October is Women’s Small Business Month and it’s a great opportunity to take advantage of program and initiatives to boost your business.

It’s also a good time to celebrate some of the good news about female-owned businesses. True, women-owned businesses are not growing in Iowa as strongly as in other parts of the country and there’s been plenty of emphasis and effort place on that in the past couple of years.

 However, there is good news out there about female entrepreneurs. Including: 

• The number of women-owned businesses in this country is growing at an amazing rate. According to the Center for Venture Research. 36 percent of all companies seeking venture capital funding in 2014 were women-owned, up 83 percent from the previous year.
• Another report found that the number of women-owned businesses is growing at more than 1.5 times the national average.
• Women owners of small businesses are more optimistic about business conditions than men, according to a Capital One Financial survey of small business owners. Its Spark Business Barometer says 56 percent of female small business owners believe current business conditions are excellent or good, compared with 44 percent of males. 
• By age, 71 percent of millennials believe current business conditions in their industry are excellent or good, compared with 47 percent of Gen X and 46 percent of baby boomers. Overall, small business owners are less optimistic, with 44 percent saying business conditions in their industry are fair or poor. 

More good news is that there are lots of resources and opportunities for businesswomen to take advantage of this month.

• Do you have a unique product or service that can affect and empower the lives of women or families nationwide? If so, consider participating in the Small Business Administration’s 2016 InnovateHER Innovating for Women Business Challenge and Summit being held next spring.
• The U.S. Small Business Association recently changed the rules governing its Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) program? The change makes it easier for agencies to award sole-source contracts to women-owned businesses and helps meet the government’s goal of awarding 5 percent of all federal contracts to women. 
• Check out BusinessUSA’s resources for women-owned businesses.
• Or this list of 10 private grants for female entrepreneurs.
• Improve your business skills with National Association of Women Business Owner’s (NAWBO’s)  E-Learning Series. Watch one of their webinars today to learn more about leveraging social media, exporting and more.

Or reserve your seat this month for a U.S. Chamber of Commerce regional luncheon in Waukee Nov. 10. Natalie Masri, senior director of special projects at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Center for Women in Business, a program dedicated to advancing women in business, will talk about women’s advancement in the workplace. A panel of local businesswomen will share tips for success afterwards. The luncheon is open to all members of the Greater Des Moines Partnership and affiliate chambers of commerce. Reservations are accepted until Nov. 1.