Brokers of Joy

Supporting Wyoming Women Entrepreneurs

Multifund Grantmaking from WYCF

This story is from our Fall 2024 newsletter. 

Picture this. It’s a sunny summer afternoon in Laramie, Wyoming. You’ve had lunch downtown then take a walk by all the shops. You see a store, Works of Wyoming, and find handcrafted art all made by Wyoming artists.

Works of Wyoming is one of the many businesses the Wyoming Women’s Business Center (WWBC) supports. The center connects entrepreneurs to resources and trainings to help them succeed.

As a WYCF grantee, the center helps build a better Wyoming by investing in small businesses.

“Women-owned businesses are revitalizing our downtowns,” says Wendy Fanning, Executive Director for WWBC. “Many stores on your main streets are owned by women.”

Being a small business owner can be hard. Running a business in rural areas without support or knowing everything can feel overwhelming. WWBC knows this and has been that support for the last 25 years.

After connecting with WWBC, business owners meet one-on-one with a business counselor to find solutions to best fit their needs. Some people come in with just a dream to start a business, while others need help setting up online sales.

“It’s important to us to meet people where they are, whatever phase of life. What you do in your personal life affects your business, and your business affects your personal life,” says Rachel Truett, Mental Health Director at WWBC.

Thanks to donors like you, with a WYCF grant the center recently launched a Mental Wellness Program to offer mental health services to their clients.

“We want to be there for them [women] and create an environment where they feel safe,” Wendy says.

Rachel recalls a single mom who wanted to open a small business to support her family. Thanks to help from WWBC, she was able to open her business and soon bought a safe car for her family. “A reliable car for your kids is unparalleled. We are helping sustain families and helping dreams come true,” Rachel says.

The next time you take a walk downtown, stop into an art gallery. Pick up some groceries at the family-owned market, or flowers from a local flower shop. Your visit to the store could mean all the difference to the owner, who may have gotten help from WWBC to make your experience a good one.

Your support of small businesses is helping Wyoming communities thrive.

To learn more about the many business supports offered by the Wyoming Women’s Business Center, please visit: https://www.wyomingwomen.org/