More than 100 women gained networking insight, business growth tips and more
The Times
Bucks County businesswomen and entrepreneurs gained invaluable networking insight during a discussion and audience interaction with more than 100 women business professionals as part of SCORE Bucks County’s second annual Women Building Businesses event.
Organizer and certified SCORE mentor Linda Zangrilli said she was pleased with the turnout, as well as the engagement between speakers and attendees.
The annual event is aimed at supporting Bucks County women in business by providing helpful tips and ideas. A secondary objective is to increase the number of female SCORE mentors to mirror the large number of women business owners and entrepreneurs who seek out business help from SCORE. Many in attendance joined SCORE or signed up for mentoring following last year’s successful Women Building Businesses event.
“We’re trying to build our ladies up,” Zangrilli said. “We want you to walk out of here with something you can use in your business or career.”
Before introducing national networking expert J. Kelly Hoey, author of “Build Your Dream Network,” Zangrilli asked everyone in the room to move to another table away from colleagues.
“You don’t want to network with somebody you already know,” she said.
Hoey, in her keynote address, shed light on how women professionals can move beyond awkward handshakes at networking events to making vital business connections.
“We’re all familiar with that expression ‘think outside the box,’” Hoey said. “I want you to get in the box. The box is the constraints. With what I have, with these constraints, what am I going to do?”
She encouraged the audience to view networking as “every single human interaction” and stressed the need to “be more human” in engaging with colleagues and new connections in person and through social media.
Hoey tasked the audience with creating two lists: One list outlining the “big things” in our professional lives and the other listing the “little things” such as getting a haircut or working out. Sometimes the best connections to build a network and grow a business come from oft-ignored people, like the trainer at the gym or the beautician.
“Too many of us silo our relationships,” she said. “Take a look at those little relationships and ask yourself ‘am I ignoring some of these?’”
Cari Ellen Hermann, of Pennington, New Jersey, said she attended SCORE’s event after hearing from a friend the value she received from last year’s event.
“I feel like I’m in this shaky place with my business. I wanted to get inspiration,” said Hermann, of Photography by Cari Ellen. “I loved Kelly … She really made me realize I’m not taking care of my current clients and my friends as good as I could.”
Donna Botti, of Delos Inc., led a discussion on “What is Your Value Proposition?” Her talk, which was interspersed with audience interaction and sharing, focused on how business professionals can determine their key activities, set themselves apart from the competition and provide value to customers.
“Why should someone do business with you when they have other choices?” Botti asked. “We need to understand it from the customer’s point of view, not our point of view.”
Small Business Administration regional administrator Michelle Christian shared how the SBA works with lenders to support small business. In 2017, the SBA guaranteed $30 million in loans to Bucks County businesses. This year, that amount has increased to $40 million, she said.
“When you start your small business, you create jobs,” she said. “We can help you whether or not it’s in your head or you’ve been doing it for 20 years.”
About SCORE
Since 1964, SCORE has helped more than 8.5 million aspiring entrepreneurs. Each year, SCORE provides small business mentoring and workshops to more than 375,000 new and growing small businesses. With 50 members across the county, SCORE Bucks County provides over 1,500 services annually to local small business owners through one-on-one counseling and small business seminars. For more information, visit https://buckscounty.score.org/ or email buckscounty@scorevolunteer.org to learn more about getting involved as a volunteer mentor of SCORE Bucks County.
