Networking in-person over coffee and conferences has been a staple of meeting people and building business relationships. Then suddenly, due to COVID-19, it wasn't. More than 6-months later, we know that virtual networking is here to stay, even when in-person events resume. Have you truly honed your virtual networking skills? Do you have a strategy to identify and connect with new prospects? What do you need to do differently for productive virtual networking? That's what today's podcast is all about!

Host Mary Foley speaks with Dawne Brooks Gulla and Shanna Kabatznick, two queens of face-to-face and virtual networking and connecting. Dawn is the Executive Director and Chief Networking Officer of BNI Central Virginia with over 34 chapters. Business Networking International or BNI is the largest and most successful business networking organization in the world.

As a top producer in her field, Shanna Kabatznick was the rare Latina in the Million Dollar Round Table, Women's Leader Symposium, and other leadership conferences. She continuously broke records in sales and customer engagements, once she realized effective networking was the key to her success. It led her to be the founder and CEO of FABWOMEN, an international community of over 120 women who laugh, learn, connect, and do a lot of business together.

Listen and learn:

• The art of staying connected to your existing network
• Apps that make your contacting connections simple
• What to do when a client or member needs assistance
• How to make new virtual connections
• Strategies and methods for virtual networking events
• How virtual networking saves small businesses money
• Transform a social media connection into a personal conversation
• Guidelines for communicating with new business connections
• How virtual networking can expand your business's geographic footprint
• Trends in the virtual networking space

Business Network International — Central Virginia

FAB Women

[email protected]

[email protected]

In January 2020, were you excited and ready to implement your business vision for the year? And, when COVID took hold did it force you to reassess your strategies or change the course of your business model?

Real women entrepreneurs and small business owners were faced with uncertainty for an undetermined length of time. So, now that we are months into the pandemic, how did you pivot to keep your business afloat? Did some non-traditional areas of your business grow due to your expanded focus?

Host Mary Foley speaks with Gwen Hurt and Leah Coleman, two women entrepreneurs who were uncertain what would happen to their small businesses when the pandemic began. During this episode, these inspiring women share details about the inventive ways they shifted and pivoted to keep a steady ship, and in some cases increased brand awareness through non-traditional growth avenues during these uncertain times.

Gwen Hurt is the founder and owner of Shoe Crazy Wine and along with her daughter, she works with the best vineyards in California to offer unique wine blends to customers through specialty stores and big-box retailers. Leah Coleman is an entrepreneur who offers residential, commercial, and investment properties to women in Virginia. In addition, she offers encouragement and support through her Boss Babes RVA virtual community.

Listen and learn:

• Advice on how to respond to change and shift your business
• The importance of taking time to assess the new business landscape
• Ways to increase social media followers and virtual brand
• Tips for non-traditional ways to increase revenue
• Recognizing alternative markets for products and services
• How checking website analytics offers client insights
• Making the best use of any additional time in your schedule
• Working to get as much free press as you can
• How to strategically use your advertising dollars
• Why keeping cash is key during uncertain times

Shoe Crazy Wine

Shoe Crazy Wine on Facebook & @shoecrazywine on Instagram

Leah Coleman Website

Boss Babes RVA

Due to the pandemic, virtual meetings have Zoom-ed into your everyday life. But, have you taken the time to consider how this technology will help you increase revenue, lower costs, and reduce your environmental footprint when face-to-face interactions are back in style? What could if you create your own virtual events? How can virtual events change the game for entrepreneurs and women in business? This is what we explore today!

In this episode, host Mary Foley speaks with Amy Garelick, owner of Power Up Video and Virtual Events. Amy and her team are creative video storytellers who conceptualize, write, edit, and deliver social media marketing videos, website videos, or host virtual events. They help organizations and individual business owners create consistent content and host virtual events that are polished, compelling, and authentic.

Amy shares tips for making the most of your virtual events. Plus, she shares common virtual meeting mistakes you may not realize you are making, and how you can realize additional revenue by integrating virtual events into your business.

Listen and learn:

• How to access unrealized revenue streams by utilizing virtual events
• Advantages of quick, professional, reliable virtual connections
• The measurable data virtual meetings provide
• How to avoid common mistakes with virtual events
• What needs to work to make your event a success
• When it's time to hire a team of virtual event professionals
• How virtual events will evolve

Power Up Video & Virtual Events

[email protected]

Power Up Video on Facebook

As reopening happens, chances are you are considering what you need to do for customers and clients to hire you or buy from you again. Or, you might be thinking about launching a new product or service or maybe some new positioning or pricing. You truly want to hit the mark, but you are not quite sure what is the best decision.

