Last week, we took part in an epic experience, the 2024 WBENC Conference! What does WBENC stand for? So glad you asked! WBENC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping women-owned businesses thrive and is the largest third-party certifier of businesses owned, controlled, and operated by women in the US. They do a wonderful job supporting businesses like ours, connecting us with companies to support their supplier diversity efforts. The WBENC Conference is a national annual event connecting women-owned businesses with these companies, with the extra fabulous bonus of connecting women-owned businesses with each other.
This year, we exhibited, along with hundreds of other incredible companies, to share our vision for equitable workplaces that truly work for everyone!
In the coming weeks and months, you’ll likely get a glimpse of some of the fabulous WBENC-certified businesses we connected with on our podcast. Stay tuned for that!
One of our favorite conference moments was a spontaneous lunch conversation with other business owners. Our approaches to workplace inclusion, visions for a fair workplace, and struggles to get there were so similar it was almost comical. We realized that we truly want to be great places to work, but as women, we have some unique challenges. One big one is the double-bind challenge. Are we being too tough? Are we being tough enough? How can we show up authentically without hurting our business (whether that’s how we’re perceived by potential clients, employees, or the general public)? We’re sad but not surprised that this is still an issue. As more women’s rights are taken away, the more likely we’ll continue to experience bias that ultimately hurts our economic status.
This is why we’re grateful for the work that WBENC is doing to connect our businesses with those who want to see greater supplier diversity.
For us, this is just the beginning. As we think about how to continue to do important and impactful work despite bias and discrimination, we’re ready to take on more and connect with our fellow business owners and those who support this work.