There are many ways to support the women around you to rise to their full potential, one of the easiest being to empower women with your wallet. The ranks of female entrepreneurs are swelling as women-owned businesses become more commonplace.
Related: 5 Women to Know In the Personal Finance Space
It’s never been easier to find a women-owned small business or brand that carries the products you need or provides services you rely on. Here’s a list of five ways you can find women-owned businesses next time you’re ready to spend money.
1. Yelp’s women-owned business attribute
Yelp released an identifying attribute on any business known to be woman-owned. Although women-owned businesses aren’t categorized as such on the main page yet, this badge is a great way to identify if a business is woman-owned as you’re reading its reviews. All businesses are verified ahead of time to ensure accuracy. Yelp will also send a free “woman-owned business” for female entrepreneurs to display in their business’s window.
There’s a growing interest in consumers to buy from businesses that align closer to their personal values and this is an actionable way to support local female entrepreneurs.
2. Buy on Women Owned
Finding women-owned businesses can be difficult but now, with the website Women Owned, you can easily access a comprehensive database of female entrepreneurs. As an online database, you can sort by category to find what you’re working for!
This website’s mission is to support the advancement of women in the workplace by advocating for equal pay, job creation, and implementing gender-fair policies.
3. National women’s business associations
You can access information and resources about women-owned businesses at the U.S Small Business Administration’s website under women-owned businesses. The mandate for this initiative is to help female entrepreneurs launch new businesses and compete in the marketplace. It also connects women to training and funding opportunities specifically for women.
The SBA website also has a list of many women’s business associations that serve different professional specialties. Researching these associations can help you find female entrepreneurs in specific fields. Here are some examples of business associations you can find via the SBA website:
These organizations, and similar ones like it, can point you toward their business members in your area.
4. Etsy & makers fairs
If you shop on Etsy, you’re likely supporting a woman-owned business: approximately 86% of sellers on Etsy identify as female. Many sellers provide a detailed “about me” page that explains more about their background and the inspiration for their work so you get a feel for who you’re buying from.
In-person makers fairs or craft fairs are another great place to support female entrepreneurs. Most of the time, the maker or artist themselves is staffing the booth, so you can directly meet the person you’re supporting and talk to them about their work.
5. Search on social media
An additional avenue for finding woman-owned businesses is to search using social media. You can use LinkedIn, TikTok, and Instagram as a tool to do research into business leaders in your area.
Female professionals such as doctors, lawyers, or real estate agents are somewhat easy to find through LinkedIn. You can even consider posting on your active social accounts asking friends for local recommendations. Starting a public comment chain with recommendations of women-owned businesses can inspire others in your community to seek out and support these businesses and brands.
Searching for posts about women-owned businesses using popular hashtags is also an easy way to start finding relevant brands. Here are some of the most common hashtags that female entrepreneurs are currently using to promote their work on social media:
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#womenowned
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#femtreprenuer
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#womeninbusiness
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#femaleowned
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#girlboss
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#supportwomenowned
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#femalefounder
Since hashtags change dynamically, these might not always be the trending hashtags to signal a female-owned business. However, one way to find current hashtags at any time is to look at several popular posts from prominent female entrepreneurs and see which hashtags they’re using.
Shop women-owned, women-operated
Being more conscious about who you support with your hard-earned money can help you feel better about how you spend your money, and it certainly helps the women who you give your business to.
Female entrepreneurs in your community and social circle, as well as those who lead national brands, can use your help to succeed. Championing the businesses and goals of women now helps create a world for the future where more women succeed in business and become leaders in traditionally male-dominated fields.
Keep reading: How to Negotiate for the Pay You Deserve
