Female Founders: Antionette Ball of Women’s Entrepreneurial Opportunity Project On The Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder

As we bounce back from the impact of the pandemic and work to support women-owned businesses, we must demonstrate our strength in numbers. Women business owners face economic, sociocultural, and institutional barriers, all of which are linked to discrimination, resulting in lack of capital, family issues, and inability to access strategic networks.

As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Antionette Ball.

Antionette Ball is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Women’s Entrepreneurial Opportunity Project. Since 1999, Ms. Ball and her twin sister and Co-Founder, Mary Ball, have dedicated their energy to providing programs and services that support, encourage, and celebrate the economic self-sufficiency of women. Ms. Ball holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Public Administration and Management from the University of Southern California. She has served on several nonprofit boards, has been instrumental in launching innovative programs supporting women in business, and is the author of the Women Owned Business Guide to Winning Contracts and the creator of “Her Biz” Journal.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?

The year of 1999 was an excellent time, especially after the 1996 welfare reform legislation that encouraged job preparation and work for mothers receiving welfare. The legislation also set federal time limits on the length of welfare receipt, and there were stringent sanctions for not complying with the work requirement rules.

This legislation was especially important to me because I was a single mother and a welfare recipient. Receiving assistance was not a choice, nor a luxury, but a necessity to rise above economically. There are plenty of women that seek short term assistance to rise above their situations and make a better life for their families.

Launching a nonprofit was an ideal solution for me to help these women advance economically. Since I was now in a better economic situation, I could share my story and help other women. I personally subscribe to the motto that “One resource, connection, or opportunity can change the trajectory of your life.” This has been a proven mantra throughout my life, and this was one of the reasons that compelled me to launch the Women’s Entrepreneurial Opportunity Project (WEOP).

I was armed with a passion to help women, especially women like myself, who walked down the same paths. I launched the organization in 1999 with my twin sister, Marionette. We named the organization The Women’s Employment Opportunity Project, Inc. We were just driven by the challenge to help women. We received our first grant from The Atlanta Women’s Foundation, and through the funding circle we met some amazing women who were also nonprofit founders. We were all excited about the grant because the story we all shared was our difficulty in securing funding.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?

One of my most interesting stories was being selected for an award from the Turner Broadcasting Station (TBS) in Atlanta, Georgia. A television crew moved into my home for two weeks and renovated my kitchen, and I was not allowed to see the kitchen until the unveiling. The story of the kitchen renovation was televised on a segment of a “Movie and A Makeover,” and my remodeled kitchen and story were also featured in a publication of Better Homes & Gardens “Kitchen and Bath Makeovers.” It was an exciting time!

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I was excited to secure my first office location on the second floor of a bank building. Since my initial budget was exhausted, I moved into the location without any furniture. I was sitting at my desk and received a call from a potential sponsor, stating that she was in the area and wanted to stop by the office. When she walked in the office, we both looked at each other and just broke out in laughter. However, she believed in our cause, our relationship blossomed, and she became one of our strongest supporters and sponsors.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

There are two people that come to mind, and they are Charlotte Johnson, formerly with the Small Business Administration (SBA), and Glenda Stinson, our Board Chair, and a former corporate executive with Georgia Power. They were both extremely supportive and instrumental in raising awareness and credibility for the organization. For example, Glenda advocated for WEOP and helped us secure a location for our monthly roundtable meetings and annual events. She also garnered the support of the entire Supplier Diversity staff at Georgia Power. Charlotte created the opportunity for us to secure co-sponsorship agreements with the SBA, which opened the door for us to conduct workshops and expand our work in the community. Conducting events and activities with the Small Business Administration was a huge step for the organization. Also, our relationship with Glenda created the opportunity to be supported by a major corporation in Georgia.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. According to this EY report, only about 20 percent of funded companies have women founders. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women to create companies. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from founding companies?

I personally knew of other similar initiatives started by women who did not look like me that were securing a stream of funding. Since this was such a good cause, I never realized that there would be so many barriers and challenges over the last two decades. Many times, I was left scratching my head, especially after doing research on a foundation, looking at other initiatives funded that were similar to WEOP, and still being turned downed numerous times. When I started WEOP in 1999, I also knew of at least thirty other organizations led by women of color with awesome missions. One by one, they were closing their doors, due to the same obstacles and difficulties in securing funding. We used to say, “Who really cares about the plight of women, especially women of color?”

I started doing research and soon realized that the barriers are real, especially for nonprofit organizations started by women. A study conducted by Echoing and Green and Bridgespan confirms the following statistic: “Black-led organizations are 24 percent smaller than the revenues of their white-led counterparts. When it comes to the holy grail of financial support — unrestricted funding — the picture is even bleaker. The unrestricted net assets of the Black-led organizations are 76 percent smaller than their white-led counterparts.”

I did not take it personally. I share this perspective as a nonprofit leader with over 23 years of experience. On many occasions, I have to emphasize my experience and education when prospective funders are quick to connect me to their consultants, or instead of funding, offer a grant for technical assistance. Yes, WEOP is led and founded by two African American women. WEOP’s Director attended the prestigious University of Southern California and co-founders attended Indiana University, Bloomington, and the University of Southern California with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. Both founders have served on numerous nonprofit boards and councils and implemented innovative program initiatives. And yes, we are qualified.

