Several years ago I joined a
BNI chapter here in the
New River Valley (NRV). There, I learned many, many valuable lessons about how to network successfully and, equally important, I met professionals from diverse industries, ranging from new entrepreneurs to well-established businesses men and women.
When I left the group, I missed the face-to-face interaction with my colleagues. I was not alone and one of the more enterprizing and experienced networking women (Terry Ellen Carter) suggested we start a lunch group and invite other business women. Neither of us were interested in the formal structure an organization provides, but we did want to continue to help one another, as well as others, in business. Thus began the "Smart Ladies" lunch group. The name was not important, although "smart" only begins to describe the capabilities of the women we brought to our table.
Anyone invited to lunch was also encouraged to bring a guest. This way, we were guaranteed to meet someone new and expand our own knowledge of women-run businesses in our region. Our frequency has decreased but the connections we made remain strong. In honor of those very "smart ladies" I have listed the many of the contacts we made and hope that anyone who reads this will seek out the opportunity to work with them. Let me know if you need an introduction!
Terry Ellen Carter - VP of
Service First WebmastersLeslie Frantz - owner,
Hometown Appraisal Services, Inc.Christy Brown - Agent/Owner,
Brown InsuranceSara R. Bohn, MBA - Financial Representative -
Northwestern Mutual Financial Network Lisa Altizer -
Edward Jones Investments, Branch Office Administrator
Sue Gift - graphic designer, owner,
SG Graphics