Market research is the key to knowing what your consumers want and what they are willing to pay for it. If an established market research firm seems out of reach to you, this podcast includes important information that is especially relevant as we begin reopening our businesses.

In this episode, host Mary Foley speaks with Stacy Thomas, President of Good Run Research of Richmond Virginia. As experienced market researchers, Stacy and her team help new brands build presence, and established brands maintain relevance. Getting to know a clients' customers is their passion. They are seriously good at translating a customer's actions into marketing insights, and those insights help clients make business decisions with confidence.

During a run ten years ago, Stacy had the vision to create a marketing firm that maintains the integrity of research science but also embraces the spirit of humanity. That idea is still the central motivation of Good Run Research.

Listen and learn:

• Market research: What it is and how your business can benefit from it
• The shifts in purchasing caused by the pandemic
• The risks associated with not adjusting to changing market drivers
• How market research helps business owners set business goals
• How small businesses can do market research without a big budget
• Market research best practices for small business owners
• Common mistakes business owners make when it comes to market research

Good Run Research

[email protected]

Research reveals that self-doubt is the number one emotion we all have in common. When we unconsciously criticize, judge, or talk harshly to ourselves we do more harm than good. So, if beating ourselves up isn't the answer what is? How do we become aware of our dragons of self-doubt, effectively slay them and keep them from rearing their ugly heads? If you are ready to slay what is holding you back from getting the life you want, this podcast is for you.

In this episode for performance-driven women, Host Mary Foley speaks with Katherine Wintsch, CEO and Founder of Mom Complex and author of the life-changing book, Slay Like a Mother: How You Can Destroy What's Holding You Back So You Can Live the Life You Want. Katherine left a position at a nationally recognized ad agency to do her own thing. Today, she dedicates her life to making the lives of mothers easier by working alongside Fortune 500 companies to help them develop better products and better services for mothers. Katherine has been awarded the 'Working Mother of the Year Award' by the Advertising Women of New York and earned the title of "Woman of the Decade' from the Women's Economic Forum in India.

Listen and learn:

Listen and learn:

• How to become aware of what is holding you back
• Why it's important to take time for yourself
• Tips on how to be more kind to yourself
• How to reassure, not criticize yourself
• Ideas about how to reframe self-doubt
• How to say no to others who ask too much of your time
• Insights on accepting yourself for who you are

Mom Complex Website

Slay Like a Mother Website

Slay Like a Mother on Facebook

Slay Like a Mother on Instagram

We all are experiencing a dramatic and sudden charge to our personal and professional lives because of the Coronavirus. First, we want you to stay safe, stay positive and we're here to help you stay POWERful.

Because of the crisis, it's likely you are working from home and figuring out how to help clients, as well as connect with prospects. Currently, there are no in-person networking meetings or events. Which means now more than ever, you need to do virtual networking and do it well.

In this episode, host Mary Foley talks with four leaders of women's networking groups about how they are helping their members stay connected and growing using virtual networking:

Lisa Shapiro is the CEO and Founder of DCFempreneur, a community supporting female entrepreneurs in Washington, DC.

Lee Ann Pond is the President of NAWBO Richmond, as well as Founder and CEO of Engaging Leadership where she helps companies develop their leadership.

Theresa White is the Managing Director of the eWomen Network chapter of Northern Virginia, in addition to her role as a Financial Planner at MassMutual Capitol District.

Shanna Kabatznick is the CEO and Founder of FABWOMEN, a community of fabulous women in business in the Richmond, VA region. She is also a bilingual trainer, speaker and consultant helping people break down barriers and authentically engage with one another.

Listen and learn:

• Why it's important to stay connected virtually, especially during a crisis
• Creative ways to replace in-person meeting and events using online tools
• Advice about what to do and what not to do to make new connections in a virtual world
• How virtual networking impacts introverts, extraverted, and ambiverts differently
• Hidden opportunities with virtual networking because of the Coronavirus crisis
• The biggest mistakes a woman in business could make right now with virtual networking

