Women’s Business Enterprise Council of Florida

What Women’s Business Enterprise Council of Florida does

Women's Business Development Council of Florida (WBDC of Florida) is a Florida-based nonprofit organization founded in 1996 that serves women-owned businesses across the state through a three-pronged offering: Certify, Connect, and Grow. As the regional partner of the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), it administers national WBENC certification to women-owned businesses in Florida, validating their eligibility to participate in corporate supplier diversity and contracting programs. Its primary customers are female entrepreneurs operating in Florida — particularly those with at least three years in business who are preparing to scale and pursue corporate contracts.

WBDC of Florida delivers its services through three interconnected sub-brands. WBEC Florida is the certification arm, handling WBE validation and qualification. The Growth Shift is the business development arm, offering a six-month mastermind program, half-day day retreats, and structured community programming. Nancy G. Allen, the President & CEO, provides 1:1 coaching and has authored two business books ('The Decision to Start' and 'The Decision to Scale') that function as content-marketing assets. Revenue is generated through certification fees, mastermind tuition, 1:1 coaching fees, retreat registration fees, and a free monthly newsletter that serves as a mid-funnel acquisition channel. The organization is staffed by a small team (1-10 employees) with three regional directors covering North Florida, Tampa Bay, and Central Florida.

The go-to-market motion is community-led and event-driven, relying on referrals, peer testimonials, intimate day retreats, and direct consultation scheduling via Calendly. Distribution is regional, concentrated entirely in Florida, with no global footprint. Marketing channels span Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Constant Contact email, Amazon book distribution, and the company's websites (womensbusiness.info and wbecflorida.org). The organization holds no patents, has not raised venture funding, and operates as an independent nonprofit rather than a subsidiary of any larger entity.

Name

Women’s Business Enterprise Council of Florida

Legal name

Women's Business Development Council of Florida

Website

https://womensbusiness.info

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

WBDC of Florida is a Florida-based nonprofit that certifies, connects, and coaches women-owned businesses in the state through its role as the regional WBENC partner, offering certification services, mastermind cohorts, and 1:1 coaching.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Women's Business Development and Certification Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Management Consulting Services (54161), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Founder/Entrepreneur & Family Business Executive Coaching (EDABANAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate & Leadership Development (BPACANAA), Gender Equality & Women’s Rights (BPADAGAF), Inclusive Leadership & Leading Diverse Teams (EDABAAAM)

Keywords

• Women business certification
• WBENC certification services
• Business coaching programs
• Women entrepreneur support
• Mastermind business groups

Headquarters

HQ city

Miami

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. WBENC Certification Services: The organization provides national women-owned business certification through WBENC partnership, likely generating revenue through certification fees for businesses seeking WBENC credentials to access corporate contracting opportunities.
2. The Growth Shift Mastermind Program: A six-month mastermind program featuring kick-off workshop, monthly meetups, 1:1 coaching sessions with Nancy G. Allen, and bonus review of capabilities statement. This is a subscription-style recurring revenue stream for structured business coaching.
3. 1:1 Coaching Sessions: Direct coaching engagements with CEO Nancy G. Allen, who has over two decades of experience coaching women entrepreneurs. Revenue generated through individual coaching session fees.
4. Day Retreats: Half-day intimate retreats featuring informative workshops, expert panels, and networking sessions. Revenue stream from retreat registration fees.
5. Membership Network: Subscription to monthly newsletter with access to tools, community, and like-minded women business owners. Members join the network to gain connections and guidance for business growth.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Women's Business Development Council of Florida provides three core service lines: (1) WBENC national women-owned business certification through its WBEC Florida arm, which validates and qualifies women business enterprises for corporate supplier diversity programs; (2) The Growth Shift mastermind program, a six-month community-driven business coaching engagement with monthly meetups and 1:1 coaching; and (3) 1:1 coaching and day retreats led by CEO Nancy G. Allen for women entrepreneurs with at least three years in business targeting corporate contracts.

