Women-Owned Businesses

The Governor’s Commission for Women is laser focused on advancing economic opportunities for Texan women and making Texas the #1 state for women-owned businesses. In May 2018, the Commission met with Governor Greg Abbott and state Comptroller Glenn Hegar to discuss current challenges and brainstorm ways to further increase opportunities for women entrepreneurs.

Start a Business in Texas

Texas offers one of the best business ecosystems in the nation. Businesses thrive here because of our excellent geographic location, highly skilled workforce, low tax burden, reasonable cost of living, predictable regulatory environment and our reputation for having a truly business friendly climate.

We’ve broken down the process of starting a business into the seven basic steps. It is advisable to seek the guidance of a professional tax consultant, accountant and/or attorney to help verify that all legal requirements are met before opening up a business.

Governor’s Small Business Resource Portal

The Governor’s Small Business Resource Portal will provide you with the most relevant resources and contacts to help you find success whether you are an aspiring entrepreneur or an established business owner. This important tool offers a customized list of useful business resources to assist you in starting or growing your business in Texas.

Governor’s Women Small Business Series

The Governor’s Small Business Series is an opportunity for small business owners and entrepreneurs to listen and learn from subject-matter experts and gain actionable advice regarding starting, growing, and sustaining a business. Attendees can network with other entrepreneurs, business owners, managers, and business-oriented non-profits, as well as local, regional, state, and federal agencies.

Veteran, Minority & Women Owned Business Resources

Veteran, minority and women-owned small businesses in Texas have a major impact on the state’s economy. The state has a number of resources and organizations dedicated to helping veteran, minority and women-owned businesses start-up and grow in Texas.

Additional Business Resources

Economic Impact of Texas Women

Most recently, the Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar studied the economic impact of Texas women through a tour he titled, Good for Texas Tour: Women in the Workforce Edition. Hegar visited facilities and met with women all over Texas who work in a variety of economic sectors. These sectors include: Trade, Transportation and Utilities, Government, Education and Health Services, Professional and Business Services and Natural Resources and Mining. The tour was taken in order to highlight and recognize the importance of women in the workforce, but also to emphasize the importance of women having equal access to advancement in the workplace.

In 2017, women held nearly half of Texas’ 12.4 million jobs. Those jobs have generated additional business activities that support millions of other jobs in Texas. The study estimated that, on average, every dollar women earn supports $2.05 in compensation for workers throughout the state economy. All in all, working women in Texas are essential both to the economic security of women but also the entire Texas economy.

It’s no question that Texas women have a profound impact on the state economy, however they still face barriers to entrepreneurship opportunities and overall prosperity. In order to combat these barriers, the Texas Governor’s Commission for Women, alongside our various partners, works to increase female participation in business and provide a variety of different resources for the overall advancement of female welfare. The Commission has been working on partnering with and promoting programs and organizations focused on: Financial literacy education, starting up a business, and female mentorship. The Commission plans to support, encourage, and expand the number of working women in Texas by sharing and cultivating these types of useful resources, in addition to developing solutions that address barriers such as the capital gap.