NAWBO propels women entrepreneurs toward economic, social, and political power by

• Strengthening their wealth creating capacity and promoting entrepreneurial development
• Creating innovative change in the business culture
• Building strategic alliances, coalitions, and affiliations
• Influencing opinion makers to transform public policy

In 1975 a dozen business women in the Washington D.C. area began meeting to share information and strengthen their companies. Their work eventually led to nationwide lobbying and in 1988 President Reagan's signing the Women's Business Act to end the requirement of a man's co-signature on a business loan or personal mortgage.

Over the past 40 years, NAWBO has expanded across the U.S. into more than 70 chapters. Through its alliance with the World Association of Women Heads of Enterprises (Femmes Chefs d'Entreprises Mondiales), NAWBO's global reach extends to 60 countries on five continents.