Latest News
Strength of My Peers
Upon joining NAWBO, I immediately joined the West Town Mastermind. I love to see the strength from the women in this group and how they navigate their businesses. It is inspiring and mind-blowing to hear about everyone’s experiences. Together we dissect different...
The Diversity of Membership
One of the beauties of being a NAWBO member is the diversity of its membership. Not only is it a forum for business owners of varying industries and sizes to join together, but it also comprises members of all ages, colors and affiliations. Thus, business owners who...
A Message From Our President
In writing my final newsletter, it’s hard to believe a year has already passed since I was inducted – yet so much has happened in the world, it is hard to believe it has only been one year. We’ve seen many changes and achieved great things over this past year, but...
Trust the Process
Our biggest lesson for KDM was to trust the process, no matter where it leads and trust the team you put in place because you chose them for a reason. My team has been very helpful and responsive to the needs of the KDM staff to help them through this transition. We...
A “Brick and Click” Store
As an optometrist with an eye care clinic and an eyewear boutique, my biggest lesson during this pandemic was discovering how to quickly shift from a substantial brick and mortar to the newer "brick and click" model. Retail brick and mortar stores like mine are...
Pivoting Your Business
I pivoted my business twice, originally from a staffing/recruiting company to a recruiting/HR company, then to a live events company. Here is how some of this happened: We evaluated the ROI for the various services we were providing. For instance, Staffing made our...
Seek Opportunities in Times of Crisis
I’ve been in business for 30 years and survived the great recession and other financial crises, but this pandemic threw me into a tailspin as I tried to decide if and how to continue. I had to prepare for how this would affect the employees and our clients. It all...
Business Steps Taken for COVID-19
Here are some of the recent steps that we took to mitigate the downturn: Week of March 30th - reduced employee hours from 40 to 30. Week of April 6th - reduced employee hours from 30 to 25. We have since kept hours at 25. Continue paying for healthcare. We have five...
Pearl of Wisdom from a NAWBO Chicago Past President
My main “Pearl of Wisdom” is to remind business leaders to Be Courageous; don’t let the fear overwhelm you. During the 2008/2009 downturn, there were several things we did to overcome the challenges and adversity at that time. I am calmer now because of what we did...
Lessons from the Great Recession
The year that the real estate market fell apart, 80% of my clients were real estate - related and I lost them all. But I was able to reduce staff while I diversified my client mix and I was able to eventually recover. This is a different world altogether. The only...
Our Members Are Pivoting Their Businesses During COVID-19
NAWBO Chicago members are more resilient than ever and their businesses are adapting in the same way. Read more to learn how five women business owners have pivoted their companies in response to COVID-19. Susan GothamThe Synergies Companies, Inc. Be prepared to...
A Message From Our President
Welcome to May – now entering our EIGHTH WEEK of the “shelter in place” mandate. It’s been a prolonged and tiresome struggle for everyone but more so for those trying to run a business in the days of COVID, which only compounds the normal stresses of daily life....