Posts Tagged ‘85 Broads’

Women need to MARKET each other

Tuesday, April 14th, 2009

Today, the Perks Consulting team started our morning at a Power Breakfast organized by 85 Broads. The event was held at AJ Maxwell Steakhouse in the heart of Manhattan. After a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs, bagels and fruit salad, we  had the chance to network with successful women in a wide variety of businesses, as well as listening to the very inspiring guest speaker, Courtney Banks. Banks has an impressive background with a range of experiences related to being an ambitious female in the most male dominated business of all time: Homeland Security.

Throughout her speech, Banks emphasized the importance of females supporting each other and how this needs to be emphasized even more in today’s troubling economy. The reality is that people are being laid off and/or fired and many of the women in the audience have experienced this. Basically, what women need to do now more than ever is to MARKET each other. Banks, along with 85 Broads founder Janet Hanson, is doing more than her share by organizing events, publishing books and articles and reaching out to women everywhere. One of the cornerstones of female empowerment and the importance of women supporting each other is how we can do this. And it is not as hard as it sounds. Banks asked the audience a simple question,

“How many of you can say that you actually help women?”

None of the women in the audience raised their hands today, and that is fundamental if we want to see a change. And we should want a change, because why is it that it is 2009 and we still have a majority of men at high-powered positions? Not to talk about the wage gap. According to the AFL-CIO, the average 25-year-old woman  will earn $523,000 less than the average working man in her entire career.

 

Females should consider themselves to be on the same team and organizations such as 85 Broads are instrumental in bringing women together. Networks are here to support each other. Women make up a global network that has a long way to go before we can say that we are equal to men. Ever since the network started in 1997, 85 Broads has been doing their share by arranging events like these. If we can succeed in bringing women together more hands will be raised at the next Power Breakfast, and then we will know we are on the right track.

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85 Broads and “The Power of the Story”

Tuesday, February 10th, 2009

This morning, the Perks team started our day with a little bit of coffee and a lot of inspiration at the 85 Broads Power Breakfast. Held at A.J. Maxwell’s, the breakfast featured networking with the wonderful women of 85 Broads, as well as two very powerful speeches given by influential 85 Broads members Alison Levine and Kristin Fox.

First to the podium was Alison Levine. A seasoned mountaineer and founder of Daredevil Strategies, Alison came a few hundred feet shy of the summit of Mount Everest. She has also scaled the peaks of six major continents and has attended expeditions across both the North and South Poles.  Alison used her adventures to share the lessons she learned, and how they apply in today’s rocky business terrain. Spinning tales of teamwork, leadership, and knowing when to cut your losses, Alison held the audience captive with her amazing stories and sharp wit.

Following Ms. Levine was Kristin M. Fox, a fabulous business professional, Director and Founder of 100 Women in Hedge Funds and former Executive Editor of Hedgeworld. Kristin told the audience of her adventures navigating Wall Street and the fascinating world of finance. Raised by what she called the “hedge fund wolves,” Kristin shared stories about the importance of staying true to yourself and of understanding when to play it safe and when to take risks.  The tales of Kristin’s life were shining examples of the “Power of the Story.”

From the perilous peaks of Everest to shining streets of Manhattan and back in time to make it to the office–what a way to start the morning!

Photo 1: 

http://www.daredevilstrategies.com/alison.php

Photo 2: 

http://www.acteva.com/evaxart/evax/art/100%20WIHF%20Logo%20small.jpg

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Power and Influence

Friday, February 6th, 2009

Last night, the Perks Consulting team had the pleasure of attending a panel discussion entitled “Women Entrepreneurs–Learn to Monetize Your Passion!” sponsored by 85 Broads and the Harvard Business School. The discussion was held at the Withers Bergman LLC headquarters on Park Avenue. The discussion, led by Professor Linda Hill, was thought-provoking yet light-hearted and truly upheld the core values of the Harvard Business School “Inspire. Engage. Enable.”

Inspire

While the packed venue alone was inspiring enough, the sensational cast of speakers certainly captured the imagination of all who attended. The speakers and topics were:

Lauren Marrus, President of Dempsey &Carroll: “Start Up From Scratch”
Nancy Pedot, former CEO of Gymboree: “Taking Over a Business”
Stephanie Hanbury-Brown, Managing Director of Golden Seeds: “Starting a Business Within a Large Company”
Carolee Friedlander, Founder of Carolee Designs: “Selling It”

Each of the panelists had her own unique perspective on entrepreneurship, using her life and careeer as springboards to enlighten and inspire the audience.

Engage

After each speaker finished telling her amazing story, the floor was open for questions and comments. The audience members certainly had a lot of questions to ask about the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship, and of life. From asking about how to feel big inside to the specifics of a panel member’s company mission statement, the audience engaged in a relevant and meaningful discussion that truly empowered all in attendance.

Enable

By providing eager audience members with resources and events like “Women Entrepreneurs–Learn to Monetize Your Passion!”, both the Harvard Business School and 85 Broads are enabling professional women of all backgrounds to thrive despite the hurdles and barriers they may encounter.

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