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NETWORKING WITH A PURPOSE
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Women-to-Women
Associations Help
Build Business
By Glen Sparks
Donna Wolfersberger doesn’t like to go to Jefferson City alone.
If she is visiting the state capital to lobby legislators, Wolfersberger brings a group of friends. Usually, these friends also are members of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), of which Wolfersberger is president of the St. Louis chapter.
 Missouri Women’s Business Expo on June 4, 2004 at Greenbriar Hills Country Club for eWomen. On the left is Sue Mathias with Mannatech. She is networking with Michele Johnson with Vitality Unlimited Inc. |
| NAWBO & Small Business Week Celebrate “A Taste of NAWBO.” |
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“One of the things that we do is try to influence public policy, and I think that women can do that more effectively by working together and being in a large group,” says Wolfersberger, who owns Wolf-Gang and Associates Inc., a full-service marketing agency located in The Hill neighborhood.
NAWBO has more than 8,000 members and 80 chapters across the country. Besides working on public policy issues that affect business, members promote economic development and support young businesswomen. “So often, women do not know where to turn if they want to become a business owner,” Wolfersberger says. “It wasn’t that long ago, that if a woman wanted to take a loan out
to start a business, they would need their
husband, or another man, to co-sign the loan.”
Some of the other organizations that support local businesswomen include Amazing Women of St. Louis, Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW)-St. Louis, eWomenNetwork Inc., the Professional Women’s Alliance and Encouraging, Supporting and Promoting Women (ESPW).
Joining one of these groups can be crucial to building a successful business, Wolfersberger says. Of the 125 local NAWBO members, about 70 percent have been business owners for less than three years.
“Members learn about how to build a successful business plan and what to do to get over some of the other hurdles,” says Wolfersberger. “Men bond on the golf course. Women like to get together and bond in a less competitive atmosphere, for the most part.”
MARYANNE PRESTON
St. Louis area president, eWomen
owner, Hiring Solutions
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Each group has a special niche. CREW-St. Louis, for instance, was started in 1982 by a group of female brokers; but it now includes women in almost every field of real estate. Brokers, asset managers, real estate lawyers and appraisers get together to discuss real estate issues on a local, state and national level.
ESPW holds frequent workshops to search for solutions to common problems. Some of the upcoming ones include: “Awakening Your Intuition,” “Complementary Health: Maximizing Your Energy” and “Soar with Your Passions.”
Members can post upbeat on-line notes
at the Encouragement Center on the ESPW Web site and get advice for their financial, health and spiritual needs. Unlike other groups, ESPW does not venture into the
political arena.
Some groups appeal just to women business owners. The Professional Women’s Alliance, however, welcomes accountants, attorneys, bankers, CEOs, CFOs and more.
Helen Heilich, vice president of the local chapter, works for American Roland, a New York company that imports specialty foods from across the world. She says the Professional Women’s Alliance is an affiliate of the National Association of Female Executives. By joining the Alliance, women can brush up on their leadership and management skills. They also can participate in a six-month mentoring program that helps women who are getting started in the business world. Mentors assist their protégés in setting goals and meeting them.
Networking gets plenty of attention from Alliance members. “This is not about networking on a shallow level,” Heilich says. “It’s about long-term networking.”
Speakers at the Alliance meetings, Heilich says, “Do not get up on the stage and try to sell something in front of 80 other members. They try to help you improve your business.”
Cyberspace, of course, plays a huge role in modern business. Women can visit the eWomenNetwork Web site and post a personal profile page on their businesses. Advertisements in newspapers and magazines bring traffic to the site, and a weekly eWomen radio show profiles women business owners.
Founded in 2000 by Texas businesswoman Sandra Yancey, eWomenNetwork has chapters in the United States and Canada, including ones in St. Charles and St. Louis. Members can attend workshops and hear from some of the country’s leading businesswomen at monthly meetings.
“Our mission is to promote women,” says Maryanne Preston, the St. Louis area president of eWomen and the owner of Hiring Solutions, a company that she started six years ago to provide online pre-employment and management assessments to businesses. “Women like to build relationships, and that really fits into the philosophy of eWomen—that you give to other people first.”
| ESPW website. |
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As more women open their own businesses, memberships in groups like eWomen should increase. Financial and retirement planning, insurance and manufacturing are some “hot” areas for women business owners.
“We know that there’s a lot that women can do and a lot that groups like eWomen can do,” Wolfersberger says. “It’s taken forever, but we’ve finally broken through the glass ceiling.”
Glen Sparks is a freelance writer based in St. Louis.
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