975, the landscape for women’s entrepreneurship looked very different. Women couldn’t successfully apply for a loan or purchase a car or home. But that changed after NAWBO was incorporated and began forming chapters across the U.S. and using its collective NAWBO voice to shape this landscape for the better. See our history of impact here.
