All October long, we’re raising a glass to every woman who turned an idea into a business, and sharing simple ways to celebrate her.
Happy National Women’s Small Business Month! Every October, the country pauses to celebrate the women who start, own, and grow businesses of their own. It is a month for the bakery owner who opens before sunrise, the consultant building her client list one referral at a time, the designer shipping orders from her dining room table, and the CEO negotiating her next big partnership. It is for every woman who brings home the bacon through something she built herself, and at Bacon, it is one of our favorite months of the year.
A Celebration Decades in the Making
The roots of this month run back to 1988, when Congress passed the Women’s Business Ownership Act, expanding federal support for women business owners. That same year, the U.S. Small Business Administration launched its Women’s Business Center program to help women overcome barriers to success, and the agency has long used October to recognize the women entrepreneurs those programs serve.
Today, the SBA funds more than 100 Women’s Business Centers, with locations in almost every state, so the celebration comes with real support behind it.
A Record Worth Toasting
There has never been a better time to celebrate. Women now own 15.7 million businesses across the United States, representing 40.6% of all U.S. businesses, according to the 2026 Impact of Women-Owned Businesses report from Wells Fargo. Those businesses employ 12.6 million people and generate $2.8 trillion in revenue, and between 2022 and 2025 their numbers grew by 12.1%, nearly twice the growth rate of businesses owned by men.
Behind every one of those figures is a woman who took a chance on herself, and that is exactly what this month is here to honor.
Ways to Celebrate All Month Long
Celebrating the women who build does not require a big budget or a grand gesture. Some of the most meaningful support takes only a few minutes, and every bit of it adds up for the owner on the receiving end.
Shop Her First
Make October the month you choose women-owned. Order your morning coffee from the woman-owned café down the street, pick up a birthday gift from an independent boutique, or reach for the woman-founded brand when it sits on the shelf beside a household name. With the holiday shopping season around the corner, it is also the perfect moment to start a gift list filled with businesses owned by women.
Give Her a Five-Star Moment
A thoughtful review can bring a small business new customers for years. If a woman-owned business made your day, leave her a review, recommend her to a friend, or tag her in a post. Sharing her page, reposting her launch, or simply commenting on her content helps her reach people who may never have found her otherwise.
Show Up in the Room
October is full of chances to celebrate in person. In Brooklyn, She Did That., the platform founded by filmmaker Renae Bluitt, hosts its first Founder Forum on Monday, October 5, at Shell’s Loft, featuring Carol’s Daughter founder Lisa Price, Bevy Smith, Necole Kane, and designer Fe Noel, along with a marketplace where guests can shop directly from women entrepreneurs. Closer to home, it is a great time to see what your local Women’s Business Center or chamber of commerce has on the calendar and meet the owners in your own neighborhood.
Fuel Her Next Chapter
For the woman who has been dreaming about her own business, this is a beautiful month to begin. The $2,500 Galaxy Grant from the nonprofit Hidden Star is open to U.S.-based women and minority entrepreneurs 18 and older, including those who have not launched yet. The free application takes about 30 seconds and closes October 31. The SBA’s network of Small Business Development Centers, free SCORE mentoring, and on-demand courses through the SBA Learning Platform are also there for founders at every stage.
Pour Into the Next Generation
Some of the most powerful celebrations happen one conversation at a time. Offer to mentor a woman who is just starting out, make an introduction that could open a door, or share the lesson you wish someone had shared with you. Women who build tend to lift each other, and October is a wonderful reminder to keep that tradition going.
And If You Are the Woman Who Built It
This month is yours. Take a moment to look back at how far you have come, from the first sale to the first hire to the first time someone recognized your brand without you saying a word. Celebrate the milestones, big and small, and let the people who believe in you celebrate with you.
Here’s to Her
To the women running storefronts and startups, side businesses and full-scale companies, to the founders just getting started and the ones who have been building for decades, happy National Women’s Small Business Month. Bacon is proud to celebrate you this October and every month after it, and we cannot wait to see what you build next.
