(January 2, 2020) Founder and CEO Emeritus Marsha Bailey started Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) in 1991 with the idea that empowering a woman to start her own business could improve her economic situation and grant her more independence. WEV’s work in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties over the past 29 years has proven not only that business ownership can provide a viable pathway out of poverty; it can also build family wealth and stability while contributing to the economic well-being of our communities.
WEV is successful because it provides a continuum of services and programs to help clients start, grow and thrive in business. From assessing readiness to start a business to long-term mentoring and consulting programs for business owners, WEV provides comprehensive support. Additionally, WEV offers a robust lending program that serves pre-bankable businesses.
“WEV’s SET business plan class gave me so much confidence. To take a step back and actually write a marketing plan and work on sales projections was huge for me and really changed my business. In fact, in the first year after I took SET, my revenues doubled,” said SET graduate Emily Hirsch, owner of Talon.
Whether you are interested in becoming an entrepreneur or looking to expand your existing small business, WEV offers various business training courses: Explore (4-week program to assess entrepreneurial readiness), SET (14-week course that provides comprehensive business & financial planning), and Thrive (multi-year consulting program to help existing businesses grow).
The very best way to learn about WEV’s business training courses, loan program and other resources is to attend a free, one-hour information session. Register for WEV’s free one-hour information session and attend in either Santa Barbara or Ventura county. Information session and courses are available in English and Spanish, in both counties.
For anyone who is ready to begin the 14-week SET training course (February – May, 2020), the enrollment deadline is January 31, 2020.
WEV SET Graduate Ren Ostry, Founder of Kitchen Catch (and 2019 winner of the People’s Choice Award) said, “WEV’s self-employment training took me from zero to one hundred. I learned how to take my ideas and myself seriously and created a foundation for what is now my life’s passion. Without the support of WEV, I would never have taken the step to turn ideas into action. They made my work seem not just possible but necessary.”
