It’s official: We’re a WBENC-Certified Women’s Business Enterprise!
It’s taken one full year, some incredible partners, lots of paperwork, and a no-holds-barred interview. Now it’s official: Unreal Digital Group is nationally certified as a Women’s Business Enterprise by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC)!
What’s the big deal? As Cari Baldwin, Unreal Digital Group Partner and Co-Founder says, “WBENC is the gold standard of certification in the U.S., recognizing the immense power that women-owned businesses have to create jobs, support the economy, and offer strategic guidance to some of the world’s best companies.”
How WBENC certification benefits our clients
As a certified Women’s Business Enterprise, Unreal Digital Group is a perfect fit for companies looking to expand and enrich their supplier diversity programs.
By including women-owned businesses among their suppliers, companies can create a well-balanced list of partners and suppliers who bring diverse perspectives and ideas to the table. They can also tap into new networks, in addition to potentially qualifying for federal tax incentives available to companies that partner with women- and minority-owned businesses.
What WBENC certification means for UDG
WBENC is far more than a certification body. It’s a community of amazing women who run award-winning companies, lead game-changing strategies, and spearhead innovation.
“WBENC offers us access to so many incredible resources, including networking events and mentoring opportunities with other female business leaders who, like us, are dedicated to fostering the growth and success of women-owned businesses,” says Dana Harder, Unreal Digital Group Partner and Co-Founder.
What does it take to earn WBENC certification?
To achieve certification, companies must go through a meticulous process to validate that a business is at least 51% owned, operated and controlled by a woman, and that women are responsible for day-to-day decision making.
In our case, Dana and Cari had to share both business and personal financial information, proof of their equity investment, and profiles of their business experience. They also underwent a rigorous final interview with the Women’s Business Enterprise Council — Pacific, a regional certifying partner of WBENC.
Achieving certification signifies the latest step in Unreal Digital Group’s ongoing evolution. “We’re proud of the work we’ve done over the past four years to build a growing and thriving agency with a keen focus on culture and employee happiness,” Cari says.
“We know that women leaders care about creating positive work environments where employees feel fulfilled and are happy to be part of the team. This has been a driving force behind our growth,” she added.
Who helped us along the certification journey
We couldn’t have accomplished this without help from so many people. Everyone on our team supported our quest for certification. A special shout out to Julie Cavanaugh, our Business Operations Manager, and Lallaine Marzan, our Director of Finance, who helped push us across the finish line.
We also owe a wealth of gratitude to our friends at Meta who encouraged us to get certified. Meta has an incredible Global Supplier Diversity Program that’s dedicated to pushing the industry toward a more global, scalable, and collaborative future. Meta sponsored our collaboration with Certify My Company, an organization that empowers diverse businesses by helping them simplify the certification process. We couldn’t have done this without their help.
How to partner with a WBENC-Certified B2B marketing agency
Becoming a WBENC-Certified B2B marketing agency gives us the power to deliver even more value to our clients. If you’d like to learn more about how we can help you bring authenticity to your B2B marketing efforts, get in touch with us today.
