Women's businesses get boost

San mateo County Times By Alec Rosenberg, BUSINESS WRITER

SINCE STARTING in 1988, the Women's Initiative for Self Employment has helped Bay Area low-income women create 1,000 businesses from caterers to clothing designers. There's El Salvador native Gladys Nunez, who started a beauty salon in Hayward; Nicaragua native Maria Osejo, who followed in her mom's footsteps and began a house cleaning business; and Oakland artist Latisha Baker, who started Ishama Designs.

"It gave me a foundation of empowerment, motivation, resources, expertise," Baker said. "(They) want you to be successful. It's not just a job to them."

The nonprofit Women's Initiative plans to increase its efforts. On Friday, it celebrated the opening of its new, larger facility in Oakland, which will allow it to expand its bilingual training and technical assistance programs.

"The growth has been fast and furious -- women are creating businesses at twice the rate of others," said Paulette Meyer, co-founder and outgoing chairwoman of the Women's

Initiative. "We try to figure out what they need and how can we provide it."

The Women's Initiative provides low-fee services in English and Spanish with training to help low-income women start and manage businesses, including consultations and ongoing support. Also, it gives loans of as much as

$25,000 and access to Individual Development Accounts, where participants' savings are matched on a two-to-one basis.

It pays off. Within 18 months of graduation, the average Women's Initiative participant doubles her income to $26,000. Overall, the organization has assisted more than 10,000 low-income women -- and some men -- loaned $700,000 and helped clients leverage another $1 million in capital from other lenders.

The Women's Initiative serves Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo counties with offices in Oakland and San Francisco. Its new 2,300-square-foot downtown Oakland office is at 519 17th St., which also houses the Oakland Business Development Corp. and Small Business Administration One Stop Capital Shop.

"If there were not someone like Paulette to do it, it would not have happened," said Mark Quinn, San Francisco district director of the SBA, which Friday honored Meyer as its Women in Business Advocate of the Year.

Meyer was quick to credit the Women's Initiative staff, board and donors. The initiative is funded by a mix of individuals, banks, corporations, private foundations and public agencies such as the SBA and Port of Oakland.

"Lower-income women do have the talent and creativity and determination to make these businesses work ... if they have the access," Meyer said.

Venezuela native Ana Kwan, a former bank employee and housewife, opened Sage Documents a year ago. Her translating business has prospered since completing the Women's Initiative's Spanish-language training in September.

"They opened my horizons," she said.

Ishama Designs' Baker was graduated from the Women's Initiative two years ago. After getting laid off from her executive assistant job eight months ago, she devoted herself full time to her business, which now includes handcrafted jewelry, greeting cards and keepsake boxes.

"Getting laid off was an opportunity," she said. "It's pushing me to take it to another level."

For more information, visit www.womensinitiative.org or call (510) 451-3415.