In this election season, every unique sector of the American electorate is a target. Voters are grouped into animal-like packs and hunted down with glib marketing sound bites and pictures of candidates with their current prey.
One of the most prized catches in both the democrats’ and republicans’ hunt of this election is the new ‘l'électeur spécial du jour’ -- the prized woman business owner.
Women business owners are easy targets
Why? For one reason – we are easy to hunt! “Women’s groups” are the best thing to happen to a political operative! The marketing gurus of the world figured that out years ago. That is why we have corporate sponsored “women’s events,” women’s advisory groups – and now, the newly minted formula -- the faux women’s group.
Why bother with real women’s groups when you can make up your own faux group?
“Women’s groups” like Women’s Leadership Exchange (WLE), Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and e-Women’s Network are not actually women’s groups at all. WLE is a corporate marketing business (that specializes in marketing to women for their corporate clients), WBENC is controlled by large corporations, and e-Women’s Network is a for-profit business that gets women to pay a monthly fee to them -- so they can sell network joiners to each other and to corporate marketers.
So – back to the hunt!
OK – so we know it is easy to find you. Now what do we do to get your vote? That’s easy – we’ll get your women’s group to host an event! We’ll provide VIP speakers (that represent our candidates) to tell you how important you are and how wonderful our candidate is.
There are a zillion of these events going on right now. I doubt that there is a major city in the U.S. that hasn’t thrown one of these happy hunting events during this presidential season.
We are even privileged enough to have our own tax dollars pay for some of these fine hunting events. The U.S. Department of Commerce suddenly discovered women as part of their exporting programs and went on a national tour to tell us how much they love us. The U.S. Department of Labor is throwing a big national event in Washington, D.C. to tell us how important we are. The U.S. Small Business Administration is doing matchmaking events all over the country so that we will know how much they love us. All paid for with our tax dollars.
You want our vote? Show us real respect.
We’re in business for the very same reasons men are in business. We want to make money. I haven’t found very many women business owners that started a business so that they could have the privilege of having their picture taken with a politician. Have you?
Sorry – a happy picture in the Rose Garden or the Governor’s Mansion isn’t the same as money in the bank. Women business owners may have different viewpoints and different ways we spend the money we earn. But, trust me – we want profits – not pretty pictures and happy events.
And, the reality is – there are a lot of women-owned businesses. But, our profits are not comparable to the market whole. We lack access to capital, access to federal markets, and frankly – a seat at the table.
There are more than 10 million women business owners in the U.S. You want our vote? Then let’s make some changes today! Below are a few good examples:
- Increase the amount the federal government spends with women-owned businesses from the miniscule 2.9% to at least your own paltry low goal of 5% (thereby increasing your spending with women-owned businesses by at least $5.6 billion annually).
A good way to start on this goal would be to simply implement existing law. Implement PL 106-554 – the Women’s Federal Procurement Program. This important legislation was passed into law 3 ½ years ago and still has not been implemented. PL 106-554 provides a set-aside for women-owned businesses to help us increase the amount of government contracts awarded to women.
You want our vote? I hope every woman will ask President George W. Bush (and his surrogates) why he has not implemented the Women’s Federal Procurement Program. Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry has publicly stated he will implement this law. I don’t care if you are a Democrat, Republican, Independent or Martian. Make our political leaders earn our votes. Ask the questions and get the answers now – before you vote.
- Increase the number of U.S. Small Business Administration backed loans for women and protect these important loan programs (instead of cutting these programs or raising their fees).
The percentage of loans going to women-owned businesses is not comparable to our numbers and growth in the marketplace. Between FY1998 and FY2003 (during the most dramatic increase ever in the number of women-owned firms in America), there was a 7.5% decrease in the average value of SBA backed loans made to women-owned businesses.
You want our vote? Help women to understand and gain access to these SBA-backed loans. Stop trying to cut the very programs that help us. Stop talking about how much you love us while behind the scenes you are cutting and hacking away at the programs that are in place to help us. Make our political leaders earn our votes. Ask the questions and get the answers now – before you vote.
- Don’t just talk about stopping contract bundling and consolidation – do it! We hear endlessly about policies to stop the bundling and consolidation of federal contracts. What we don’t see is any real action.
Every year the federal government spends more and more money on larger and larger contracts with fewer and fewer suppliers. It is no wonder women-owned businesses represent 30% of all businesses in the U.S. and receive less than 3% of all federal government contracts. The political rhetoric lacks any real teeth. The fact is that we are being slowly but surely cut out of the process. Make our political leaders earn our votes. Ask the questions and get the answers now – before you vote.
- Enforce the FAR Regulation 19.502-2 Small Business Set-Asides (set-asides for contracts under $100,000 if two or more competitive small businesses can be identified.)
This simple but powerful law is not being enforced and there is a lack of funding for personnel to oversee its enforcement. Without a commitment of funds or top-level leadership, this law is little more than words. Make our political leaders earn our votes. Ask the questions and get the answers now – before you vote.
- Reduce the cost of health insurance for small business owners. Accept the fact that our healthcare system is broken and that not one truly impactful action has been taken in this century to help small businesses with out of control healthcare costs. Make our political leaders earn our votes. Ask the questions and get the answers now – before you vote.
Show us respect and earn our vote.
So – why aren’t politicians showing us any real respect? Simple. We haven’t demanded it.
Starting today let’s be unified as women business owners to say:
You want our vote? Implement the women’s federal procurement program now, enforce policies and support budgets that will increase the success of women-owned businesses in federal procurement markets.
You want our vote? Stop cutting SBA Loan program budgets and programs and give us access to capital so that I can grow my business and be competitive.
You want our vote? Stop the sound bites about bundling and contract consolidation and actually support and enforce policies to stop these trends.
You want our vote? Reduce the cost of health insurance for small business owners.
You want our votes? The method is simple. No more pictures. No more happy events. Show me influence, access and opportunity. Then, and only then, I will give you my vote.
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