The U.S. Small Business Administration is now offering two new educational modules. Ascent is a digital platform comprised of targeted education modules, called Journeys, that gives small business owners 24/7 access to critical information backed by research and addresses the unique needs of women entrepreneurs.

• Partnerships Journey: This module explores the value of business partnerships, why they matter, and how they drive business growth and has four components, including the value of business partnerships, opportunities, and strategic growth.
• Entrepreneurial Leadership Journey: This new module helps position small businesses for growth by building and refining leadership skills and has 11 components designed to build confidence and improve decision management and leadership style techniques.

In 2021, the SBA’s Ascent platform launched. It has since assisted nearly 50,000 businesses and young entrepreneurs in writing business plans, business legal education, access to capital and moving into the contracting space. Business recovery is also a tool in the learning platform. This is part of the SBA’s overarching support to women-owned businesses

“We know that women entrepreneurs start and own nearly half of all businesses in the United States and generate $1.8 trillion in revenue. They need a self-paced digital tool like Ascent to help them scale up and thrive,” stated SBA Assistant Administrator of the Office for Women’s Business Ownership Natalie Madeira Cofield. “As Administrator Guzman has reinforced, opportunities for every woman aspiring to lead and grow our economy should be afforded to the greatest extent of our reach.”