The National Foundation for Women Business Owners (NFWBO)

By Bruce Rosenthal

The National Foundation for Women Business Owners (NFWBO), a nonprofit research institute, is the premier source of information on women business owners and their firms worldwide.

Its mission is to support the growth of women business owners and their enterprises by conducting research, sharing information and increasing knowledge. NFWBO provides corporations, government policy makers, educators, organizations, the media and individuals with the intelligence they need to strengthen their support of women business owners.

NFWBO’s research studies identify dynamic trends of women business owners and their enterprises, and document their unique characteristics and leadership styles. According to NFWBO, as of 1999, there were over 193,000 women-owned businesses in Maryland, accounting for 40 percent of all firms in the state. These women-owned firms employed nearly 411,000 people and generated nearly $59 billion in sales.

Women business owners have said that NFWBO’s research findings are empowering and provide a better understanding of the economic impact and characteristics of women-owned enterprises.

Summaries of NFWBO’s groundbreaking research studies are available on NFWBO’s web site, http://www.nfwbo.org.

Bruce G. Rosenthal is Communications and Public Relations manager for NFWBO.