wiseHer.org

Our Mission

To meaningfully support small businesses, with a focus on women and under-represented founders, by providing one-on-one access to world-class experts, valuable resources, and critical funding.

The Need

The COVID-19 recession is likely to disproportionately devastate minority and women-owned small businesses. Industries at immediate risk due to COVID-19 include food services, retail, and hospitality. Of businesses in immediate-risk industries, 39% are female-owned, or equally female- and male-owned.
Current relief efforts are less accessible to minority and women-owned businesses. The federal relief effort, Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), relies heavily on mainstream financial institutions to deliver loans to small businesses. Many minority and women-owned business owners do not pay themselves as employees or use contract labor and as such, were ineligible for these relief efforts.
Small businesses are the heart of our economy. According to the SBA, they create two-thirds of net new jobs and drive U.S. innovation and competitiveness. Prior COVID-19, small businesses accounted for 44% of U.S. economic activity. Without support, these small businesses are more likely to close and/or forced to cut staff. The impact is tremendous.
It’s not JUST about the money. Support needs go beyond funding. A recent research report from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts reveals “the number one request [from small business owners] was cash.... Larger businesses were interested in help with PPP, while the smallest businesses, who were less likely to apply for PPP loans, were more interested in help with digital marketing and other elements of online operations.”
There’s a global need. Small business owners globally are facing significant challenges to survive. Meaningful support needs include global expansion, manufacturing and supply chain.
Time is their most precious commodity. Many of these truly small businesses are juggling family obligations in addition to their business. They need access to experts, education and resources on their own time.

Our Support Services

The Foundation provides access to wiseHer Experts, enabling a wide array of support services, matched to the unique needs of each individual business owner. These may include:

Practical, tactical advice on subjects such as Marketing, Sales, Digital Transformation, HR, Finance and many more
Advisory services: Thought partnership and high-level guidance from Experts who can provide meaningful support based on their own professional experiences
Professional, leadership development: Experts support and empower small business owners, taking the time to understand their motivations and help create behaviors that will propel them forward
Resources and education: Webinars, articles, candid advice (“Ask Me Anything” events), blog posts, connections to partners of relevance, robust event listings and much more as part of the wiseHer membership

wiseHer Experts themselves are small business owners and through wiseHer, Inc. receive a “low bono” fee for their participation; a portion of the call proceeds comes back to the Foundation which then provides non-dilutive grants (not loans) to small businesses.

Women Focused not Exclusive

While the wiseHer platform is women-focused, a percentage of Experts and members are men. We work with the communities we serve to help come up with a unique program name that can best appeal to their target audience. These programs are all “powered by wiseHer.” For example, check out the Foundation’s program aimed at supporting essential working during COVID-19 at frontlinehelp.org.

wiseHer is committed to diversity in philosophy and practice. More than fifty percent of wiseHer’s Founding Board is diverse in race and ethnicity, and/or identifies as LGBTQ.

Helping women and small business owners Rise One answer at a time

Our Mission

The Need

Our Support Services

Women Focused not Exclusive

Interested in how you can Us help small businesses?