World Wise

Although it's already established more than 60 women's business centers nationwide, the SBA has set its sights much higher in its continuing commitment to women entrepreneurs. "It occurred to us it might take hundreds of years to build the number of women's business centers needed to serve the [demand] out there," says Sherrye Henry, assistant administrator of the SBA's Office of Women's Business Ownership.

So it did the next best thing. In January, the SBA launched the Online Women's Business Center (http://www.onlinewbc.org). Along with basics on how to start and run a business, the site also links users with counselors and mentors for free assistance. By July, the site should be translated into seven additional languages.

This article was originally published in the May 1998 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: World Wise.