The MBA Tour Comes To Atlanta

As you already know, if you have been involved with Atlanta Women in Business for a while, we are ardent supporters of the idea of "lifelong learning" and are therefore eager to promote events that are connected to this idea.

The MBA Tour will be in Atlanta again this year, on the 9th of September, and if you are at all thinking about pursuing an MBA degree, by all means, sign up and be sure to go and check it out.

Results Count

"Results Count" has been an annual award of Atlanta Women in Business. It recognizes a corporation for its promotion of women to supervisory, managerial and executive positions, and a woman-owned company for its consistent growth.

Mastermind Groups

Also known as “Success Groups”, Mastermind Groups in the business arena bring together people from different industries or professions, but with similar aspirations – usually, to grow their businesses – who support one another in achieving their individual goals.

I am currently in my third Mastermind Group.

The first one included a member who, in hindsight, should not have been in it at all, because she was not a business owner (she was “toying with the idea” of starting a business of her own); when she brought a moral personal dilemma to the group, the group’s cohesion began to crack and in short order it fell apart.

My second Mastermind Group stayed together for more than a year (it’s not unusual for these groups to last for decades!) and was disbanded when one member moved away, one sold her business and another began making plans for selling hers.

Earlier this year, Barb Giamanco proposed the formation of a Mastermind Group, together with Ruth King and BB Webb; I accepted and now, nearly three months later, I am delighted that I did. We meet by telephone once a week, for an hour and a half, and in person once a month, for three hours. The biggest benefits are that we offer solutions to individual business challenges, that we brainstorm ideas and that everyone holds everyone else’s feet to the fire; accountability is a huge factor.

If you are interested in forming a Mastermind Group, do it!

Art Exhibit Opening

Several of us accepted Miroslava Torres Young's invitation for an art exhibit opening at Sunrise Bank of Atlanta, where she works. Excellent event! In the picture are, from left to right, Christina Van Slambrook, Deidra Cunningham, me, Miroslava.

Welcome!

After having been an "Atlanta Biz Woman" for a while, I founded Atlanta Women in Business in 1992 - a membership organization of business, career and professional women that provides networking and educational opportunities.

Over the years, this organization has had its ups and downs (know of any that have not?), and today we are once again on an upswing, with new members, new interests, new initiatives - and a few discards. With regard to the latter, we are not necessarily doing away with our annual Results Count award, but I will give up its web site.

That is a "less". Now a "more": we have started a book project in which all members can participate (limit: 20 - first come, first in!) as chapter authors. The project is under the leadership of Angela Durden, a writer herself and a longtime member of our organization.

I have a wonderful Advisory Board for Atlanta Women in Business this year: Patricia Bowen (like me, an international business woman who is choosing to stay closer to home these days), Pamela Van Fleet (banker) and Jennifer Wightman (project manager for a technology company and, like Pam, one of our career members). That reminds me, I should explain what I mean by "business, career and professional women". Business women are entrepreneurs, working for themselves, either by themselves or as employers of others; career women work in the corporate world, and professional women are members of what is generally considered "the professions", e.g. attorneys, engineers, physicians, scientists, etc. The breakdown of these groups within our organization is roughly 40%, 50%, and 10%.

There is, by the way, a membership application form on our web site - in case you'd like to join us. You are welcome!