Highlights: National Conference 2009

NAWBO Women’s Business Conference is Valuable, Practical, Inspiring

Valuable. Practical. Inspiring. This is how I’d describe the NAWBO National Women's Business Conference that Carrie Magruder (owner of The BrickHouse Massage and Coffee Bar and our President-Elect) and I attended in Chicago in June.  On NAWBO day, the day specifically designed for chapter leadership, chapter leaders from all across the country came together to learn from each other. Updates from National and chapter best practices were shared. Your NAWBONW Board will be having a strategic planning retreat in September. Our agenda will include a review of these best practices and discuss which we may set as goals for this fiscal year.
 
Additional conference highlights, for me, included two keynote speakers, Suzy Welch and Peter Walsh.  Suzy Welch shared thoughts from her new book, 10-10-10, which is a decision making tool. In making a decision, think about what the impact of your choice will be 10 minutes, 10 months, and 10 years from now. This approach keeps you aligned with your values and happier in both the short and long-terms.
 
Peter Walch, professional organizer, challenged us to get rid of clutter (all kinds) by being clear on our life vision. Without that clarity, it is difficult to create the reality we want.
 
In between the keynotes, I found the breakouts sessions to be very practical and actionable. They focused on how to help women business owners be better, more effective in that role and ranged from social networking, to negotiating, to PR.
 
Thank you for the opportunity to represent our chapter. And I am even more excited about our chapter theme this year, Power Your Dream!

Alison Zecha, President

NAWBO National Women’s Business Conference 2009 ~ ‘Power Your Dream’

I had the pleasure of attending the NAWBO National Convention in Chicago in late June.  Along with our Inland NW Chapter President and fearless leader, Alison Zecha, I dove in head first and grabbed every opportunity that came my way. 

The conference was packed with interactive workshops, inspirational speakers, endless resources and invaluable business connections.  The energy was amazing. I’ve been to a lot of conferences and I can tell you that the energy at this one was all abuzz.  In addition to acquiring many new ideas for enhancing our local NAWBO chapter, I know that my business is sure to reap the rewards of my increased knowledge, courage and passion. 

Less than a month after returning home, I am already living a more fulfilling and value-driven life!  I hope you’ll join me at the 2010 Conference in Washington D.C. 

Carrie Magruder, President-Elect