Dear NAWBO Members and Friends,
When I first became a member of NAWBO almost 13 years ago, I was a new business owner, looking for a place to meet with and learn from other entrepreneurs.  Looking back, I was probably hoping to find a mentor or two in the process.  I’ve certainly received more than I bargained for.  Over the years, I’ve received moral support, found wonderful service providers, made incredible friends, and shared “best practices” with fellow women business owners.  I’m not sure when it happened, but at some point, the pendulum swung for me and rather than being the mentee, I’ve become a mentor!  And I’m excited to be in that role because it’s great to be able to give and share experiences – particularly with new business owners or those thinking about starting a business.

Along those lines, Maxine Goulding and I participated as mentors on NAWBO’s behalf in Biz Women Mentoring Monday on April 3.  This event was held in 43 cities across the country on that day, so we were part of a national event aimed at mentoring – in a very unique setting.  30 mentors sat at individual tables, and had discussions with up to 9 different mentees (in short 7 minute sessions). The format is like speed-dating, but for mentoring!  The experience was rewarding for me – as I believe that I was able to give some meaningful advice (or at the very least – food for thought), to several of my mentees. And I hope that the mentees who came to my table walked away with something of value.  In theory, a 7 minute mentoring session isn’t really enough to develop a mentor relationship.  But we did invite many of these women to come to a NAWBO meeting and check us out!

Because I believe that nothing happens by accident – this season is also our membership drive time!  If you’ve been a recent guest of NAWBO and liked what you’ve seen, or you’re a former member who is ready to come back and re-engage, we invite you to do so.  Come check out our upcoming April and May meetings. April is our corporate partner recognition luncheon and is a great opportunity to meet with our sponsors in an intimate setting.  May is an evening event at Maggiano’s featuring speaker Kathleen Ronald.  (Kathleen was a former NAWBO-SV member before she moved to Southern CA several years ago. We are excited to welcome her back.)

Finally, I’d like each of our members to think about how YOU can help to make a difference in the life or career of a fellow business woman.  One way is to serve on our local NAWBO-Silicon Valley board. We are currently accepting nominations and looking for “a few good women”!  If you’re interested, please reach out to me, Maxine Goulding or Pam Hedblad.  And we might be reaching out to you.  So, if you’re tapped on the shoulder, please consider the invitation to join us.  It takes a village!  We are each fabulous women business owners, but we continue to be Better Together!

Fondly,
Monika Miles