Resources for women to start or grow their business

By Andrew Weeks

What might seem unexpected during a global pandemic has happened: More people are seeking to open their own business. At least that’s what Sheila Bruhn has noticed. Bruhn is co-chair and mentor at SCORE Grand Forks, the local chapter of the national group SCORE that helps entrepreneurs grow or start their own business.

“We have had more target conversations, if you will,” she said of current trends. Those conversations are with people wanting to open their own business, but also with those who maybe want to do things a little differently. “Maybe they had to pivot or they had to do something different during the pandemic. … That doesn’t mean that all new ideas become a business, of course, but we saw an increase in that.”

SCORE GF helps entrepreneurs and business professionals, regardless of gender, but Bruhn said many of the people who contact the organization are women. When Prairie Business spoke with her on Jan. 26, Bruhn said she had 14 mentor appointments the following day, of which about half were women.

SCORE, in part, works like this: If a person says she or he would like to open a label processing plant, the organization will put the person in contact with a mentor who has specialized training in that particular field, or something closely related to it, so the individual can benefit from personalized and experienced mentorship. Sometimes mentors are shared outside of a given area, depending on where the expertise might be found.

SCORE is a great resource, Bruhn said, but it also works with other agencies and groups to further enhance individuals’ efforts to turn their business idea into real life. It is only one resource on a plate of many.

Below are organizations in the region that can help individuals develop their entrepreneurship plans or help them grow their company. It is not a complete list, but hopefully one that can help those seeking information to glean more:

NORTH DAKOTA

SCORE ND https://www.score.org/ find-location?state=ND

North Dakota

Women’s Business Center https://www.ndwbc.com/

Small Business AdministrationNorth Dakota https://www.sba.gov/offices/ district/nd/fargo

North Dakota Small Business Development Centers https://ndsbdc.org/

Women’sNet https://ambergrantsforwomen.com/

MINNESOTA

WBDC - Minnesota (Women’s Business development Center) https://wbdc.org/mn/

Women Entrepreneurs of Minnesota https://wemn.org/

Women and Minority Business https://www.womenandminoritybusiness.org/minnesota-grants-and-loans-for-minority-and-women-owned-businesses/

Women Venture https://www.womenventure.org/

SOUTH DAKOTA

SCORE

South Dakota https://southdakota.score.org/

SD Business Help https://sdbusinesshelp.com/

SD CEO Women’s Business Center https://www.bhsu.edu/SDCEO/

Startup Sioux Falls https://www.startupsiouxfalls.com/