#NAWBOFirst

So far, this year has been full of great community building, creating alliances and forming new partnerships. I am thrilled to be a part of this growing organization and witnessing, first hand, the impact it has on our membership.

Let me share with you a few exciting announcements! First, get your calendar out and reserve this time in your schedule because you won’t want to miss it: October 15 – 17, 2017. These are the dates of the National Women’s Business Conference being held in Minneapolis next year, and, if you are a woman-owned business or want to better connect or support women in business, YOU WILL WANT TO ATTEND.

This year, like most, I came away from the conference with what we call a “NAWBO conference high.” It feels as if I can conquer any challenge and I know that the work I’m doing is making a difference. After attending for the past three years, there are many pieces that I love: the leadership development opportunities, breakout classes that speak to growing my own business, the amazing keynote speakers, hearing stories from founding members and reuniting with friends I’ve made along the way, but most of all, the inspiration I receive from other business owners who are going through what I’m going through.

However, I came away this year with more inspiration than usual — I swear it just keeps getting better and better every year I attend. The beautiful thing about NAWBO is that we are the NATIONAL Association of Women Business Owners, which means we are so much bigger than our incredible local chapter!

For example, at the National level, NAWBO has just released the new NAWBO Institute for Entrepreneurial Development, a 501(c)3 non-profit educational foundation that seeks to provide opportunities for capacity building and organizational development for emerging and established women entrepreneurs. Through the Institute, NAWBO aims to strengthen the wealth-creating capacity of women business owners and to promote economic development within the entrepreneurial community so that we can build a legacy of success for the next generation of women entrepreneurs. Click here to learn more.

The power of our national organization is getting even stronger. National NAWBO has recently started a new countrywide program designed specifically for our Premier members who own businesses that exceed $1 million in annual revenue. It is appropriately named “The Circle,” and our very own Lynda Bishop will participate as the program director. It’s an exciting time to be a NAWBO member and this new program will fill a need by offering deeper support through providing our members with peer and business connections, access, and learning opportunities above and beyond their actual membership. This will come in the form of mastermind groups, two-day retreats each year, a speakers’ bureau, and much more. Go online to learn more.

And finally, in Phoenix, we’re working on a program for women who are striving for that first $1 million in revenue. We understand how difficult it can be to achieve that hurdle, as does Susan Brooks, founder of Cookies from Home and founding member of NAWBO Phoenix. She will oversee this future program, which you will soon find on our website.

We know that no one succeeds alone — and NAWBO offers the means for women business owners to contribute to the success of others. Won’t you join us? You’ll be surrounded by some of the most ambitious, collaborative women business owners in the Valley who will inspire you every day to reach your fullest potential. Please visit our website or contact our office for more details!

—Phaedra Earhart, 2016 – 2017 President NAWBO Phoenix