Women's Business Center Programming

Vault is non-facilitated peer-to-peer learning for women entrepreneurs who are committed to growing their annual revenue to $1M or more. BrainTrust trains and onboards your clients, teaching our processes and procedures. Though there is no curriculum per se, our semi-rigid protocol and pre-set agendas ensure that each Vault member can dramatically shorten their learning curve, growing bigger and faster than they could ever do on their own. Importantly, there is no "end" to the Vault process - it keeps the women engaged as WBC Vault members for years to come. Vault then becomes a high-value, low expense offering, providing the glue...the stickiness that will keep your Center as the undisputed hub for women entrepreneurs in your community, year after year.

Does it work? Nationally, less than 2% of women-owned businesses ever reach $1M in revenue. But in their first year, almost 6% of Vault members made it to that critical point! And during 2020, even during a pandemic, not a single Vault member lost their business! In fact, most prospered… and if you ask them why, they’ll gleefully tell you it was their Vault.

DreamBuilder is a free online learning program developed for women who want to start or grow their own small business. Available in English and Spanish.
Dreambuilder shows the step-by-step framework for launching or own a small business. Best for entrepreneurs ready to start their own business, or those who already own a business and want to develop their skills in a variety of areas, or are in various stages of exploring growth.
Understanding that investing in women’s full economic participation helps to create healthier, more stable communities, the company committed to developing a groundbreaking training program to form women entrepreneurs.

Freeport-McMoRan partnered with Thunderbird School of Global Management, a world leader in international management education, to create a top-notch curriculum for DreamBuilder that would teach women the fundamentals for owning their own business. They also partnered with Bluedrop Performance Learning to take the curriculum and develop an innovative and engaging online program.

Today, DreamBuilder offers business education and training to thousands of women all over the world.

The IGNITE 360® Business Mentoring Program is an activities based, outcome driven program designed to help Women’s Business Centers (WBCs) manage a sustainable, structured business mentoring program that will facilitate measurable growth for clients, offer in-depth support to second stage businesses, improve volunteer engagement and generate program income to support the WBC.

The tiered programming provides support for every stage of a business’s lifecycle. In this way, IGNITE 360® offers a natural growth cycle for clients to stay engaged with your center year after year.

This highly customizable program can be used to accelerate sustainable business growth for emerging and second-stage companies across all industries. However, this is a fee-for-service WBC program with a significant vetting process to ensure clients are ready to commit to do the work and be held accountable.

The vetting process and accountability metrics ensure that clients achieve measurable growth while participating in the program. It also provides a positive volunteer experience for Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), allowing them to offer meaningful support to clients in a structured environment, where their time is valued.

Clients often go on to become WBC advocates, donors, mentors and even board members. Many mentors become long-term advisors to the clients they serve, and become key partners for the WBC, generating client and donor referrals.

The IGNITE 360® Model was designed and trademarked by weVENTURE WBC at Florida Institute of Technology and has graduated 140 clients since 2014. weVENTURE WBC averages 20 clients a year and program graduates see an average of 40% growth in revenue upon completion. 93% of IGNITE 360® graduates created new jobs upon completion. The positive outcomes IGNITE 360® clients experience are utilized in community outreach, helping showcase the dramatic impact the WBC and female entrepreneurs have in our local economy.

Tiered Program To Meet Client Needs

IGNITE 360® PATHWAYS walks aspiring entrepreneurs through the start-up process, laying a solid foundation for their business to grow on. (3 months)
IGNITE 360® TRANSITION is a mentoring program for business owners ready to focus on strategy and business fundamentals to gain a strong foundation for growth or change. (3 months)
IGNITE 360® ADVANTAGE is a unique mentoring program developed for emerging businesses that are committed to growth. (6 months)
IGNITE 360® PREMIER is for experienced second-stage companies that are focused on transformational activities that include but is not limited to management changes, exit strategies, or expansion. (6 months)