{"id":7260,"date":"2012-04-11T11:27:58","date_gmt":"2012-04-11T15:27:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/?p=7260"},"modified":"2012-04-11T11:27:58","modified_gmt":"2012-04-11T15:27:58","slug":"how-and-why-nh-resurrected-a-help-center-for-women-entrepreneurs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/2012\/04\/11\/how-and-why-nh-resurrected-a-help-center-for-women-entrepreneurs\/","title":{"rendered":"How&#8211;And Why&#8211;NH Resurrected A Help Center For Women Entrepreneurs"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_7261\"  class=\"wp-caption module image right\" style=\"max-width: 258px;\"><a class=\"fancybox\" title=\"\u2018Empowering women to be financially independent is really important for us in terms of, not only what we contribute to our communities and the state, but also to our own personal livelihood with our families,\u2019 says MaryAnn Manoogian, executive director for the Center for Women\u2019s Business Advancement.\" href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2012\/03\/maryann-manoogian_v.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-7261\" title=\"maryann manoogian_v\" src=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2012\/03\/maryann-manoogian_v-258x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"258\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2012\/03\/maryann-manoogian_v-258x300.jpg 258w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2012\/03\/maryann-manoogian_v-620x719.jpg 620w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2012\/03\/maryann-manoogian_v.jpg 1731w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 258px) 100vw, 258px\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-media-credit\"> <\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">MaryAnn Manoogian is Executive Director for the new Center for Women\u2019s Business Advancement.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Like the proverbial phoenix rising from the ashes, the new <a title=\"Center For Women's Business Advancement\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cwbanh.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Center for Women\u2019s Business Advancement<\/a> seeks to build upon the foundation of its predecessor of supporting women entrepreneurs in New Hampshire and to go much further.<\/p>\n<p>The CWBA, located at <a title=\"Southern New Hampshire University\" href=\"http:\/\/snhu.edu\" target=\"_blank\">Southern New Hampshire University<\/a> in Manchester, celebrated its grand opening in February upon being awarded a five-year, $719,000 matching grant by the U.S. <a title=\"US Small Business Administration\" href=\"http:\/\/sba.gov\" target=\"_blank\">Small Business Administration<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The CWBA provides free, one-on-one business counseling, workshops and other resources to women looking to start their own businesses \u2013 although male entrepreneurs are also welcome.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h3>STILL A NEED<\/h3>\n<p>The former <a title=\" Women\u2019s Business Center will close\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nashuatelegraph.com\/business\/800828-192\/womens-business-center-will-close.html\" target=\"_blank\">Women\u2019s Business Center closed in August of 2010<\/a> after serving New Hampshire for some 15 years. In recent years, membership waned, falling from a high of 450 members in 2008. Lack of interest in some of the programming, similar offerings from other business resource agencies diluting program attendance, and perhaps unmet member expectations all led to its demise.<\/p>\n<p>As important as supporting small businesses in New Hampshire is, some questioned whether there is a need for a women-focused business resource agency at all, especially in light of the former agency\u2019s closing.<\/p>\n<p><div class=\"related-content alignright\"><h4 class=\"related-header\">Related<\/h4><div class=\"links\"><h5>Posts<\/h5><ul><li class=\"link\"><a href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/2011\/09\/19\/are-small-businesses-really-an-innovative-economic-engine\/\">Are Small Businesses Really An Innovative Economic Engine?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"link\"><a href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/2011\/11\/29\/six-surprising-takeaways-from-the-2012-nh-business-outlook-survey\/\">Six Surprising Takeaways From The 2012 NH Business Outlook Survey<\/a><\/li><li class=\"link\"><a href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/2012\/01\/23\/how-a-start-up-incubator-is-racing-against-the-clock-to-create-jobs\/\">How A Start-Up Incubator Is Racing Against The Clock To Create Jobs<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"topics\"><h5>Topics<\/h5><p class=\"topic\"><img class=\"alignleft\" src=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2011\/07\/356324626_9e95b5311f-60x60.jpg\" height=\"60\" width=\"60\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/topic\/small-business\/\">Small Businesses, But Mighty Numbers<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/div>CWBA Executive Director MaryAnn Manoogian answers that with a resounding, \u201cYes.\u201d She points to a June report by women\u2019s policy groups which found the Granite State was second to last in New England for the number of women-owned businesses, despite a <a title=\"N.H.'s women-owned businesses boom over past decade\" href=\"http:\/\/www.seacoastonline.com\/articles\/20110410-BIZ-104100319\" target=\"_blank\">growth trend<\/a> in New Hampshire itself.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs an entity, we have an obligation to identify patterns and trends that are obstacles for women business owners in being successful,\u201d Manoogian says. \u201cEmpowering women to be financially independent is really important for us in terms of, not only what we contribute to our communities and the state, but also to our own personal livelihoods with our families.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Manoogian says she\u2019s well aware of the issues that led to the demise of the Women\u2019s Business Center &#8212; programming for businesses in later stages of growth is a priority &#8212; and has even consulted with the organization\u2019s directors and previous members prior to opening the CWBA\u2019s doors.