|
|||||||||||||
Printer-Friendly
Email this Story
Post a Comment (0)
Women's business group launches PW chapter
In 2003, Sheila K. Dixon was a stay-at-home mom with two toddlers, who wanted to maintain her skill sets and stay connected with other professional women.
“At the time, staying at home was a growing trend, with the advent of flex time and telecommuting,” she said. I wanted to keep up with other women outside of the playroom.”
But when she attended professional women’s group meetings, she didn’t feel like she belonged.
“I didn’t feel in place because I didn’t have a formal business at the time. I felt like I was in a limbo world,” she said.
Determined to remedy that, she set out to start a group that, besides giving women networking opportunities, would serve as a support system.
Out of the basement of her townhouse in Alexandria, she launched the beginnings of her organization; Women Building and Investing in Success. The first meeting, with four women in attendance, took place at a restaurant in Springfield. “I chose the restaurant because it had a playroom for children,” she explained.
Today, the group has chapters in Prince William, Fairfax and Arlington.
“We have women in the corporate world, women who are self-employed, women in direct sales and women who are thinking of starting their own business,” said Nokesville resident Megan Urbaniac, launch manager of the Prince William chapter.
Each chapter holds monthly luncheons with topics such as From the Boardroom to the Playroom and How to Leverage Social Media into Your Business.
Dionne Sayin, owner of Deja Brew coffee in Gainesville and a member of the Prince William chapter said WBIS offers a “unique networking experience” for women entrepreneurs.
“In addition to the challenges all small business owners face, women face a unique set of challenges that don’t affect most of their male counterparts,” she added. “WBIS gives its members a platform to share these experiences and discuss different approaches to meet these obstacles.”
The next meeting of the Prince William chapter will be held Wednesday, Nov. 4, from 12 to 1:30 p. m. at the Stonewall Golf Club in Gainesville. The topic will be Individual Goal-Setting and Strategies for 2010.
“This is a great opportunity for first-time visitors to meet our leadership team and to learn about who were are and our mission in the community,” said Dixon.
For more information, visit www.wbis.biz.
You must be logged in to post a comment.