Missouri strives to empower women-owned businesses as a way to stimulate and strengthen their participation in the overall marketplace. We encourage you, as an entrepreneur, to explore and use these resources.

State Resources
Missouri Women’s Council Home Page - A portal designed to connect Missouri women to a network of accessible, high quality advisory services and information ranging from employment and training, to information on starting your own business to how to balance work and family.

Women's Council Newsletter - Monthly publication of the Missouri Women's Council.

Missouri Business Portal - A single point of entry for business registration, filings, licenses, and permits for doing business in the State of Missouri.

Small Business Development Center - Missouri Small Business Development Center (MO SBDC) business specialists are uniquely qualified to help small businesses get started, develop and thrive.

Great Hires - Missouri's Workforce Resource, is the official Workforce Resource website for the State of Missouri, including no-cost access to Missouri's largest hiring pool and broadest variety of skill sets and a streamlined 5-Step Job Posting process, with increased control over your ability to ensure qualified matches.

Office of Supplier & Workforce Diversity - Links and information regarding State resources that promote a diversified workforce within state government and to assist women and minorities in developing opportunities to contract with the state, as well as economically empowering traditionally underserved communities and improving the overall fiscal vitality of the State of Missouri.

Federal Resources
SBA Office of Women's Business Ownership - A site of the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Office of Women's Business Ownership (OWBO) assists women achieve their dreams and improve their communities by helping them start and run successful businesses, regardless of social or financial disadvantage, race, ethnicity or business background.

National Women's Business Council - The National Women's Business Council is a bi-partisan federal advisory council created to serve as an independent source of advice and policy recommendations to the President, Congress, and the U.S. Small Business Administration on economic issues of importance to women business owners.

Business.gov - Business.gov, the official business link to the U.S. Government, is managed by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in a partnership with 21 other federal agencies. This partnership, known as Business Gateway, is a Presidential E-government initiative that provides a single access point to government services and information to help the nation's businesses with their operations.

Financial Assistance - SBA provides a number of financial assistance programs for small businesses including 7(a), 504 and disaster assistance loans. Included at this site is information on eligibility requirements, SBA’s loan programs, surety bonds and the role of SBA, equity capital topics, special purpose loans, SBA partner topics and 7(a) lender programs. Though the SBA does not provide grants to help you start a business, included is information on organizations and sites that can assist you in locating special purpose grants.