Being a “Woman Owned” Business

It was done because it has a few advantages. If I owned 51% of the stock in our corporation, we could be designated a “Woman Owned” business. Kevin agreed it was probably the best thing to do. And at the time, I knew so much more about the business than he did, that it also seemed wiser – if he died, I could carry on the business. If I were gone, the business would be gone. That is gradually changing. We still think our status as a Woman Owned business is a positive thing overall.

But it does present some interesting situations.

Women Business Owners is holding a convention in Texas next fall. I’d dearly love to go and staff a booth for our business. But I’d really not want to go without Kevin – partly because I like him, partly because it is his business too. They are happy to have men there, but I don’t suppose many really will be.

There have been other times when I felt like Kevin ought to get more credit also. But in the normal course of business, the reality is, that nobody really cares who owns it. They care more about whether you do the work, and whether they can work with you.

The government is happy – we give them a minute statistical boost. But then, they do not have a category for “couple owned” businesses.

So it has ended up being one of those things that has mattered in some ways we thought it would, has mattered in some ways that we did not expect, but which in most respects, has not been something most people even care about.