Congratulations! You are a woman owned business and can now hang up your (framed) certificate with pride. But don’t get too settled – you still have work to do.
First thing’s first: contact your local, state and national certification agencies and ask to be placed on their mailing list. These agencies are a gold mine when it comes to new business opportunities for you to capitalize on. When you get certified through the NWBOC then you are automatically put on their mailing list which is a great start. These databases act as a launching point for letting other potential customers learn of your certification.
Keep in mind that you will have to renew your certification every year, otherwise it will expire. Don’t panic – you won’t have to go through the arduous application process all over again. The NWBOC lets you do everything online. For other agencies, check to see what their renewal procedures are. But from here on out, it should be a pretty quick process.
Note that if you have changed the structure, ownership or business name, additional information will be required. You will have to have the application and affidavit filed with your most recent business tax return. If you have to do this, make sure you file two months before your certification is set to expire, to allow for ample renewal time. If I can leave you with one piece of advice, it’s to not get complacent with this renewal process. If you let your application expire, you have to start this process from the very beginning. And let’s be honest; that would be no fun at all.
So, stay on top of managing important deadlines and open up your company to new opportunities as a certified woman owned business.