I just returned from the San Diego Microsoft Office Live Vision to Venture event. We had more than 200 women attend, and the energy level and excitement was through the roof.
I was really struck by the long lines at the microphones. Women were eager to hear the advicefrom our experienced speakers—Susan Wilson Solovic from SBTV.com, Rich Sloan from StartupNation, and John Jantsch from Duct Tape Marketing.
Rich advised a young Web designer and entrepreneur, who is concerned about being judged by her youth, to always let her past work and references speak to her credibility. Another woman who produces designer lab coats for female physicians asked when the right time is to solicit funding for her business. Rich answered, “Before you really need it!” and suggested not only looking to banks but also to peer-to-peer lending opportunities.
Attendees were lining up to take their businesses online with our FREE Microsoft Office Live Small Business service. They were also excited to find out about the our new Women’s Resource Center and Women’s Community page, where they could continue to stay informed and in touch with the women they met at the event.
Our San Diego event also featured three amazing panelists:
· Ramona Russell, the founder of Uptown Liz, a referral shopping Web site that lists and promotes products from companies whose proceeds go directly to charity. Ramona confessed that her skepticism about blogging was proven wrong once she started blogging regularly and gained readership. Catch Ramona’s latest blog post. Ramona also shared how a fear of the worst outcome happeninghelps her make her best decisions.
· Lisa Baker, owner of Lisa Confetti, a custom jewelry creator for bold women and stylish pets. Lisa shared how Microsoft Office Live Small Business has helped her create a professional online presence and sell her jewelry online across the country. She also emphasized how important is it for a retailer to engage with independent sales reps, and offered a secret tip for how she found hers --- by looking at her competitors’ Web sites!
· Holli Dorr, president of Hollister Construction Company, emphasized how important customer relations are to making your business stand out from the rest, and how she uses her Web site and online technology to create deeper relationships with her customers. Holli was passionate about the power of women business organizations and networking. Susan Wilson Solovic seconded that when she stated that her girlfriend network provided her best support throughout her career.
We still have space left at the Miami (April 22) and Austin (April 24) events. Sign up at this page. And, of course, you are always welcome to sign up for the free on-demand webcast of the event (see the webcast link at right on this page, under “Can’t Join Us in Person?”).
And you can also now go to the Vision to Venture Web site to see video highlights from the past events!
Stay tuned for photos from the San Diego event.
Karen Dayan