Cenetric Founder Heads to D.C. to Share Her Story

By Brittany Fugate, CEO at Cenetric 

I recently went to Washington, D.C., for NAWBO Days, an event bringing together the community of women business owners from across the United States together in person — but the trip was more than just a typical conference. 

My time in D.C. gave me a chance to visit national landmarks like the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery with my family and to speak with our nation’s leaders about the important issues women business owners face. 

Recognizing women business owners

I was honored to attend NAWBO Days as a finalist for the National Women Business Owner of the Year award. On a panel with the other two finalists, I got to talk about what it was like to start Cenetric and share advice with fellow woman entrepreneurs. I didn’t win, but the Cenetric team still had my back. 

The honor went to the amazing Amalia Moreno-Damgaard, founder and CEO of Amalia Latin Gourmet. The sheer volume of her community service and support, business and board contributions, and support of women in business is tremendously impressive. 

I was also blown away by fellow top 3 finalist Precious L. Williams, founder and CEO of Pitch Perfect Group. She’s one of the most inspirational, energetic and engaging speakers I’ve ever heard. 

Working with lawmakers to support women-owned businesses

While in D.C., I also go to hear from business leaders who are working to improve policies that would support women who start their own companies. In a panel called “Supporting the Current Wave of Female Entrepreneurship Through Policy Change,” we heard from panelists how addressing paid leave, childcare, and local resourcing can support women business owners to give them the best chance to succeed.

Alongside fellow NAWBO KC members Christy Rogers (our incoming chapter president) and Dana Hetrick, I heard from U.S. Congresswoman Julia Letlow and U.S. Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan about efforts to support women entrepreneurs through policy change.

One change that could help the more than 14 million woman-owned businesses in the United States is the recognition of microbusinesses, which typically refers to companies with fewer than 10 employees.

Companies with fewer than 500 employees are generally considered small businesses, but as we all know, there’s a big difference between a company with 499 employees and one with 49 — and especially one with fewer than 10. Putting microbusinesses on the same playing field with small businesses often results in a disadvantage for the smaller companies when it comes to federal and state programs. 

By recognizing microbusinesses, the U.S. Small Business Administration can give more opportunities to access the grants and programs that help them succeed. Because 92% of women-owned businesses are microbusinesses, NAWBO is advocating for a formal recognition of the microbusiness category to better support access to capital and contracting opportunities.

We also met with a representative from the office of U.S. Congresswoman Sharice Davids, who serves Johnson, Miami, Franklin, and Anderson counties along with a portion of Wyandotte County in the Kansas City area. Rep. Davids is an active advocate for small-business owners — especially women-owned businesses. It was informative and inspiring to speak with her team about our successes, concerns and challenges. 

Turn to Cenetric for IT support you won’t find anywhere else

As a certified woman-owned business, Cenetric is intensely focused on the quality of our support and service. In a time when many of the area’s IT firms have been purchased by larger, out-of-town businesses, we’re passionate about giving our clients the best IT service in Kansas City (or anywhere else!).

Are you looking for IT support from a community-minded, woman-owned business? Cenetric has the experience and availability you need to run smoothly 24/7. Tell us about your IT challenges and we’ll be in touch to get started.