Origins of WomenInSmallBiz

Betty Carey, RN, BSN, founder of WomeninSmallBiz.com, for 20 years has empowered women to have a healthy birth experience and baby.

Her vision for this site grew from networking with other women entrepreneurs in the Northwest over the last several years. "The concept is that if I know enough about your business, I can be a referral source for you, even present your materials to prospective clients," she said. As a result of this informal networking, women have felt supported in their ventures and realized financial and many other benefits from their networking.

"In the last few months, many conversations have centered on how the Internet can catapult business to a new level," Betty said. A childbirth educator, Betty speaks from experience consulting the last 3 years on a site developed by Sandra Smith, MPH, CHES, PrenatalEd.com. Among other things, the site promotes Beginnings: A Practical Guide Through Your Pregnancy, a program that "empowers pregnant women with information to help them become active participants in their care and to be more prepared for parenthood," Betty explained.

In the same way, through WomeninSmallBiz.com, Betty aims to empower women to help them succeed as entrepreneurs through affordable, professionally maintained services for their own websites and through the power of a web of connections enabled by this site. This site is a portal to women-owned businesses for one-stop shopping for products and services.

Betty's long-term goal is to create a foundation to help women fund startups or make capital improvements to their existing businesses. To contact Betty about "seed" money for the foundation, contact Betty directly at [email protected] or call 888-781-6919.