The Challenge
Position the WBDC as a collective group of thought leaders and advocates for under-represented business owners
Since its founding in 1986, the Women’s Business Development Center (WBDC) has supported business development and accelerated growth by advocating for women and serving all diverse business owners in order to strengthen their participation in, and impact on, the economy. While the WBDC has successfully partnered with several woman- and minority-owned businesses to achieve their business goals, the organization’s leadership was eager to increase exposure for their advocacy efforts and expand their reach to the broader public.
Starting in 2016, Hawthorne Strategy Group partnered with the WBDC to help them elevate their thought leadership and advocacy platform by increasing awareness of the work they do in support of businesses that are traditionally underrepresented, such as women, minorities, veterans, people that identify as LGBT, and people living with disabilities. In an already crowded field of organizations that advocate for and support diverse business owners, Hawthorne sought to bring to the forefront the many ways in which the WBDC had already distinguished itself. From capital lending to corporate partnerships, Hawthorne knew these differentiators needed to be clear to the public to generate greater awareness of the WBDC and best impact those they serve.