What is holding founders back is the lack of networks and resources. Speaking from the perspective as the founder of a nonprofit organization, it is imperative to operate a nonprofit like a business, and the criteria for securing funding are usually contingent upon longevity. Organizations have to prove that they can be responsive to their funders and supporters. There may be a period of time when they are unable to secure grants or sponsorship support as a 50l(c)(3) organization. Also, there is always competition from national organizations that have the resources for the beautiful website, technical support, and marketing. It is extremely difficult for organizations to launch on limited resources.

Can you help articulate a few things that can be done as individuals, as a society, or by the government, to help overcome those obstacles?

As individuals and as a society, we can help overcome these obstacles by supporting one another. I can share some pretty colorful stories about our journey of running a nonprofit that we have experienced with women within our race. I was referred for a meeting with a women’s group on the North side of town from a technology hub. We had a great conversation about venture capitalist investors, and during the course of our conversation, she was quick to state, “The businesses that are selected for the cohort are usually not ‘lifestyle businesses.’” During our discussion, I did share with her that the women in our network had a range of backgrounds. In fact, the referral was an African American woman who had a technology business. I guess she could not see through the color to really accept what I was telling her.

Our biggest blow was when we had an African American man volunteer his time to host workshops, and he expressed his excitement to his boss, who was a black woman. She commented “Why do you want to work with those people?” Oftentimes, being African American women, we are looked upon as unqualified and less experienced. We were even described as being a “fun organization” by other African American women. We have seen women of other colors looked upon as more qualified and more professional to lead in educating and empowering our communities.

The government can help women overcome these obstacles by working to provide more access to funding. There are so many worthwhile nonprofit organizations that have been operating for years, making a difference in their communities while operating off shoestring budgets and limited staff. Why? Because, like WEOP, they have a passion for their mission, and they realize that passion will change what happens within their communities. So, they put out a call to action to funders in making decisions about money. When funding is directly allocated to worthwhile community organizations, collaborative efforts, and community stakeholders, it provides benefits to the community.

Yes, we do have national organizations — the NAACP and National Urban League to name a few. But studies confirm that organizations led by people of color receive less significant funding, outside of the large national organizations. Changing the economic inequalities of communities of color will take a collaborative, strategic effort between larger organizations and organizations that are community-based. As nonprofit founders, it is time that we demand a seat at the table and go after economic equity in funding allocations to organizations led by people of color of all races and nationalities.

This might be intuitive to you as a woman founder but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?

As we bounce back from the impact of the pandemic and work to support women-owned businesses, we must demonstrate our strength in numbers. Women business owners face economic, sociocultural, and institutional barriers, all of which are linked to discrimination, resulting in lack of capital, family issues, and inability to access strategic networks.

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?

When women embark on a business enterprise, it is sometimes assumed that she wants to escape the 9–5 routine to pursue a creative passion. There is also a myth that women entrepreneurs and business owners are not on a serious path to scale and grow their enterprises. As a founder, I remain serious and mission-focused and focus my efforts on driving the sustainability of my business. There are many women in my circle that launched businesses as the only way to secure economic and family stability. I want to dispel the myth that women create businesses purely to express their creativity and passion, as this is just not true.

Is everyone cut out to be a founder? In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful founder and what type of person should perhaps seek a “regular job” as an employee? Can you explain what you mean?

In my opinion, no, not everyone can be a founder. I describe a founder as a true leader, analytical thinker, and a visionary who is not afraid to take risks. A founder is a person not satisfied with the mundane 9–5 routine and who enjoys a challenge while at the same time is driven by a personal cause or mission.

Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. Based on your opinion and experience, what are the “Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Woman Founder?” (Please share a story or example for each.)

1. Be persistent — don’t give up! As the major fundraiser for the organization, when I reach out for funding, I can’t take it personally if the answer is no. I may have to go back to the same source, ask again, and work on building trust in the organization.
2. Build relationships. It usually takes time building relationships, especially with sponsors. For example, in one situation, it took me over a year of extending special invites, just letting her get to know about our projects, and inviting her to speak. Eventually, I built a relationship of trust and respect which led to financial support and a great friendship.
3. Make strategic moves. It is important to spend time planning and making strategic moves that are beneficial for long term goals. It is very important for me to align with likeminded people and organizations. I have to understand the dynamics of relationships. Therefore, I spend time doing research and thinking about my next plan of action and what will be advantageous for the organization.
4. Innovate. Stay on top of trends and spend time brainstorming with others about innovative approaches and projects for your business or organization. I am constantly learning best practices and about model projects that I can incorporate as part of my strategy. This is one of the reasons we started a Contract Ready training program at WEOP. It was important to help women acquire skills and knowledge to pursue prime and subcontract opportunities to boost their business income.
5. Network. Networking is a great way to build your circle and creates the opportunity for you to surround yourself with a tribe of motivated and inspiring likeminded women. During our events, we promote our brand and meet an amazing circle of women that lend their expertise as volunteers, speakers, and supporters. We also have some incredible members.

How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

WEOP’s success is in its ability to help others. Over the years, WEOP has been instrumental in supporting the business growth for hundreds of women in business. We make our impact through our programs and events and through providing resources. I also support women with contracting opportunities and have personally provided guidance and mentorship.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

I would encourage a movement that inspires women to support each other. There are so many ways that we can lend support to other women in our circle, including being a mentor, buying from a woman owned business, connecting her to an opportunity, etc. Just one act of kindness or support can go a long way.

We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

The television producer, Shonda Rhimes. I truly admire your business acumen and creativity.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.