(Black PR Wire) Today, African American women are truly getting down to business. It seems that having a small business is big business. It’s hard to believe that Black women owned enterprises were almost non-existent many years ago.

According to the National Women’s Business Council, there are 911,728 African American women-owned businesses in the United States. This reflects a tremendous 66.7% increase in number since 2002 and a 191.4% increase since 1997.

Obviously, many women have done what it takes to enter the corporate market and build a strong revenue base.

Since caring is sharing, successful strategies most often cited by women business enterprises and corporate purchasing professionals are listed below:

§  Cultivate relationships – network with industry movers and shakers and maintain connections to a diverse group to increase your chances of receiving good referrals.

§  Increase your visibility – use marketing to promote you, your products, and your services.

§  Expand opportunities through subcontracting – align your business with contractors as a way of participating in the corporate marketplace.

§  Get certified – let certification validate your firm as a major woman owned firm and operated company.

§  Be Responsive – remember that change is inevitable.  Business owners must always be ready to adapt to a changing business climate and environment.

§  Use cost effective strategies – always strive to cut operational costs whenever possible.

§  Let your creativity flow – strive to be creative and think out of the box to develop winning strategies. Also, stay abreast of new technological and social media trends.

§  Persevere until the end– hold steadfast to your dreams and have faith in your talents and abilities.

These are just a few strategies that have helped women owned businesses to survive and thrive! With such record growth over the past years, African American women-owned firms are likely to continue to prosper and soar to new heights. They will continue getting down to business.

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