Come to the fair to meet women entrepreneurs
Posted By
Posted 2 months ago
Come to the fair! The Women Without Offices Fair, that is.
The name says it all: WWO is a collective of women entrepreneurs, the less visible but brilliant jewels of Northumberland. Each of these outstanding women runs her business from home, a studio or even her car. No storefronts or office buildings for this exceptional group.
On Monday evening, Nov. 30, between 5 and 9 in the community room at Davis' Independent Grocer in Port Hope, you can meet them and learn about the diverse range of services and products they provide in the region. It is free and there'll be something or someone for everyone, from AY: art to yoga.
These women do it all: From portraits and art classes to custom furniture and cabinetry, windows and eavestrough cleaning, house painting and minor repairs. There's in-home personal support care for seniors, Reiki for pets, a certified cottage, home and renovation designer; a wide range of wellness services including massage therapy, hypnotherapy and reflexology, as well as one-of-a-kind and custom jewelry. Other women offer home organizing makeovers, an extensive skin care line, image and wardrobe consulting, huge savings on ink cartridge and laser toner refilling and custom framing for art, photography and memorabilia too. There's even a car transfer service and a psychic.
Transition challenging
When Catherine Hawley moved to Northumberland two years ago, she hadn't realized some of the difficulties she would encounter transitioning her business of home organizing services. Without social and business connections, and lacking a large advertising budget, getting known in her new community proved to be daunting.
Recognizing that many of the same obstacles must exist for other self-employed women working from home, an idea surfaced. The freelance writer approached Mandy Martin, editor of Northumberland Today, with a concept: A regular column, each article featuring one of the many women operating their own business without offices and storefronts.
The editor was enthusiastic and encouraging, the writer was excited, and a chance encounter with Cindy Marshall, who operates a car shuttle to any driveable destination, provided one of the first WWO features.
Word spread. New women entrepreneurs surfaced weekly.
In April, the writer hosted a 'thanks for participating' gathering. Watching and listening to these women share their ideas, successes and even their bloopers spawned another idea. The Women Without Offices networking group was born.
Marshall sums up the group.
"We're all about women helping women." With 24 remarkable women featured to date, WWO recently published its own showcase directory. Written, set up, printed and distributed solely by the women in this group, this advertising tool was affordable for all.
Gerry Johnston recalls, "Being featured in the WWO column has allowed me to meet so many smart, kind, and wonderful women, all keen to help each other succeed. Working from home has many rewards but it can be isolating. Interacting with this fun group solves that, and opens more doors for all of us."
Hawley, who facilitates the group, collecting input from all the members and coordinates the details, explains that "the unique thread that joins us is that we understand how different a home-based career is. Because we don't have huge promotion budgets, paid lunches or expense accounts, a primary goal is to raise our visibility while keeping this network affordable, in both time and money. WWO is growing and working for us because we're all equal in this network. There are no queen bees."
WWO is planning other public events, interactive business-building sessions and unique projects to become more visible and involved in our communities in 2010. Whenever possible the members hire and recommend one another too, knowing the best advertising comes from each other another and satisfied customers. If you're a WWO please visit and introduce yourself.
New member and life skills coach Kathryn Lee-Ryder remarks: "I have felt a great sense of welcome since day one. It's informal enough to create a true sense of team connection, acceptance and participation. This is a treasure in the making."
Enjoy complimentary coffee and tea while exploring the wide variety of business displays. Fill in a free draw ballot to win a gift basket full of products and gift certificates from WWO. That's Monday, Nov. 30 from 5 to 9 p. m.
For more information contact Catherine Hawley at c. d.hawley@hotmail.com or 905-885-9088.
