AAWBI moves women business leaders out of ‘comfort zone’

By Susan Fong

Moving beyond one’s cultural upbringing is what the Asian American Women’s Business Initiative (AAWBI) helps its members learn.

AAWBI is a two-year, one-time program offering free or reduced fee entrepreneurial training for Asian Americans throughout Chicago who are interested in starting, expanding, or certifying a small business. With 120 openings, enrollment now stands at 90.

The program, which received funding last year, is offered by the U.S. Department of Labor Women’s Bureau in partnership with the Women’s Business Development Center (WBDC) and the Asian American Alliance (AAA). The latter two organizations help with enrollment, classes, and counseling.

Program architect Nancy Chen is regional administrator for the Women’s Bureau and has a background in policy. A first-generation Chinese, Chen has worked closely with Asian American populations and is sensitive to challenges Asian American women face. She conceived the program because, while similar offerings existed for other groups, none were targeted to Asian American women. Chen noted many women in the AAWBI previously did not know what resources were available.

AAWBI members have met with the Washington, DC, director of the Women’s Bureau, Shinae Chun, to share information about the program.

“The DOL has been a testing ground for women’s work training programs, said Chun, who added she hopes to offer other communities viable working models based on AAWBI's efforts. As part of that work, last year Chun solicited new projects from Chen; at the same time, WBDC founder Hedy Ratner had approached Chen about increasing Asian presence in the WBDC's entrepreneurial program. So the time was right for AAWBI’s new program, which began with 25 women meeting in the WBDC offices.

The women have joined not only for business training, but for mentoring.

Business owner Sha-li Lin said she found the members refreshing in their independence and confidence, despite the fact that Asian women generally are more reticent than their American counterparts.

Phyllis Tamada said she joined initially to obtain more business, such as government contracts, for her web design company because her client roster had decreased after the 9/11 attacks.

Reared as a second-generation Japanese American, she said she had had little previous contact with Asian Americans.

“At first, it was bit uncomfortable,” Tamada admitted, “but in subsequent meetings there is an unspoken understanding that I’ve come to enjoy.”

Chen agreed AAWBI provides a nurturing environment. Many participants are educated yet may seem timid due to upbringing and culture; the AAWBI program gives them a chance to speak out.

Collaborator George Mui of the AAA said remaining in AAWBI’s protective environment could be a double-edged sword, however.

“The participants must also be able to move beyond that comfort zone in seeking further financial funding with the non-Asians," he noted

Business owner Kitty Pon agreed. Her 20-year-old logistics and transportation business began as a two-person office. At that time, she was responsible for recruiting new business.

“Some of the people I had approached had asked why I had come to the meeting, telling me it was a man’s world,” Pon explained.

Pon entered the program to certify her company as a woman-owned business after a potential client at AT&T told her to come back after getting certified. Pon added it was "good to hear the others’ experiences" as "one can never learn enough."

An upcoming workshop will have the women present speeches in front of a video camera. Mui said the camera will help participants see themselves from a third-person perspective.

"We will give them feedback," he said, "but not in the group. Some may take the criticism too personally, so we are offering one on one meetings."

“Some of these women are already successful own right, but their shyness and cultural reserve have hindered them,” said Chen. “Our goal is to help them secure the contracts.”

“It is not enough to be certified,” Mui emphasized. “They have to actively participate in the minority fairs. If they cannot articulate who they are and what they sell in that five minutes, there is no chance to obtain a second meeting."

Sha-Li Lin said she had been working as a successful information technologies director at an insurance company, but politics had taken their toll, so she left. Rather than dwelling on disappointment, Lin jumped at the AAWBI opportunity to develop a pre-clinical trial company with her husband.

Lin’s husband "wondered why we aren’t planning for our retirement," she noted, but she sees the AAWBI workshop as a "wonderful opportunity. Being with these other women is inspiring."

Although Lin called all the training "excellent," she found the one to one counseling to be the most valuable.

“What you discover,“ Lin said, “is a direction which you may not have considered, and this will be exactly what was needed.”

For more information about the AAWBI, contact Sarah Yun at the WBDC at (312) 853-3477, ext.47, syun@wbdc.org or George Mui at the AAA at (630) 699-5168, george.mui@asianamericanalliance.com.