Our Current Issue..
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Cover story: How they made it in America: A look at five immigrant women entrepreneurs and how they built successful businesses in America.
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Business with a Beat: Judi Sheppard Missett is featured on our Fall issue front cover as she celebrates 50 years of her pioneering company, Jazzercise.
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The heart of Ireland: Warden Brooks Founder Joan Killian Gallagher shares the story of the evolution of her company and the legacy she built as a tribute to her ancestral Irish home place.
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HR focus: Recruiting, retaining and rewarding your way to success in your business.
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Finance tips: Developing a one-page business plan strategy.
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Advice on effective business succession planning, building an Enterprising Family, protecting your retirement, and much more!
Connecting with Friends Around the Globe
As fall arrives and we prepare for another busy season of conferences and events targeted to women business owners, I can’t help but reflect on a wonderful summer connecting with old friends and making many new friends from across the globe.
After another very successful WBENC Conference in June that drew record attendance and helped facilitate contracts between women’s business enterprises and corporate procurement leaders, I headed to Europe to attend the 29th Annual Global Summit of Women in Basel, Switzerland.
Global Summit of Women Founder and President Irene Natividad shares her perspectives on the importance of this year’s gathering in her coverage starting on page 38 of this issue, but she deserves extra accolades on the quality of this annual gathering of women business and government leaders. It is an event like no other.
I’ve had the honor of being a delegate at many previous Global Summits over the last 16 years since my first Summit in Marrakesh in 2003, but the 2019 Summit surpassed all my expectations. The quality of the speakers and the connections made with global business leaders was second to none. If you want to experience this for yourself, consider attending the 30th anniversary Global Summit of Women next Spring in Thailand.
Before arriving in Switzerland, my traveling companion and friend Kathy Pavlik and I stopped in Lisbon, Portugal to visit two members of the Enterprising Women Advisory Board, Helena Rodrigues, who leads her fast-growing company, AllBy, and Jacqueline Muller of 3DOM Ltd., who left Hong Kong and purchased a farm in Portugal where she now runs her global consulting business.
Both women are previous Enterprising Women of the Year Award honorees and have helped us expand our global community with their insights into the challenges that women entrepreneurs face in Europe and Asia. Helena is also the Chapter Chair for the Women Presidents’ Organization in Portugal and we were fortunate to visit when the Lisbon Chapter was gathering for its monthly lunch meeting. There is an incredible array of talent among these strong Portuguese women entrepreneurs and we will be introducing you to many of them in the months to come.
Topping off an amazing summer was the birth of my third granddaughter, Luna! The summer of 2019 was definitely one I will always remember. Enjoy this issue!
Monica S. Smiley
