Regional Women Business Centers: Impact with a Heart

Women make up nearly half of the U.S. workforce, accounting for 47% of all civilian workers as of March 2025. Despite this and the fact that women have been entering the workforce in significant and accelerating numbers since 1960, the situation for working women and working mothers in particular, can be grim. In California, 62 % of mothers participate in the workforce and 26% of mothers work part-time (as compared with 9% of men) with often limited benefits. But according to the California Civil Rights Department, women in California currently earn 81 cents for every dollar earned by men. For single working mothers in the North State, budgeting can be especially challenging with 50% to 74% of income going to child care, depending on the county.

It’s no wonder that many women turn to entrepreneurship to remedy some of these disparities and provide for their families. Although women-owned firms are less likely to receive full financing than men-owned firms and report higher funding gaps, nearly 40 % of businesses in California are women-owned, driving job creation and revenue and they are proving to be phenomenally successful. The National Women’s Business Council (federal advisory council) reports that women-owned businesses are growing at nearly twice the rate of male-owned businesses even though they face disproportionate capital access challenges.

North State small business development resources

Fortunately, there are impactful resources for North State small business owners that can help them start and grow successful businesses. An organization that is making a significant impact on local business development is the California Women’s Business Centers (WBC). WBCs provide vital support to budding and established business owners through remote and flexible access to inclusive, tailored programming, child care support, warm referrals and more at no cost.

“Without organizations like the WBC, there are so many obstacles for businesses starting out,” says Victoria Rodriguez, program director of the WBC that serves Shasta, Siskiyou, Trinity and Humboldt counties. “Small business owners invest in their communities, but they wear many hats and are overwhelmed and they don’t know what to do. We provide them with answers and are there to mentor them. That is our mission and our passion.”

WBC offers business advice with heart

Women’s Business Centers were first established by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in 1988, so they’ve been around for a little over 35 years.

They were specifically designed to level the playing field for women entrepreneurs, who faced systemic barriers in accessing capital, training and networks compared to men.

Over time, WBCs expanded their mission to support all underserved entrepreneurs — including men, veterans, people of color and those from economically disadvantaged communities — while keeping a focus on women.

From small business owners and entrepreneurs just starting out with an idea to those that have been in business for years and want to pass on the torch, WBC offers more than just basic business advice. “We serve similar sectors as the SBDC (Small Business Development Centers) and often work in partnership with them,” Victoria says. “But we serve in a more organic way. We not only teach clients about the nuts and bolts of building a business, we help clients with the emotional and mental aspects of what it takes to run a business. We call it impact with heart. It’s our ‘secret sauce.’”

WBC tailored programs and cohorts

A key ingredient of this secret sauce; WBCs tailor their programs to the needs of the region they serve. For example, the WBC in San Diego offers special training for those who want to start child care businesses in answer to the needs of many military families in the area. The Watsonville WBC, located in a rich agricultural region, has a culinary emphasis. “WBCs look to community to help form their programs to best serve the specific needs of the community,” Victoria says. “That flexibility is where we are strongest.”

The WBC offers rich array of classes and program

Here in the North State, the WBC works with local foundations and banks to secure grants that fund specialized cohorts. This year, they obtained a grant from the Ahead Program in partnership with FHL Bank and Tri Counties Bank for a culinary entrepreneur program in Shasta and Siskiyou counties.

With their second cohort just concluded and more to come in the future, these cohorts are a mixture of new and experienced business owners designed to help entrepreneurs in the culinary sector learn what it takes to run a food business, including legal, social, media, branding and bookkeeping skills. “If you are already in business, you can learn how to be better at your business,” Victoria says. “Having these two different groups of entrepreneurs is a beautiful way to learn and grow together. They become allies and partners.”

Through networking events, classes, cohorts and one-on-one consulting, WBCs help local businesses to thrive. “We want to work progressively with business owners so that they are able to see, understand and solve problems,” Victoria says. The WBC at JEDI offers a variety of invaluable classes, including an HR series, bookkeeping, capital funding, social media and email marketing. They offer entrepreneurship startup classes that teach, among other things, goals, feasibility and the cost of doing business and they have a child care cohort in starting in 2026.

Business owners can attend one-off classes about changes to local and state regulations and how to prepare their businesses for these changes. Women’s leadership circles are unique gatherings (in-person and online) that give participants the opportunity to learn public speaking, how to manage employees, how to be a leader in their sector or community and still maintain their business and a healthy family life, how to be heard and how to have difficult conversations.

Local JEDI and WBC partnership creates major local impact

The WBC is located in the JEDI Business Centers in Mount Shasta and Redding. JEDI provides staffing support and resources that are making a huge difference to the WBC work with small businesses. “The most valuable thing I learned was to develop a business plan and especially the cash flow statement,” says a recent Siskiyou County WBC client. “I never had experience with this before and the WBC at JEDI helped me to be confident in creating . . . our business.” Another client testifies, “WBC at JEDI has helped me get really clear on the exact steps to move forward. It is a lot of work and a lot of information but everything you receive is steps and guidance to help you grow your business. If there were any questions they responded instantly.”

“This is a very fulfilling job because you get to see the impact in the community,” Victoria says. “Use whatever resources you have in the community because you never know how it can all come together. Our goal is to serve our clients together with other community organizations. We can create so much change because we are doing it together.”

Visit jedieconomy.org/wbc-at-jedi  or wbcjedi.org to become a client and access WBC at JEDI services, from workshops and events to one to one consulting, all at no cost.