A conference of one’s own: Second-annual In Good Company event covers everything from emotional investment to practical business resources for entrepreneurial women
PIONEERS: Displays at the In Good Company conference commemorated the achievements of women.
Women like to talk. We chat. We bond. We form relationships. And when it comes to running a business, these innate inclinations can translate into valuable networking skills.
“Women entrepreneurs are very, very adept at building a network of contacts they can not only learn from but also do business with,” says Mary Paulsell, director of the University Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Missouri.
At UCIE’s second-annual In Good Company conference for entrepreneurial women last month, networking opportunities popped up around every corner of the Reynolds Alumni Center’s meeting spaces. Attendance had more than doubled from 2007, the event’s inaugural year, to about 150 businesswomen (and a few good men) exchanging advice, resources, business cards and cautionary tales. No longer just a Columbia event, the conference attracted speakers and attendees from throughout the state, including Jefferson City, St. Louis, Kansas City and The Lake of the Ozarks.
EXPERT ENTREPRENEURS: Business owners Colleen Taylor of Midwest Travel Consultants, Darla Porter of Modern Litho-Print, Ann Pardalos of Through the Garden Gate, Lili Vianello of Visionworks Marketing & Communications and Yoland Ciolli of 50- Minute Photo shared advice and answered questions during a panel at the In Good Company conference.
Though much of the conference’s content was business as usual, some gender-specific themes emerged in workshops, lectures and discussions. The sessions themselves, for example, provided practical information about government contracting opportunities for women-owned firms. During speaker presentations—in a motif probably less prevalent among businessmen—several entrepreneurs noted that peaks and valleys in their stress levels and business successes were reflected in their own weight fluctuations. And, expectedly, seasoned pros gave tips on keeping a sense of humor in the face of discrimination and stereotype perpetuation. Michele Stauffer, founder of the multimillion-dollar Kansas Aircraft Corporation and the first American woman to fly the Russian Sukhoi SU-27 tactical fighter jet, reported delivering airplanes to clients and being asked by the recipients, “Where’s the pilot?” (She said she plans to one day write a book on her experiences as a woman in the male-dominated airplane industry, which she’ll title Oh, God, It’s a Woman.)
Perhaps the most prevalent theme to emerge during the two-day conference was the idea that women who are entrepreneurs tend to develop strong emotional ties to their businesses and to take care of people who work for and with them.
“Women feel like their businesses are part of their family,” Paulsell said. “They will do everything they can under the sun to keep their employees working and paid.”
During a panel discussion, Columbian Lili Vianello, president of Visionworks Marketing & Communications, said that in the lean early years of her business, she couldn’t offer health insurance to employees, but she made sure they never went unpaid—even if that meant borrowing money from her parents for payroll. “Benefits are important, but more important is how you treat employees,” she said.
The pre-conference keynote speaker would agree. Brenda Newberry, founder and CEO of the St. Charles-based information-technology consulting business The Newberry Group, promises clients and employees a commitment to service, integrity, ethical and moral conduct, and social responsibility— as well as a high-quality product. “The Newberry Group is an excellent example of a company the really sticks to its core values,” Paulsell said.
Among the smattering of anecdotes, personal principles and business philosophies, though, was a very solid, pragmatic collection of information and resources for any woman starting and maintaining a business. “People want to know, ‘What can I do tomorrow at 8 a.m. with this information?’” Paulsell noted. Workshops covered finding capital, developing marketing plans, procuring contracts, becoming certified, getting organized and making the right contacts.
For more practical resources, budding entrepreneurs can get help through UCIE programs, including the Missouri Small Business Technology Development Center and the Missouri Procurement Technical Assistance Center.
University Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
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