Women in Business Meet and Greet

2014 marked the first time that Women in Business has held its first face-to-face meeting after its initial implementation as an online group in 2008. Our first Meet and Greet was hosted in Toronto, Canada and our second event was hosted in Barrie, in Ontario Canada.

I just thought that I will share a little about the event. It was intended to:

• Be a great event where women can meet to talk in a non-threatening environment and non-competitive way on how to take her business forward
• She could share her challenges and before she leaves would have sound solutions that she could take to change it
• It also provide her with the opportunity to network with a group of women who believes that entrepreneurship is empowering, as well as form long-lasting friendships and be a part of a support network that is dedicated to uplifting each other and building each other entrepreneurial vision
• It was a great opportunity to meet other business women for a few hours dedicated to our education and empowerment. We do need some "girls' time-out" — it is invaluable time for our personal and professional development as well as our business growth and development. Let's make it a day where you can ask questions that have  been challenging you and leave at the end of the day feeling resolved that you have found some workable solutions to take your business to a sustainable position.
• It would be an opportunity to connect with each other, share about our businesses and form long-lasting friendship
• It promised to be an afternoon of sharing and the opportunity to be inspired by other women who have taken on entrepreneurship as a vocation. It could be a lonely journey or it can be filled with support
• You could become each other referral or become a client or join in collaborative ventures. Who knows where it can take you? It has great potential to see your business grow. I know . . .

In keeping with Eleanor Roosevelt quote: Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people" at our Meet and Greet, we met to discuss "ideas" and it was a wonderful four hours spent with women with liked-minds, creative and with the belief that if we help each other, we can go a very long way in taking our businesses from its initial stage through its development into sustainability.

It is my belief that networking help us to see our vision with greater clarity and helps us to redefine and focus our business in a direction that can bring us growth and development. I found this quote to be very fitting:

Networking brings us together in the sisterhood of entrepreneurship. Men has been networking for years and it has given them the connections, knowledge and partnership that they need to be successful entrepreneurs. Women can also do it and take our businesses from the closet in the wall in our kitchen to the local and global market. It is only a few hours to sacrifice to achieve such success.~ Dr. Cheryl Cottle

Where we looked at some of the following issues:

1. What are some challenges that you are facing right now in your business that you will like solutions for?
2. Maintaining your health and physical well-being
3. Engendering spirituality into your business
4. Maintaining creativity in your business
5. The role that self-love plays in attracting wealth into your business

Women entrepreneurs and members of Women in Business was invited. We were also fortunate to reach other women entrepreneurs who weren't members. Attendance was free but members were expected to contribute to the refreshments that was served.

Below are some photographs taken at the Toronto Meet and Greet in August, 2014 and our Meet and Greet in Barrie, respectively. Photography is by Yvette-Michelle Cottle Darby