Why I Buy My Products From Women-Owned Businesses

I have always been conscientious about who I'm buying products from. I feel that how we spend our dollars is akin to voting. Being in the Bay Area means I have access to various small business owners who I can support on a regular basis. As a certified Woman Owned Business (WBENC) and a member of the Women’s Cocktail Collective, I have focused on buying directly from women-owned businesses. This holiday season, I intend to purchase gifts from small women-owned businesses in my community. And since we are in the midst of holiday shopping, I want to encourage you to shop at women-owned businesses.

The goal is to replace a product you use with a woman-owned brand. What do you use on a daily or weekly basis that you can purchase directly from a woman-owned company? I opt to buy my coffee and my makeup and of course, my alcohol spirits directly from women-owned companies. Recently, I purchased sneakers from Alyson Felix to support her after Nike dropped her as a sponsor because she was pregnant.

My pair of Alyson Felix sneakers

Another women owned business I enjoy supporting is Tara Jasper's Sipsong Spirits. Tara creates "spirits with a focus on gin intended for the refined palate in search of that moment of pure bliss." With a gin botanicals tea and a gin spirit that is perfectly balanced, Tara is a visionary who redefines the qualities of artful gin. And she 's a natural born leader showcasing new ways to approach being a business leader.

I'm always happy to mix her incredible small batch gin in a cocktail recipe with absinthe, like the Corpse Reviver No. 2.

I have a great resource guide for finding women-owned businesses and showing them some love. Have you heard of the Women-Owned Initiative? It was started by The Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and WEConnect International, and is designed to be a resource guide promoting women-owned businesses. The following quote is from their website:

"Women-owned businesses need our support now more than ever. Closing the revenue and employment gap by supporting and revitalizing women-owned businesses will not only help to fuel economic growth and recovery, but also will empower women as leaders and bring about a more diverse, balanced and sustainable economy."

"Support Women Owned businesses by exercising your purchasing power and choosing to buy Women Owned products.

• Find products and businesses online in the Women Owned Business Directory.
• Look for the Women Owned Logo on storefronts, product labels, and websites.
• Support women entrepreneurs and the organizations who support them by providing education, development and/or grants to female entrepreneurs."

It's a marvelous initiative that I'm happy to support and promote. You can access their businesses guide here and follow their hashtags #WomenOwnedWednesday and #BuyWomenOwned to discover more!

There's also an awesome article about my experience founding and operating a woman-owned business Please take a few minutes to read through it! 

Let me know which businesses you support in the comments or follow me on Instagram @absinthiasbottledspirits and share your experience with me there!