How to Shop Women-Owned Businesses: The Complete Guide
Shopping women-owned businesses is one of the simplest ways to be more intentional about where you spend your money.
But finding women-owned businesses isn’t always simple.
You might know you want to shop from a woman-owned brand, hire a woman-owned business, or support more women entrepreneurs—but where do you actually find them? And how do you know whether a business is truly women-owned?
The good news is that shopping women-owned doesn’t require completely changing the way you shop. It simply means becoming more intentional about who you buy from, hire, recommend, and support.
From fashion and beauty to marketing, coaching, technology, wellness, and professional services, women-owned businesses are everywhere. You just need to know where to look.
Here’s how to get started.
What Does It Mean to Shop Women-Owned?
At its simplest, shopping women-owned means intentionally choosing to purchase products or services from businesses owned by women. And “shopping” doesn’t have to mean buying a physical product.
You can shop women-owned when you:
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Purchase from a women-owned clothing or beauty brand
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Order from a women-owned restaurant or food business
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Hire a women-owned marketing or creative agency
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Work with a woman-owned coach or consultant
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Book a photographer, designer, or other service provider
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Take a course or workshop created by a woman entrepreneur
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Purchase from a women-owned wellness business
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Hire a women-owned professional services firm
In other words, shopping women-owned is about where you choose to spend your money—not just what you put in your cart. That distinction is important to note because women entrepreneurs aren’t limited to retail. Women own businesses across virtually every industry, from technology and finance to healthcare, education, creative services, and beyond.
5 Ways to Shop Women-Owned Businesses
1. Search for Women-Owned Businesses Online
One of the easiest ways to discover women-owned businesses is to search specifically for them. Instead of searching only for the product or service you’re looking for, add “women-owned” or “woman-owned” to your search.
Try searches like:
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“women-owned businesses”
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“women-owned businesses near me”
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“women-owned clothing brands”
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“women-owned beauty brands”
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“women-owned marketing agencies”
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“woman-owned photographer”
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“women-owned restaurants”
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“women-owned wellness businesses”
You can also look for online directories and marketplaces dedicated to helping people discover women-owned businesses. Built By Us was created with this kind of discovery in mind: bringing women-owned businesses into one place so it’s easier to find the products, services, expertise, and businesses you’re looking for.
2. Shop Directly From Women-Owned Brands
When you’re ready to buy something, take a moment to consider whether there’s a women-owned business making what you need.
Shopping categories where you can often discover women-owned brands include:
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Fashion and accessories
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Beauty and skincare
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Jewelry
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Home and lifestyle
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Food and beverage
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Health and wellness
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Gifts
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Baby and children’s products
You don’t have to replace every brand you already use. Start with something simple: the next time you need a product, search for a women-owned alternative. You may discover a new favorite brand in the process.
3. Hire Women-Owned Businesses
One of the most overlooked ways to shop women-owned is to hire women-owned businesses. If you’re looking for a service provider, consider whether there’s a woman-owned business that can help.
That could mean hiring a:
This is particularly powerful because the relationship can go beyond a single purchase. Hiring a woman-owned business can mean investing in someone’s expertise, experience, and entrepreneurial work.
And if you have a business yourself, consider looking within the women-owned business community when you’re hiring vendors, contractors, agencies, or professional services.
4. Shop Women-Owned Businesses Locally
Shopping women-owned doesn’t have to happen online. Look around your own community.
The next time you’re looking for a restaurant, boutique, salon, fitness studio, photographer, event vendor, or professional service, search for women-owned options in your area.
Try searching:
“women-owned businesses near me”
or
“women-owned [type of business] [your city]”
You can also ask friends, colleagues, and your local community for recommendations.
Supporting a local women-owned business can be a great way to keep your spending connected to the community where you live.
5. Make Women-Owned Businesses Part of Your Regular Shopping Habits
You don’t have to make shopping women-owned an all-or-nothing commitment.
Instead, make it part of the way you make purchasing decisions:
- Need a birthday gift? Look for a women-owned brand.
- Need a photographer? Search for a woman-owned business.
- Need a new skincare product? See what women-owned brands are available.
- Need a consultant or creative professional? Look for women-owned businesses before making your decision.
Over time, these small choices can become a natural part of how you shop and hire.
How Do You Know If a Business Is Women-Owned?
As you’re discovering businesses, you may notice that companies use different terms to describe themselves.
You might see women-owned, woman-owned, women-founded, women-led, or female-founded.
These terms don’t necessarily mean the same thing.
For example, a woman may have founded a company that is no longer majority-owned by women. A business may be led by a woman without being women-owned. And different certification organizations have their own specific requirements for qualifying as a women-owned business.
If you’re interested in understanding these distinctions, read our guide to Women-Owned vs. Women-Founded vs. Women-Led: What’s the Difference?
For businesses that hold formal certification, organizations such as the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) provide established standards for women-owned business certification.
But you don’t need to become an expert in certification to start discovering and supporting women-owned businesses. When in doubt, look at how the business describes its ownership and learn more about the company directly.
What Can You Shop From Women-Owned Businesses?
The answer is: almost anything.
Women-owned businesses make and sell products, but they also provide services, expertise, experiences, and education.
You can find women-owned businesses in categories including:
Products: fashion, beauty, jewelry, food, home, gifts, wellness, and more.
Services: marketing, branding, design, photography, technology, consulting, coaching, legal, financial, education, and professional services.
Experiences: restaurants, events, travel, fitness, wellness, workshops, and other experiences.
This is one of the most exciting things about shopping women-owned: you’re not limited to a single category or type of purchase.
You Don’t Have to Spend Money to Support Women-Owned Businesses
Buying from a women-owned business is one way to support it—but it isn’t the only way.
You can also support women-owned businesses by:
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Sharing their products or services with someone who needs them
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Recommending a business to a friend or colleague
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Leaving a thoughtful review
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Following and engaging with their social media
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Signing up for their newsletter
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Sharing their content
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Referring potential customers
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Talking about their business in your community
Sometimes, the most valuable thing you can do is simply tell someone about a business you love.
For more ideas, read our guide to How to Support Women-Owned Businesses Without Spending Money.
Start Shopping Women-Owned
You don’t have to completely change the way you shop to make a difference.
- Start with your next purchase.
- Start with the next business you hire.
- Start with the next recommendation you make.
When you intentionally seek out women-owned businesses, you create more opportunities to discover entrepreneurs, products, services, and ideas you might otherwise miss.
Built By Us makes that discovery easier by creating a place to find women-owned businesses all in one place.
Whether you’re looking for something to buy, someone to hire, or a business to recommend, start by looking for women-owned.
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