5 Free Webinars for Women in Business

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Men and women do not have equal footing in the world of business. That’s a fact. Women receive less venture capitalist funding than men, which curbs their ability to create thriving companies. Women suffer from harmful stereotyping and workplace cultures designed to handicap them. Women are not considered as seriously for top positions, and as a result only 6.4% of Fortune 500 CEOs are female. Despite all of this, record numbers of women are launching or landing at businesses.

To gain the much-needed professional edge needed to even out the playing field, nonprofits and organizations across the U.S. have created an abundance of informational resources for women in business — providing them with the institutional knowledge they are frequently denied. One such tool that offers great benefits to professional women is the webinar, an online seminar led by experts in the specific topic at hand.

The asset of this medium is that unlike a college course, a webinar is extremely flexible. Women with tricky or tight schedules can access the material whenever they have time, oftentimes without charge or for only a small fee.

The following webinars put women face-to-face with professionals who know what they’re talking about — and can offer genuine tips and tools for female entrepreneurs or women simply interested in taking their career to the next level.

1. Women’s Business Development Center Webinars

The Women’s Business Development Center (WBDC) offers a broad selection of online seminars usually ranging from 30 minutes to two hours. These webinars were created with the WBDC mission in mind. Launched in 1986, WBDC wants to strengthen the impact of women in the economy by providing diverse business owners with the support they need to grow.

There are a number of free webinars available online, with professionals breaking down subjects like finance, online social media, certification, mentors and mentees, and contract opportunities. The videos are relatively dense, covering specific subtopics that benefit female business owners such as “Marketing Your Business to the Government” or “Boosting Your Bottom Line - Preparing Your Business for Tax Time.”

2. Let’s Talk Business

Another free provider of webinars is the Washington Center for Women in Business (WCWB), which hosts the series, Let’s Talk Business. The webinars were designed with a specific mission in mind: “helping the Womanpreneur see her business goals realized.”

The WCWB offers a variety of coaching, training, and technical assistance (in both English and Spanish). However, the Let’s Talk Business webinar series is particularly useful as its flexibility allows for female entrepreneurs and small business owners to use the resource at their convenience — either on the go or from the comfort of their home/work.

The topics covered are business startup and planning, social media and marketing, and finance, among others. These webinars cover an extremely wide range of subjects in great detail — everything from “How to Effectively Conduct Trade Shows and Events” to “Cybersecurity for Small Businesses” to “Starting a Nonprofit.” They last on average a little less than an hour.

3. LAEDA Women’s Business Center Webinars

LAEDA is another women’s business center that recognizes the potential impact of female entrepreneurs in the U.S. economy if only the barriers to entry were knocked down.

Founded by the Latin American Development Association (LAEDA), the LAEDA Women’s Business Center provides women with the financial and business education resources they need to start or strengthen their businesses.

Though the webinars are accessible online, women also have the option of attending the seminars in-person, where they can interact with their instructor and the other attendees. The webinars cover a variety of topics like business planning, business law, accounting, real estate, goal setting, credit management, insurance, and financial literacy, among others.

Future webinars are listed on the LAEDA events page where potential participants can enroll.

4. SCORE Webinars for Women Entrepreneurs

Virginia-based nonprofit SCORE was created with the mission of “helping small businesses get off the ground, grow and achieve their goals through education, and mentorship.” In pursuit of this mission, SCORE regularly offers free webinars covering a range of topics related to starting and running small businesses. These webinars can either be viewed live or watched retroactively as recordings are accessible on the SCORE website for women to watch at their leisure.

The webinars predominantly delve into what it takes to succeed in business; for example, “The Secret Sauce to Success - The Entrepreneurial Mindset” and “Building Resilience After a Business Setback.” There is an expansive archive of past webinars, but if the topic you’re looking for hasn’t been covered yet, fear not, there are new live webinars every few days. You can view a list of upcoming events here.

5. Entrepreneur Webinars

Business magazine Entrepreneur is another provider of online seminars, which supplement its written content designed to showcase and instruct aspiring entrepreneurs.

Live events are held every few days, hosted by Entrepreneur contributors and featured business owners. The webinars are categorized into a handful of key topics: running a business, personal growth, starting a business, marketing, social media, and inspiration.

There is an expansive list of past webinars covering every topic you could imagine, whether it be “Tax Mistakes for Entrepreneurs to Avoid,” “The Superbeing Breakthrough: Get Paid for Who You Are Instead of What You Do,” or “Instagram Stories: Building Your Brand Through Authenticity.” Interested viewers can either purchase access to some of the individual seminars or an Entrepreneur Insider subscription facilitates unrestricted free viewing.

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