GROW Nebraska Women's Business Center

The GROW Nebraska® Foundation launched the GROW Nebraska Women’s Business Center (GNWBC) in the Omaha Metro area to serve Nebraska’s critical need in leveling the playing field for entrepreneurs while providing real-time resources, education, and training.

Entrepreneurial density for urban and suburban start-ups presents a unique challenge and opportunities that are presently unmet for women-owned businesses in the Omaha Metro area. There are very few organizations offering this service, nor one location for like-minded partners to bring ideas in one space. The center brings together community resources in an aligned program, leveraging knowledge experts and specialized resources, along with on-demand training. This need became more necessary during the pandemic that wreaked havoc on small businesses.

The GROW Nebraska Women’s Business Center (GNWBC) is focused on intentionally creating a community of aspiring and established women entrepreneurs to connect, grow and prosper together. The GNWBC represents the programs and resources available through the SBA in addition to face-to-face, 1-on-1, and online technical training and business counseling (live and on-demand) to support entrepreneurs looking to start, sustain and grow businesses.

The programming supports small business owners to create sustainable businesses that will create jobs and revenue for the local economy.  This certification supports the full implementation of SBA services and support, including evidence-based training and small business loans.

The main barrier to small business success surrounds training and resources. The GNWBC brings together a menu of training and support opportunities while creating a small business network that will allow entrepreneurs to gain information and skills to create success. The center focuses on women entrepreneurs, as they are underserved in comparison to male counterparts.

Other underserved small business owners will also be a point of focus, including veterans and minorities. The overarching goal of the GROW Nebraska Women’s Business Center is to offer support, training, and networking in an efficient and affordable manner to entrepreneurs that otherwise lack the resources and ability to access needed services. The GNWBC is a coordinated effort amongst NEF and MOWBC which allows each organization to exude its strengths. This helps make this a successful and efficient endeavor creating a “one-stop” coordinated program allowing small business owners to grow and learn, enhancing the local workforce with job creation, business skills, and business growth.

GNWBC also offers an amazing program called Snap & Boost! Learn more about it below. 

Business Education 101: Snap & Boost

The Snap & Boost Program is a 6-week program designed to provide insight to both new entrepreneurs as well as those who started business without fundamental business knowledge. GNWBC hosted 4 cohorts in 2023 with up to 20 participants in each session. In 2024, GNWBC has seen a need and they are offering 6 different cohorts. Upon completing the session, each cohort participant will also be awarded a grant to go towards setting up new business accounts and covering startup costs.

Within the 6-week program, participants will complete the following:

• Complete their ready-to-use Business Plan
• Feasibility Studies on their individual business
• Entrepreneur Skills Assessment and Business Health Assessment
• Introduction to Marketing Strategies

Quotes from past attendees:

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If you are interested in learning more, please click here!