Support Network for Women in Business by Victoria Alexander
Mar 12, 2018 broker,brooklyn,brooklyn business,brooklyn womans network,female owned,founde,real estate,real estate brokerage,realty collective owner,victoria hagman,women in blogs,women in business,women-owned business
A major theme at the beginning of the year is declaring a New Year’s resolution. Hearing others announce their goals of losing weight or earning more income reminds us that it’s time to set one for ourselves. Attaining these goals is a different story. For the last couple of years I have been trying something different and it’s really been working for me! As the new year approaches I reflect back on the previous year and rather than asserting “I will accomplish this”, I set intentions and think more about the actionable steps towards those intentions. When an objective is so far away it feels hard to live up to but giving myself a path I can follow towards that target keeps me on track.
The political atmosphere in these post-Trump years has strengthened my convictions and dedication to my purpose immensely. After the first year of the election I felt overwhelmed by the negative impacts the current administration has had on so many different groups of people and was consumed by anger and empathy on a daily basis. I looked back at 2017 and thought “Wow, that was hard!” and realized it isn’t going to get easier. So I made a couple of decisions about what direction I would take to enact positive change in the small ways that I can in 2018.
My first step on this path was to participate in the community board in a more impactful way. As a full board member I show up for the meetings and vote but I knew I could do more to improve this community. As a member of Resilient Red Hook I made a commitment to, again not just quietly attend meetings, but get the group in a better place to work for the community.
An overarching theme for 2018, and one close to my heart, is the urgency I feel towards supporting other women in every way that I can. A plan that I’ve been enacting over the last 2 months and has been to meet with other business women, give advice to younger women who need support, and stand behind those who are making real impacts. Working together to share ideas and promote one another makes all of us stronger. I realize now that I would do better to support them, not just at these private meetings, but publicly. I’m hoping that perhaps my actions will influence others to make the same commitments towards championing women-owned businesses.
To continue with this effort I have made a list, which ended up being very long, of women-owned businesses and entrepreneurs that I admire, respect, and want to do everything in my power to support. I am going to write about them, their business and my personal experience with them. Over the next couple weeks you will see me call out these amazing women on our blog and social media accounts. Please support them! As a woman running a small business in Brooklyn I know how important the support of my community is and my gratitude urges me to pay that support forward.
So, in addition to my planned actions for 2018, I am calling on you to join me! Do you know any women in business that deserve recognition? Are you one yourself (fill this out)? I want to hear from you! I challenge you to get involved by emailing me here about women you think should be added to my list. Below are questions they or you could answer and send me so that I could include them in our blog and highlight their business!
- What woman inspires you and why?
- What do you think are the most significant challenges for women business owners or women in leadership positions?
- How do you motivate yourself and stay motivated?
- Being a small business owner means relying on your community to support you and getting involved within your community as well. In what ways do you feel supported and actively engage with your neighborhood of residents and other business owners?
- Tell us about your business and include photos!