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe had a focus group in December with former Women\u2019s Business Center members, and heard that many felt they weren\u2019t getting as much as they were giving for their membership dues. Many said the organization didn\u2019t grow along with their businesses,\u201d says Manoogian, who previously managed nonprofits and was also Energy Director under former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen. \u201cWe have to be a good role model ourselves. If we want to be around for the long run \u2013 which we definitely want to do \u2013 then we have to make sure we build a solid foundation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But she is quick to give high praise to the staff of the former Women\u2019s Business Center. \u201cI want to give credit to them because they did a lot of great work,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>SNHU also held focus groups last year with business and community leaders to get a sense of need and interest for a women\u2019s business agency. All were adamant as well to continue the good work started by the prior organization.<\/p>\n<h3>DIFFERENCES<\/h3>\n<p>Where the CWBA differs greatly from the previous organization is in its unique relationship with Southern New Hampshire University. While both groups required an SBA grant for funding, this time, the money was awarded to SNHU as sponsor and host. The defunct Women\u2019s Business Center, however, received the grant as a stand-alone agency. This new setup with the university means the CWBA can seamlessly tap into the full resources of SNHU, instead of having to find help elsewhere.<\/p>\n<p><div class=\"module pull-quote left half\">\u201cEmpowering women to be financially independent is really important for us in terms of, not only what we contribute to our communities and the state, but also to our own personal livelihoods with our families.\u201d&#8211;MaryAnn Manoogian<\/div>\u00a0For example, the CWBA and its clients can seek the advice of professors, university leaders and even students. Several faculty members are teaching workshops for the center and some CWBA clients are receiving marketing support from students as part of the students\u2019 own classes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a win-win for the university\u2019s students and the CWBA\u2019s clients,\u201d says Manoogian.<\/p>\n<p>The CWBA\u2019s partnership with SNHU also makes finding money easier through the support of its Office of Institutional Advancement, a crucial issue as the agency spends far more than the base matching grant, according to Manoogian.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe resources that have been available to us have been phenomenal,\u201d she says. \u201cI have inherent resources that are available to us that the former WBC as a stand-alone didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s more, despite the close relationship between the CWBA and the university, Manoogian says the center is \u201cextremely autonomous. There\u2019s a recognition from SNHU our audience is statewide and is a community-based audience, and not just a campus student audience.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3>UNDERSTANDING &amp; SUPPORT<\/h3>\n<p>What may set the CWBA apart from other business resource agencies is the working relationship between counselors and clients. There is a deep, even personal, understanding that women business owners often have a full plate of priorities outside of their companies.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7569\"  class=\"wp-caption module image right\" style=\"max-width: 300px;\"><a class=\"fancybox\" title=\"The CWBA helps women find the balance between family obligations and entrepreneurship\" href=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2012\/04\/Balancing-Act.jpg\" rel=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-7569\" title=\"Balancing Act\" src=\"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2012\/04\/Balancing-Act-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2012\/04\/Balancing-Act-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/files\/2012\/04\/Balancing-Act.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Colin Harris \/ Flickr<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">The CWBA helps women find the balance between family obligations and entrepreneurship<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cWe have family obligations, we volunteer a lot in our communities, we may have responsibilities for aging parents,\u201d Manoogian says. \u201cWe get that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Crystal DeAngelo of Sandown is one of the CWBA\u2019s clients doing that balancing act. A college student and young mother to a toddler, she also recently added \u201centrepreneur\u201d to her list of roles.<\/p>\n<p>During a painful divorce last year, DeAngelo wanted a neutral place where all parties involved could communicate with each other. When she couldn\u2019t find such a resource, she decided to create her own website, <a title=\"Coparent.org\" href=\"http:\/\/www.coparent.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Coparent.org<\/a>, with the help of the CWBA.<\/p>\n<p>Coparent.org is a Web-based forum and resource for divorcing parents, their children and their families with the goal of \u201cfostering positive and productive interaction.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While DeAngelo, a business student at <a title=\"NHTI-Concord's Community College\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nhti.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\">NHTI-Concord\u2019s Community College<\/a>, also uses the services of other business resources in New Hampshire, she says she finds the CWBA ideally suited to her needs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMaryAnn [Manoogian] is so personable. I really feel like she\u2019s on my team,\u201d says DeAngelo. \u201cThe advice and help the CWBA has given me have been invaluable.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Like the proverbial phoenix rising from the ashes, the new Center for Women\u2019s Business Advancement seeks to build upon the foundation of its predecessor of supporting women entrepreneurs in New Hampshire and to go much further. The CWBA, located at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, celebrated its grand opening in February upon being awarded [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":7261,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[51],"tags":[280,569,502,128,552],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7260"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/66"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7260"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7260\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7574,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7260\/revisions\/7574"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7260"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7260"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/new-hampshire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}