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WBC2012 PERSPECTIVES
Attendees Shares Favorite Moments and Highlights
An event like the NAWBO® Women’s Business Conference is filled with great conversation between peers. It’s no surprise then that much of the conversation turned to highlights of the WBC2012 experience and how they were motivated and inspired. Here’s what we heard:
“The business development was great!”
“It’s nice to get perspectives from different people and hear how they’re struggling or thriving.”
“Dr. Irvin was great—his futuristic speech was very energizing and kept everyone in the moment. Imagine taking one of his classes. You really catch a fire from him on looking for the next change, making sure you’re prepared and accepting what’s happening tomorrow.”
“Being able to showcase Louisville to so many people who might not have otherwise come here has really been the best thing about this conference. It’s so exciting to hear women talk about how fabulous Louisville is and that they want to come back and bring their families.”
“The mentoring and advisory board session with Marissa Levin was very valuable. It reminded me that as a business owner, it’s okay and actually better to ask for help!”
“For me, the best part was the information to take back to my chapter and try to grow and develop that.”
“I wish I had more time with Marissa Levin. Her session was very practical and applicable. I appreciated her eagerness to help women business owners.”
“The UPS tour was phenomenal. They really made themselves so accessible. When you live here, you take it for granted. What great ways they give back to the community! Their Metropolitan College Program is fantastic; their employees give countless volunteer hours to the community; and they give significant funds to non-profits.”
“I learned how to work on my business by continuing to do business development one day a week. This was an awesome session that should be repeated.”
“The leadership classes once again were applicable to my business as well as my chapter operations.”
“I learned mostly about other chapters and that is helping me with our chapter.”
“It was so inspirational...women aren’t worried about being demure in business anymore.”
“I am going to go back and make sure to assess my business and strategies so that they are current.”
“Mostly what I learned applied to our chapter. And there was LOTS! Maintaining and generating membership was a big one.”
“I learned many things, but overall I am inspired and motivated to keep going.”
“It’s all about the networking. I need to get out, be seen and get involved to help advance my business.”
“Even though I am a small business, I will not be afraid to talk to large corporation business owners and decision makers because I know that what I do can help their businesses.”
“I am inspired to take risks—I am trying!”
“I am inspired to be strong and don’t give up.”
“It’s so important to value employees and provide great customer service. The Southwest Airlines presentation was great in that regard.”
“Sharing best practices during the chapter leadership track was so valuable.”
“Dr. Nat Irvin is a great visionary. It’s always inspiring to hear where we are headed. I needed some of his insights to plan for my next step.”
“For me, a highlight was learning about modifying and tailoring your message for the diverse populations and learning to develop more exports/business to the areas around the world with growth opportunities.”
“Ideas from other chapters on programming was terrific; and from a personal level, on business plan development.”
"That people there genuinely want to help me succeed. Networking is a very important part of expanding my business. I need to learn to come out of my shell and network better.”
"Some great ideas and tips were offered in the working on your business breakout session.”
“One of the main things I took away is don’t get so caught up in how it is and how it has to look.....just keep moving forward.”
“The branding breakout session with Michelle Villalobos was outstanding and I have pages of notes from that session. Kathy Ireland also inspired me when she said that although her employees are not family, they are a business family. It was a great reminder to me to practice that in my business.”
“Actually working on my business versus being stuck in ‘analysis paralysis’ is what I am taking back with me.”
“The conference reminded me why I am good and committed to what I do!”
"We have to prepare for future changes in the market and culture. Passion should fuel your actions.”
"I learned I need to decide what I want my life to look like and then design my business to make that happen. I am working on my ideal design right now!”
"Time management—the first 90 minutes of your day are the most productive.”
"Kathy Ireland was very inspirational. Don’t let others tell you what you are or are not capable of—chart your own course.”
"The people were so friendly…it was really easy to network.”
"To think bigger, build a plan and implement it.”
“So much came out of the conference that was relevant to our chapter growth, and the corporate partner panel was excellent in that regard. As far as my business, I really liked what I heard from many of the speakers. For instance, you can’t do this alone or in a vacuum. Ask for help, collaborate and work your networks. I really liked the personal brand presentation, and will implement some of those ideas.”
"The opportunity to meet other professional women business owners and those aspiring to be was really a highlight.”
"The leadership session was amazing. I can’t even begin to list all of the takeaways from that session. I do think the biggest item learned was to better distribute our workload and we are currently in discussions on how best to do that.”
"Fabienne Frederickson and Michelle Villalobos both provided me takeaways I will implement in my business.”
"I wrote a One Page Business Plan on the plane back to Tucson...and it has cleared a great deal of clutter from my head.”
"Figure out what you enjoy doing. Do those things and outsource or hire the other duties.”
"I learned to have better, honest face-to-face communication with customers and employees.”
"To not take no for an answer and to follow my dreams.”
"I am going to continue to focus on innovation and bringing new ideas to my company and to other women business owners/entrepreneurs.”
"If someone says no, ask why. If they say yes, ask how!”
"The international opportunities I’ve been pursuing are on the right track and I need to form more strategic alliances to maximize their potential.”
"To leverage—do what you do best and leverage it with process, technology and people.”
"Caroline Higgins said ‘No is a full sentence’—simple but powerful."
"I took away a lot of contacts to help with government contracting.”
"Sharing stories continues to be an excellent way to connect.”
CLICK HERE to view the official photo gallery of the NAWBO WBC2012 by Diamond Dust Photography.
