Spotlight on Girls Inc. Corporate Campsm for Entrepreneurs 2007!
Fine-tuning business plans with the help of female business leaders and workshops on how to become stellar public speakers were highlights for the five teams participating in the action-packed Girls Inc. Corporate Campsm for Entrepreneurs. This year's camp, from July 7-13, 2007, was in partnership with The Goldman Sachs Foundation and marked the fifth year that Girls Inc. has held this exciting weeklong event.
To kick things off, the Corporate Campers attended a panel discussion with four female entrepreneurs who offered advice and shared stories of launching their own businesses. Each of the women came from a different background and had a broad range of experience to present to the girls.
Meet the Panelists:
l-r Panelists Lauren, Marcie, Dawn, and Anita
Photo credit: Duffy-Marie Arnoult
Anita B. Watkins, CEO and Designer of SIXXFOOTA: Tired of not being able to find clothes to fit her six-foot tall frame, Anita started designing for herself and now makes clothing for men and women 5'9" and taller.
Dawn Casale, Founder and CEO of One Girl Cookies: Dawn started selling cookies out of her apartment in New York City and in 2000 she opened One Girl Cookies.
Marcie L. Setlow, independent media fundraising consultant: Marcie contracts with public media outlets like PBS and the BBC to help them raise money.
Lauren Chung, personal fashion consultant: Just six months ago Lauren left a prestigious banking job to launch her own business.
The Hard-Hitting Questions (and Answers!)
Katie Dorociak from Girls Inc. of Sarasota County takes the opportunity to ask the panelists a question
Photo credit: Duffy-Marie Arnoult
Corporate Campsm is unique in part because of the direct access that the participating Girls Inc. teams have to mentors, networking, and advice from an accomplished group of entrepreneurs and business leaders. During the panel discussion, the girls were given a chance to ask the entrepreneurs about what it's like to launch a business, from the personal to the professional. Check out these highlights from the Q&A led by the Corporate Campers:
Bianca Bailey, 18, Strong, Smart, and Bold Greeting Cards, Girls Inc. of Metropolitan Dallas asked, "How has being an entrepreneur changed you from the inside out?"
"Being an entrepreneur gives you a sense of power over your life," said Marcie. "You sometimes forget that you are not 'in charge' of other relationships you may have because you are so used to being the boss."
"I've learned to be kind to myself, to learn from my successes and failures, and to trust myself to make good decisions," said Anita.
Ann Derrick, 16, Forever Blooming, Girls Inc. of Southwestern Connecticut asked, "What challenges did you have starting and operating your business?"
"I had to learn to work on my weaknesses and not to be too hard—or too easy—on myself," said Dawn.
"I needed to see myself as always being at work," said Anita. "[I had to remember] that I was always representing myself and my business no matter where I was or who I was with."
Stefany Gomez, 15, Flash Forward, Girls Inc. of Tarrant County, TX asked, "Was there a point where you almost gave up?"
"Everyone has those moments," said Dawn. "You just need to think about what you would do instead. If that appeals to you more, then maybe you should be doing something else."
"Entrepreneurs can't have any pride," said Lauren. "The entrepreneurial spirit isn't to give up; you can just change your plan!"
Corby Herschman, 17, Team SRQ, Girls Inc. of Sarasota County, FL asked, "Success means different things to different people. What does it mean to you?"
"Any type of forward movement is a success. You need to base your success on milestones that you achieve," said Anita.
"You are already successful by making the decision to start your own business. Success is [in] the process," said Lauren.
After the panel, the girls presented their own business plans to the panelists and asked for their business-savvy advice as well as their critical questioning.
On-Site Advice
Designer Alicia (left) talks with the campers about being a female business owner
Photo credit: Duffy-Marie Arnoult
The Corporate Campers enjoyed a sunny day traveling around New York City to four different female-owned businesses and saw a snapshot of a day-in-the-life of running your own business, whether it's a bakery or advertising agency.
Alicia Mugetti, a fashion designer known as much for her famous clients and wonderful creations as for her passion for life, told the girls, "It is important to go to school and learn your trade. You must learn the rules of design before you can break them."
Joanna Patton and Judy Lotas, who founded and operate LPNY, a creative services and advertising agency, showed the girls a few of the commercials they produced for clients and advised them, "Do what nobody asks you to do and remember that self-confidence is key."
Amy Scherber of the bakery Amy's Bread invited the girls to one of her three retail cafes and served them some of her famous bread, cookies, lemonade, and good advice. Amy reminisced about her time learning about bread in France and emphasized the importance of taking good care of yourself. In business, says Amy, you are your own investment!
The visit to Katrina Parris Flowers was very special for one of the teams in particular, the Forever Blooming artificial flower business from Girls Inc. of Southwestern Connecticut. Katrina gave them some tips for a potential client example, a 200-guest wedding.
Corporate Camp and the Stock Market
© Copyright 2007, The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc.
The NASDAQ Stock Market, which is the busiest of all the U.S. stock exchanges, invited Girls Inc. President and CEO Joyce M. Roché to ring the opening bell on July 12 in celebration of Corporate Campsm. Five of the Corporate Campers represented their teams and joined Roché at this internationally televised opening ceremony. Girls Inc. is no stranger to the NASDAQ—this was the third time it was invited to preside over the opening bell ceremony.
The Final Product
The Corporate Campsm teams spent all week beefing up their business plans and on the last day of the camp, delivered their final business presentations and summed up their thoughts on the experience.
"The best part of Corporate Campsm was just being around other girls who have the same goals as I do," said Saga Beedy, 16, Sunny Five, Girls Inc. of Carpenteria, CA.
Rebecca Burnbach, 17, Forever Blooming, Girls Inc. of Southwestern Connecticut said that she learned "to take advantage of opportunities that are presented to you."
What's Next?