Product overview

WBDC of Florida is a single organization operating under three interconnected banners: WBEC Florida (certification services for WBENC national women-owned certification), The Growth Shift (business coaching, mastermind, and retreat programs), and 1:1 coaching by Nancy G. Allen. The organization serves women entrepreneurs in Florida through certification, community building, coaching, and educational resources including published books. Members progress through these offerings from initial certification through mastermind programs and personalized coaching.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Growth Shift: Business coaching, mastermind programs, day retreats, and 1:1 coaching sessions for female entrepreneurs to develop next-generation plans for business success.
• WBEC Florida

Products and services

• WBEC Florida WBENC Certification National women-owned business certification (WBENC) administered through a thorough validation and qualification process for women-owned businesses in Florida, enabling access to corporate supplier diversity programs and contracting opportunities.
• The Growth Shift Mastermind Program A six-month mastermind community for established women entrepreneurs (3+ years in business) that includes a kick-off workshop, monthly meetups with training and exercises, 1:1 sessions with Nancy G. Allen, and a bonus review of capabilities statement. Designed for women business owners ready to scale and pursue corporate contracts.
• The Growth Shift Day Retreats Half-day intimate retreats combining informative workshops, expert panels with successful women business owners, and networking connection sessions for women entrepreneurs.
• 1:1 Coaching with Nancy G. Allen Direct one-on-one coaching engagements with CEO Nancy G. Allen, leveraging over two decades of experience coaching women entrepreneurs across various business stages for individualized strategic guidance.
• WBDC Membership Newsletter Monthly email newsletter connecting subscribers with like-minded women business owners and providing business-building tools and insights from experienced business leaders.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWBDC of Florida serves as a regional partner of the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). This partnership enables WBDC to provide WBENC certification services for women-owned businesses in Florida, allowing certified businesses to access corporate supplier diversity programs and contracting opportunities nationwide. The relationship is foundational to WBDC's certification service offering.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC): Umbrella certifying body for women's business enterprises across the U.S. WBDC FL is one of WBENC's regional partner organizations, making WBENC the direct upstream counterpart that grants WBDC FL its regulatory authority and offers the same certification services nationally.
• SCORE: U.S. Small Business Administration resource partner providing free mentoring, workshops, and courses for entrepreneurs nationally. Overlaps directly with WBDC FL's coaching and educational content offerings, but serves all demographics and is free — a substitute rather than direct competitor.
• SBA Women's Business Centers (WBCs): Federally funded centers providing business training, mentoring, and certification support specifically for women entrepreneurs. Highly comparable mission and service mix, including WBENC-aligned certification prep, but funded by government grants and free to end users.
• Tory Burch Foundation: Foundation supporting women entrepreneurs through fellowship programs, capital access, and education. Comparable as an executive-education and accelerator-style provider targeting the same women-founder persona with cohort-based programs.
• Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses: Free cohort-based business education program for growth-oriented small business owners. Comparable as a tuition-free cohort business program targeting scaling entrepreneurs — a credible substitute for WBDC FL's Growth Shift Mastermind.

Direct peers

• Women's Business Development Center (WBDC Midwest): The Chicago-based original WBDC, also a WBENC regional partner, providing certification, training, and capital access to women entrepreneurs. Directly comparable as a regional WBENC affiliate operating certification and business development programs in a defined U.S. territory.
• National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO): National membership and advocacy organization for women business owners offering networking, education, and certification-adjacent programming. Comparable as a parallel community-and-development vehicle for the same target persona, though without the formal WBENC certification arm.
• Women's Business Enterprise Council - East (WBEC-East): Another WBENC regional partner organization covering the East Coast market with the same certification + community + programming model. The most direct functional analog to WBDC FL operating in a different regional footprint.

Emerging players

• Springboard Enterprises: Accelerator and network for women entrepreneurs building high-growth, investor-backed companies. Adjacent peer with programmatic cohort experiences, though more venture-oriented than WBDC FL's supplier-diversity-certification core.
• DreamSpring: Community Development Financial Institution providing capital and training to women-owned and minority-owned small businesses. Comparable mission and overlapping programming (capital + education), serving as a complementary rather than directly competing resource for the same persona.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wbdcfl
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC3RZijO2iaH5bDNgCvl3bzg
• Facebookfacebook.com/WBECFL
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wbdcflorida

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Women’s Business Enterprise Council of Florida