ZanetaB I too am a women owned business within a male dominated field.  After fourteen years working in the signage industry, I opened my own company. On occasion I will run across a contractor or client that simply does not think a woman could possibly know what she is doing.  I just politely say good by and good luck.  I know that I am a great resource for my clients and my contractors and leave it at that.  It is their loss, I could have provided them with a superior product and service at a better cost.  One thing women can do is meet the bottom line. Unfortunately our Government is one of these clients.  They will only contract with women when forced to do so.  As a male or female, you must first gain a level of trust with everyone you work with to be successful.   Unfortunately, I have not had much luck getting any assistance or information from my local SBA.  They simply do not keep up with their own policies and I have found they have not even read their own online information.  No help there?  When I question them about issues they do not have any information or help.  I have invested all my money into my company and do not have any hopes for financial assistance from anyone.  I do not want to risk my family home, I have spent my life working to have a home of my own.  Unlike a man, I simply can not go out and get the same pay for the same job, regardless of what the regulations are.  Companies always find a loophole to hide behind.   Good luck with your industries section!   Brenda   Most Government sites do not even recognize signage as a industry?  How do you know where you are or where you are going without some kind of a sign?

I just wanted to encourage you to press-on with your idea. Here in California there are a number of women-owned auto repair shops. I'd recommend finding one near you and establish a relationship with that woman or women as a resource for you to call on when you have issues. I also think you'll find plenty of male mechanics who will be supportive of your endeavour; ignore the ones who aren't, find the ones who are. I'm now taking an Electric Vehicle conversiopn class and there is a female mechanic learning the electric stuff to add to her years of experience with internal combustion cars.   One shop is 'Out West Garage' in Petaluma, CA  Give them a call and set up an appointment for later to talk about your situation.   I have to think that with all the women in America who are routinely talked-down to and swindled out of their money for repairs they don't need in shops, every day, that there will be a HUGE market for female car owners who want to support an honest and trustworthy mechanic like you! I predict you'll do very well.    Good Luck 

Charlie 1, I have a very radical suggestion for you:  move.  It sounds like you are feeling antagonism about a female-owned business in your field in that small town.  Not all towns are so small minded.  Larger towns tend to have more diversity of thought.  When you can offer outstanding service at a reasonable price, you are likely to have a broader customer base in a mid size town than in a small town.   Best, MaryAnn  

Go for it! When I was in school, they told the women not to major in accounting because at least one professor would fail any woman who took his class and if we did pass, we'd never get jobs! Today, half of the new CPAs in the country are women!I suggest you contact Beth at Beth's DIY Workshop.http://www.bethsdiyworkshop.com/I met Beth at a woman's networking group we have in Maryland, On Purpose Woman, and she is awesome. Beth is really helpful and can share with you how she has gone about building her business.One thing Beth does that is really cool is teach women how to do small home repairs. She has regular workshops on power tools, running toilets and simple stuff, so we all can learn when to help ourselves and when to call her!Best of luck,Maria

Hi Charlie1 I'm a consultant working on content for business.gov. Your post is interesting to me because we are currently in the planning stages of building out the industries section of the site. I'm always on the look out for more feedback. If you or anyone reading this post has a minute, could you take a look at our industries section and tell me what you think? It can be as specific as what you expect to see when reading a certain section, like Automotive. Now, on to the topic at hand .... Another resource to check out your state's training and assistance page in business.gov, many states have start-up counseling for women-owned businesses. There are also links to your state's Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and Service Corps of Retired Executives Association (SCORE), both offer free mentoring, advice, etc to help you get started.

Hello and welcome to the Business.gov community! I understand that it may be difficult to establish yourself in a traditionally male dominated industry but strong women are changing those dynamics everyday! Use your skills and experience to help you get started and like you said, let your work speak for itself. Check out our section dedicated to Women Owned Businesses for resources that will help you get started. In addition to the gender specific section, the 10 Steps to Starting a Business guide is a great resource for general information. Also, take a look at the Industries section of the site to see if any of them apply to you. There are sections on both the automotive industry as well as the construction industry. Thanks for posting and good luck with your business! Please continue to use the business community as a resource to gather and share information with your fellow owners.