POWERUP DC 2025

Professional holding a bag from the PowerUP DC Summit into from of a sign of the session

As VP of Business Development, attending the POWERUP DC Small Business Summit 2025 during National Small Business Week was both inspiring and strategically essential.

The summit's Track D: Women in Business session perfectly embodied Maya Angelou's wisdom: "You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it."

This resonated deeply as accomplished women entrepreneurs shared their journeys of overcoming unique barriers. The statistics are sobering yet motivating: 12 million women own businesses, representing 40% of all business owners, yet 98% operate solo without employees, and 67% generate profits under $25,000 annually.

The session illuminated critical challenges women face—from premature scaling and scope creep to the exhausting reality of being the "we," who," and the "how" in their businesses. As one panelist emphasized, "We can't do all the things," highlighting the importance of building strategic partnerships and leveraging community resources rather than shouldering everything alone.

What struck me most was the shift from transactional to relational thinking. It's not about "what you can do for me," but about building authentic connections where "it's not who you know, it's who knows you." This ubuntu philosophy—"I am because we are"—challenges us to support other women without viewing them as competition.

DC Health Link's commitment to removing barriers and providing ease of business access aligns perfectly with our mission. Supporting women entrepreneurs means more than remaining neutral; it requires actively addressing their specific needs through targeted programs, financial literacy resources, and comprehensive business development pipelines.

The POWERUP DC summit reinforced that defeats aren't endings—they're beginnings. When women entrepreneurs know their worth, build strategic teams, and tap into available resources, they don't just survive; they thrive, strengthening our entire business ecosystem. Our brilliance was never meant to burnout.