Women's Leadership Conference Booked for October

Charles Schwab of Nashua and the Souhegan Valley Chamber of Commerce are presenting the first Souhegan Valley Women’s Leadership Conference from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15, at LaBelle Winery in Amherst, according to a press statement.

The purpose of this event is to provide an informative and useful day of information exchange and networking for women entrepreneurs.

There will be three sessions followed by lunch and keynote speaker Marcelle Langan DiFalco, Director of Creative Services in the Marketing Department of Champlain College and the author of The Big Sister’s Guide to the World of Work: The Inside Rules Every Working Girl Must Know (Simon and Schuster, 2006). Prior to joining the marketing team at Champlain College, Marcelle founded and ran WordBroker Communications, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in marketing and advertising writing—primarily for startup operations. In addition to running WordBroker Communications, Marcelle held the position of Vice President of Content/Editorial Director of Tavolo, Inc.—a dot.com that was once the largest branded specialty retailer of premium foods and kitchenware on the Internet—where she was responsible for not only producing the site’s deep content components, but also for the conception and development of the firm’s overall merchandising strategy and primary marketing vehicles.

Sessions include:

Financial Planning for Women Entrepreneurs presented by Mary Murphy, independent branch owner, Charles Schwab.

Marketing Your Business presented by Lisa Landry, owner of Savvy Marketing in Manchester.

Successful Women Share, a panel discussion with women business owners representing several fields, including:

Stacy Clark, Turnstone Corporation (construction industry)

Heidi Copeland, Millyard Publishing (publishing)

Karen Goddard, MC Clothing & Gifts (retail)

Amy LaBelle, LaBelle Winery (hospitality)

Lisa Landry, Savvy Marketing (advertising/public relations)

Mary Murphy, Charles Schwab (finance)

Diane Shieh, Amherst Orthodontics(healthcare)

Women own 30 percent of all privately owned businesses in the U.S. and are one of the fastest growing sectors of our economy. However, numerous challenges face women entrepreneurs. According to the National Women’s Business Council, undercapitalization for women-owned businesses is an issue. On average, men start their businesses with nearly twice as much capital as women. Women are more likely to be discouraged from applying for loans due to fear of having their application rejected. Family responsibilities continue to be a limiting factor to growing a business as women with dependent children are less likely to add employees. Lack of child care options continues to be an factor for women growing small businesses.

Registration is $50 pp ($35 pp students with student ID) and includes all workshop materials, continental breakfast and lunch. Tickets may be purchased at souhegan.net or by telephoning 673-4360.

The Souhegan Valley Women’s Leadership Conference is sponsored by Turnstone Corporation, HPM Insurance and The Arbors of Bedford. The Souhegan Valley Chamber of Commerce promotes successful relationships for the business and civic community in the eleven towns of the Souhegan Valley. The Chamber supports economic development and growth, as well as valuable local information and referrals to businesses and the general public.

For more information, visit souhegan.net or telephone 673-4360.