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Karen Bracero understands that health and wellness are not just human concerns. A vegetarian for more than 30 years, she became concerned with the contents of mass produced dog treats. Now, she handcrafts treats from her Wesley Chapel home utilizing all natural ingredients to make everything from biscuits to doggy ice cream. You can find her Three Labs Bakery products through her website (www. threelabsbakery.com). Shaunda Taylor is a "jill" of all trades: she is a mother, a student, a hairdresser, and a business owner. After doing hair for many years, she saw a need for a product to tame the beast know as a cowlick. She sat down and began to draw up ideas, and came up with a hat made of breathable material to flatten out those hairs that just won't seem to lay down. Her invention, Cowlick Tamers, is marketed towards children, but its Velcro strap makes it accessible to all ages. You can find her products through her website (www.cowlicktamers.com) Karen and Shaundra are two of the more than 2000 aspiring female entrepreneurs who have found the training, resources and inspiration they needed to pursue their passions through the Women's Business Centre at the Helen Gordon Davis Centre for Women in Tampa. The Women's Business Centre (WBC) is part of a national network of 100 Women's Business Centers nationwide funded by the U.S. Small Business Association through the Office of Women's Business Ownership. The Centre's WBC is the only Small Business Association designated Women's Business Centre on the West Coast of Florida. In 2013, the Centre for Women opened a Women's Business Centre to help It's a Centre for Womenpreneurs women start and grow their own businesses. A year later, the Centre received a grant from the SBA to support its work. Today, the WBC is able to tap into the SBA resources nationwide and offers a multitude of training opportunities for any woman wishing to develop her business plan and strategy. The WBC covers six counties around Tampa Bay (Hillsborough, Polk, Pinellas, Hernando, Manatee, Pasco). Florida is one of the top 10 fastest growing states in the nation for women entrepreneurs, ranking 7th among the 25 largest U.S. metro areas for women-owned businesses. The Centre's Executive Director Ann W. Madsen said "We recognized that entrepreneurship is a path toward financial independence and part of our mission to help Tampa Bay women to succeed both personally and professionally. We wanted to enable and empower female entrepreneurs through advocacy, outreach, education and support." Madsen credits much of the success of the Centre's WBC to its dynamic Director Stacey Banks-Houston, who has dedicated her life to becoming a champion of small businesses. In addition to having her MBA and becoming a Certified Business Advisor, she is an entrepreneur, leader, author and business coach. She utilizes her real-life experience and passion for empowering women entrepreneurs every day. Stacey says: "While there are many great organizations around the area to assist entrepreneurs, the Women's Business Centre is unique because its focus is on women and their needs both personal and professional. We are women helping women. We understand that there are many road bumps on the path to business ownership, particularly for women, and we know how to help women navigate them." In addition to individual and group counseling to businesses, the WBC provides access to business workshops, webinars and events. For those who do not have an office, the WBC provides computers with state-of-the-art software to help write a business or communications plan. Fax machines and printers are also available. The Women's Business Centre has now helped to launch more than 30 diverse One with as produce You Facebook Another She has website The innovative community. is Hillsborough especially start So own the Visit www.womensbusinesscentre.org. ABOUT Kathleen the of Women's Studies this Centre – By Kathleen Shrum

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