Over fifty women gathered at the Everal Barn in Westerville to authentically connect with other women at the National Association of W.O.M.E.N. Columbus Chapter Kick-Off event last night. Guest speaker Teresa Cleveland of Empowered Awareness led the group through thoughts and activities designed to “network with intention.”
Networking “is not about selling,” Cleveland emphasized. “It’s about adding value to the other person. It’s about making an authentic connection.” Cleveland made it interactive by having the ladies pair off with a worksheet with five topics of personal interest. Each pair’s goal was to find out as much about the other person in five minutes. The result was real connections. “You have to get to know, like and trust someone before you can honestly refer someone,” Cleveland said. “You have to know them on a personal level.”
The National Association of W.O.M.E.N. (Women Owners Moms Entrepreneurs & Networkers), founded by Renee Belbeck as an outgrowth of Like-Minded Moms, is a community of women that provides support for women in all businesses, especially those in direct sales or home based businesses. There are chapters in Gahanna and Dublin, and now Columbus, as well as Cincinnati and Wimberley, Texas. Newly named Columbus Chapter Director Tina Falasca announced that future meetings will most likely be held on the second Tuesday of every month.
The event was sponsored by 12 women-run businesses, including Out of the Ordinary of New Albany, Celtic Naturals of Dublin, and artist Susie Lowder, who gave away samples, information, and door prizes. Proceeds from a raffle and ticket sales were donated to Nurturing the Nursing Profession (NNP), a non-profit created by Tara Lancione to support nurses and nursing students with scholarships, educational programs, and networking opportunities. May 3 through May 9 is National Nurse Appreciation Week and NNP is hosting an all-day workshop at Columbus State Community College Center for Workforce Development on May 2 to kick off the week. More details can be found at http://www.nnp.eventbrite.com.
For more information on the National Association of W.O.M.E.N., you can find them on Meetup.com or visit their website at http://www.nationalassociationofwomen.com.
For more information on Teresa Cleveland and Empowered Awareness, go to http://www.EmpoweredAwarness.com.
Comments
Nice article. Teresa is so great at this and Renee always has such great events. Sorry I missed this - appreciate the overview.
Thanks for the fabulous review Trina. I hope everyone had as much fun as I did! It was a great group of women with remarkable energy!!
I loved the event and the networking was fantastic!
Great evening - great presenter - great article. I hope more women have the opportunity to attend such events!
It was a great evening of meeting new women and being able to begin new relationships to help others build their business as well as my own. Thanks for sharing!
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