blog.cuyler.com

As a woman and a business owner, I noticed my business was missing out on opportunities it should be enjoying because we lacked the necessary certifications to be awarded work we were fully capable of providing.

However, applying for a State Certification as a Women’s Business Enterprise can be daunting. One mistake can mean waiting an entire year to try again and reapply.

So, when we decided to apply for NJ state certification, I made sure my colleagues and I were experts in the field and we learned the nuances of the certification process before we got started.

I am proud to say that our hard work paid off and we are now a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) firm certified by both the State of New Jersey and the Women’s Enterprise Network Council (WBENC). We are also certified as a Small Business Enterprise by the State of New Jersey.

Having gone through the regulatory juggernaut required to get certified, we first-hand experience with the substantive requirements, the processes and the procedures needed to emerge as a Certified Women-Owned Business.

We want to use our success in becoming a WBE for others’ gain.

Recently, we were able to do just that. A client had come to us with a problem. The State had denied their WBE Certification application on various basis, including their belief that the company was not truly managed by the minority shareholder and President.

In doing an analysis of their company and their application, we noticed shortcoming in the structuring of their organization. We were able to revise the company’s By Laws and Shareholder Agreement to make sure that they correctly reflected the management structure.

We worked with the company and their accountant to correctly value the company shares. We made other necessary changes to the corporate structure and the documentation to support it.

We make sure that your corporate structure and management meets the substantive requirements for the certification, and that your corporate documents correctly reflect your corporate structure. We’ve learned that spending a little more time on your paperwork before the certification process starts can work wonders towards achieving certification.

Before you run the risk of being denied, take steps to have your structure and documentation reviewed by someone who knows.