Becoming a Certified Minority-owned Small Business

Getting certified as a woman-owned business has its perks if you want to work on government contracts. As a certified WOSB, you can pursue public sector work and government “set asides”. Set asides are contracts the federal government earmarks for small businesses, including those owned by women.

There are two ways to get certified: you can self-certify or get certified through an SBA-approved third party. Organizations that are approved to certify women-owned businesses include the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, the National Women Business Owners Corporation and the U.S. Women’s Chamber of Commerce.

One isn’t necessarily better than the other and in both cases, the process involves some lengthy paperwork. The first step is making sure your business meet some basic requirements. That includes:

  • Meeting the SBA’s size standards for a small business
  • Being a business that’s 51 percent owned by women
  • Having women in charge of managing daily operations and making long-term decisions for the business
  • Having a woman in the highest officer position in the company

“We WILL be there with you every step of the way.” 

There’s no set time in business that’s required. To self-certify, you first need to get started by registering on Sam.gov. Once your initial registration is approved, you can apply for self-certification at certify.SBA.gov. You’ll need the personal MPIN code you created at the Sam.gov site, your employer identification number and a DUNS number. But the good news is it’s free to self-certify.

If you want to get certified by one of the organizations mentioned above, they each have their own certification process available through their websites. Just keep in mind that you’ll pay a fee to use them, which can be as high as $400.

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