Lisa Shapiro

https://dcfempreneur.com/

Lee Ann Pond

http://nawborichmond.org/

https://engaging-leadership.com/

Theresa White

https://www.ewomennetwork.com/

https://capitoldistrict.massmutual.com/

Shanna Kabatznick

https://fabwomen.me/

https://shannak.com/

In this episode for performance-driven women, Host Mary Foley speaks with Katherine Wintch, CEO and Founder of Mom Complex and author of the life-changing book, Slay Like a Mother. Katherine left a position at a nationally recognized ad agency to do her own thing. Today, she dedicates her life to making the lives of mothers easier by working alongside Fortune 500 companies to help them develop better products and better services for mothers

Only 17% of the US population is using a financial advisor, says a 2019 CNBC study. So, why aren't more people investing time in retirement planning or using a financial advisor, especially women who are more likely to be in charge of household finances? Successful women aren't likely to focus on investments or financial goals because they haven't found an advisor they trust or one who listens to them. Women face unique challenges their male counterparts may not understand and it creates a lack of confidence in male advisors.

As we grow our businesses and generate profit how can we be smart and savvy about taking care of our personal financial goals and wellbeing?

Host Mary Foley speaks with Emily Robbins, Account Vice President at Virginia Asset Group and Financial Advisor at Infinex Investments, about how successful women can integrate all aspects of their lives into their long and short term financial goals. Emily has over 10 years of experience in the Banking and Finance Industry, and she works with individual investors and corporate clients to achieve their financial goals. Emily became a financial advisor to help her banking clients who felt they were not being listened to. When she's not helping her clients she can be found spending time with her husband and children, in Chesapeake VA.

Listen and learn:

• The financial challenges women face in retirement planning and investments
• The reasons women procrastinate about addressing their financial plans
• How to create your individual retirement goals
• The importance of estimating a retirement budget
• The risks of not working with a qualified financial advisor
• How to quantify your future goals

Virginia Asset Group

[email protected]

Venture capital is a term you may associate with the TV show Shark Tank or as the primary funding source behind big companies like Facebook, Starbucks, and Uber. But what is venture capital funding and how can you use it as part of your business growth strategy? When it comes to financially supporting your business, can you use venture capital to expand when a traditional loan is out of reach? And, how do you know if your business has the high-level metrics, market traction, and scalability private equity investors are looking for?

To break down venture capital into bite-sized, easily digestible pieces, host Mary Foley speaks with Liz Doerr, co-founder and fractional CFO of Sandbox. Sandbox is an outcome-focused team of finance, operations, and employee consultants helping companies launch, grow, and monetize their emerging businesses. Liz co-founded the company because she is passionate about helping entrepreneurs get the funding they need to become successful.

After hosting an event for women investors where the number of women who attended was more than double what she expected, Liz co-founded Virginia Women in Venture with a group of her mentors. She finds inspiration in helping women find their place in the venture capital and private equity space.

Listen and learn:

• Venture capital basics
• The difference between public and private companies
• When to turn to venture capital investment over traditional loans
• What venture capitalists look for when deciding to invest in a business
• How small business owners can utilize venture capital investments
• Examples of businesses who successfully secured venture capital funding
• Timelines and options of private equity funding
• How likely women are to receive venture capital funding
• Opportunities for women to invest in private companies
• Diversity issues that exist in the private equity space

Work Hard Play Nice - Sandbox Website

Liz Doerr on Linkedin

Virginia Women in Venture

When you started your business, did you pick a bank based on convenience because a bank is a bank is a bank, just a place to store money and pay bills? What if there was a bank leading a movement for women entrepreneurs and all women in business with an entrepreneurial spirit? Would that make a difference?

According to a 2017 study published by American Express, women are opening 1.5 times the number of businesses than men. Over the past 20 years, the number of women owned business has grown 114% and there are an estimated 11.6 million women-owned businesses in the U.S. Sonabank noticed this powerful trend and decided these women deserved more from a bank.

Host Mary Foley speaks with Joe Shearin, CEO of Sonabank, about how the idea for the P.O.W.E.R. program came about, why it's become a movement of entrepreneurial-minded women, and the impact of the most powerful woman in his life.

Listen and learn:

- How P.O.W.E.R. got started

- The role of the bank's Board of Directors in launching and continuing to support P.O.W.E.R.

- The program's key benefits that make of P.O.W.E.R. make than a bank

- Why P.O.W.E.R. has become a movement of women entrepreneurs and all women in business with an entrepreneurial spirit

- What the future of P.O.W.E.R. looks like

- 6 tips on making your business successful from 38 years of banking experience

- The financial measurement for your business that matters more than revenue growth

- The most powerful woman in Joe's life and the impact she's made

Sonabankpower.com