National Business Women’s Week

 

By Sharon Schweitzer

The National Business Women’s Week is a salute to the achievements of all working women.  It is celebrated during the last full week in October every year. The President of the United States customarily opens the week with a message, and many governors and mayors issue similar messages.  

In 1928, Lean Madesin Phillips, president of the National Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs (NFBPWC), launched the first National Business Women’s Week. It wasn’t until 1938 that the week was officially recognized and celebrated every year since.

National Business Women’s Week provides an opportunity to call attention to women entrepreneurs, facilitate discussions on the needs of working women, share information about successful workplace policies, and raise awareness of the resources available for working women in their communities.

Key themes of the week include leadership, professional development, advocacy for women’s rights, and celebrating the progress we’ve made towards achieving gender equality while recognizing there is still work to be done.

Today, women-owned businesses generate nearly $1.8 trillion in sales. Of privately-owned companies, women own 40 percent of them and employ almost 9 million people. Their contributions to the economy cannot go unnoticed.

Here are some ways you can show your support for this week:

  1. Shop women-owned businesses. With the holidays just a couple of months away, this is the perfect opportunity to stock up on gifts from your favorite shops.
  2. Leave a positive review on products or services you received and enjoy from a woman-owned business. Reviews provide social proof and encourage more purchases from others.
  3. Create social media posts highlighting some of your favorite products purchased from women-owned businesses. For example, it could be a photo of your skincare routine or an OOTD with the shops tagged in the image and the caption.
  4. Create a directory of your favorite women-owned businesses and share it with friends or on social media.
  5. Invest in women-owned businesses. With female entrepreneurship on the rise, one way to show your support is by investing in a start-up business led by women.
  6. Mentor other women. If you’re a woman in business, you surely have some experience under your belt. Sharing your experience and guidance with recent college grads or new business owners can be an impactful way of empowering other women in business.

 

Photo by  bpw-nc.wildapricot.org

Sharon Schweitzer JD, is a diversity and inclusion consultant, cross-cultural trainer, etiquette expert, and the founder of Access to Culture. In addition to her accreditation in intercultural management from the HOFSTEDE Centre, she is an attorney and mediator. Sharon served as a Chinese Ceremonial Dining Etiquette Specialist in the documentary series Confucius was a Foodie, on Nat Geo People. Her Amazon #1 Best Selling book in International Business,  Access to Asia: Your Multicultural Business Guide, won a coveted Kirkus Star, and was named to Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books. She’s a winner of numerous awards, including the British Airways International Trade Award at the Greater Austin Business Awards.

#SharonSchweitzer, #AccesstoCulture, Access2Culture, #InternationalCelebration, #AccesstoAsia, #GlobalEtiquette, #Cross-CulturalTrainer, #InterculturalCommunication, #InternationalCommunication, #Interculturalist, #Etiquette, #CultureExpert, #Speaker, #KeynoteSpeaker, #WomenInBusiness, #WomenInWorkforce, #Women, #Female, #Entrepreneurship, #Genderequality

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