PETALUMA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The American Small Business League (ASBL) is proud to announce the unveiling of DontCheatWomen.com, a new campaign to support advocacy work aimed to elevate women-owned small businesses in federal contracting. The Don’t Cheat Women campaign mission is to promote fairness and equality by pushing for an increase in the federal women-owned small business contracting goal from 5% to a minimum of 25%.
At a time when women’s rights are on the ballot in several states for the November 5, 2024 election, the Don’t Cheat Women campaign is empowering women entrepreneurs to create more opportunities for women-owned businesses to thrive and succeed in the federal marketplace. The ASBL created the Don’t Cheat Women campaign to highlight the need to build a more inclusive economy that fosters innovation and drives positive change for everyone.
According to recent Census data, women own 42% of all businesses and employ over 10.7 million workers in the USA. From 2019 to 2023, the number of women-owned businesses increased at nearly double the rate of those owned by men. Even during challenging times faced with a global pandemic, women continued to remain optimistic and compete by opening businesses. Women owned businesses continue to have a powerful economic footprint in the country, but they still remain underrepresented as a percentage of federal contracts awarded. Don’t Cheat Women will champion women-owned small businesses in federal contracting with leaders who are seeking office and with organizations that promote women entrepreneurship throughout the country.
“I’m proud to be part of the ASBL’s Don’t Cheat Women project. As a Latina small business owner who has long been an advocate of supplier diversity in the federal marketplace, I know the challenges that small, women-owned firms face in trying to do business with the government. Strengthening programs to encourage small women-owned businesses to compete for federal contracts helps agencies and taxpayers get the best value for their dollars and helps these businesses grow and make an impact locally,” said Belinda Guadarrama, founder and CEO of GC Micro Corporation.
Both the Harris and Trump presidential campaigns have pledged to help businesses in the USA. Harris has proposed to increase the government contracting goal for small business to 33%, and Trump has suggested that his return to the White House would usher in more business friendly policies. During his campaign, Robert Kennedy Jr. pledged to increase the government contracting goal for women from 5% to up to 25%. Regardless of who wins on November 5, the Don’t Cheat Women project will engage with leaders at the federal level to promote gender equality and economic empowerment for women entrepreneurs.
About American Small Business League (ASBL): The American Small Business League was formed in 2004 by Lloyd Chapman with the goal of helping the nation’s 30 million+ small businesses and small businesses owned by women, minorities and service disabled veterans. The ASBL was founded on the principle that small businesses are the backbone of a vital American economy and should receive a fair portion of the total value of all prime contracts as mandated by the Small Business Act of 1953. For more information, visit asbl.com.
