Greater Boston & North Shore Region  
SUMMIT FOR WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

JUNE 16, 2010
SALEM, Massachusetts

REPORT OF TOP SESSION PRIORITIES

Federal Procurement

1.       Simplify the registration process to be eligible for government contracts by:

·         Being entered into the central contractor registry with automatic updates to other systems

·         Clarifying certifications, registrations numbers and NAICS codes.

2.       Offer matchmaking events to promote subcontracting opportunities for government contractors.

Healthcare

1.       Include sole proprietors in tax credits to cover costs of health insurance (because sole proprietors are both employer and employee).

2.       Consider sole proprietors in drafts of future healthcare coverage laws.

Education and Workforce Development

1.       Provide more training for the crucial hiring/interviewing process.

2.       Provide technology training for small business owners. 

·      Sole proprietors need to be able to access grant money to train themselves.  Workforce investment boards have grant money for training employees, but sole proprietors are not eligible. 

Access to Capital

1.       When going after capital, put together your documents, including your business plan, a good set of financial records and a PowerPoint. 

2.       Go to SBA.gov and look there for loans and necessary documentation.

Microenterprise

1.       Address the sense of being alone as sole proprietors

·         Sole proprietor is invisible and not reported as part of the census data, only reported as a Schedule C on tax returns. They want recognition and parity.

2.       Create more opportunities for people to come together to discuss the “business of business.” 

Taxes

1.       Encourage the IRS to do a better job of getting the message out about what resources are available so that the small business community knows what it needs to know.

2.       Create a more devoted and easier to navigate IRS website for small business owners.

Work-Life Balance

1.       Set better boundaries

·      Time management, delegation, need to practice self-care as part of a whole life plan

·      Need for opportunities to network with other women, to stave off isolation and to have a professional exchange of issues and solutions

2.       Acknowledge ranks of sole proprietors and self-employed individuals in labor force.

·         Make unemployment and disability insurance available to sole proprietors and family-owned businesses.