”
Team Women
”
provides platform for issues surrounding business-minded
women
If the key to a successful business is drawing in new customers,
a group of Hollister women are ready to take on the challenge with
Team Women.
”
I am looking to build my business here in town,
”
said Darcy Stevenson, the founder of the Team Women chapter in
Hollister.
”
I am looking for other professional women to network and to get
information out about my business.
”
“Team Women” provides platform for issues surrounding business-minded women
If the key to a successful business is drawing in new customers, a group of Hollister women are ready to take on the challenge with Team Women.
“I am looking to build my business here in town,” said Darcy Stevenson, the founder of the Team Women chapter in Hollister. “I am looking for other professional women to network and to get information out about my business.”
The premise of Team Women, which started last year in Murrieta, is that women working in the business world can help each other by referring clients, friends or customers to other businesses within their network.
Stevenson first heard of Team Women when she went to a wine consultant conference in January. There she met several women who belonged to Team Women and had grown their businesses through the network.
As a new business owner, Stevenson had been facing some challenges in getting the word out about her services as a wine consultant. She had little budgeted for advertising and since she worked from home she couldn’t benefit from the foot traffic that is drawn in by storefronts.
“My contact base was limited to the schools my children go to … ,” Stevenson said. “Advertising is really expensive for a small business.”
Stevenson hosts wine tasting parties where individuals can order wine from “Wine Shop at Home.” The business model is similar to that of Tupperware – people sign up to host a party in their homes and the wares are sold to guests.
After the wine consulting conference, she signed up for Team Women and soon had a chapter started in Hollister.
Another member, Sara Andrade, had looked at other business networking programs in the area before she signed up for Team Women. The draw for her is having other businesswomen as a support group around issues that are important to women, such as balancing family and work. Another draw is the cooperative nature of the current members.
“It’s based on not just making a sale, but what’s good for the client or friend,” Andrade said. “It’s nice to know there are people out there that are not cutthroat and after the almighty dollar.”
The basis of Team Women is a referral system, where members can suggest other members to their own customers, friends or family. Each chapter accepts only one member from a given industry. Members gain the permission of people before referring them to another business.
The Hollister chapter has grown to include six members since it opened in February 2006. It inlcludes Stevenson, Andrade of Boyd and Andrade Insurance Services, and real estate agent Julie Bonnet.
“One member per core profession – one real-estate agent, one wine consultant – eliminates the competition inside your team for referrals,” Stevenson said. “That puts you in an awkward situation and feelings get hurt. It ruins the dynamics of the team.”
For the month of April, the team members turned in nine referrals for new clients, including four referrals for Stevenson’s wine business. From her four referrals, she has set up two wine tasting events and has calls out to the others.While bringing in new business is a lead function of Team Women, some members have been drawn in by the chance to discuss business concerns with other people facing the same challenges as they are.
“As a group of just women, I thought we would be on each other’s side,” Andrade said. “We are all raising our kids. We have issues with being home and cooking dinner.”
While the group meets every other Tuesday, Andrade said the phone calls and e-mails from members come more frequently.
“It’s the camaraderie of having everyone that is in Team Women,” Andrade said. “We are so connected though we have different businesses.”
Andrade looked at other business networking programs in the area before she signed up for Team Women. The draw for her is having other businesswomen as a support group around issues that are important to women, such as balancing family and work. Another draw is the cooperative nature of the current members.
Team Women meets every other Tuesday at Boyd and Andrade Insurance, 1582 San Benito St. at 1 p.m. For more information, call 831-261-4130 or visit www.teamwomen.com.
