Fashion and Fun after Fifty

Posts Tagged ‘business owners’

Women in Business on the Beach August 22, 2016

Last Wednesday, I along with several other women traveled to Lewes Beach to attend a SWOT Analysis Workshop presented by the Women’s Business Center of Wilmington.

Yes, you read that correctly, the SWOT Workshop was held on the beach, in the sand and by the water – it was WONDERFUL!!!

Women in Business presented SWOT Analysis on the Beach

Fortunately, the excessive heat wave had broken and we were treated to nice breezes with temps hovering around 91 but the sand was HOT.

Having lived in Delaware more than half my life, this was actually the first time that I had ever gone to Lewes Beach and it was a nice spot, especially for this type of meeting.

Jessica Gibson, Program Director of the Women’s Business Center has such a fun and engaging personality that it was easy for all of us to quickly connect even though there were some vastly different business niches.

Our businesses ranged from Archaeology to Zumba Instruction, from Social Media to Vegan Smoothies, yet, we all found commonalities within the SWOT analysis.

Ivan Thomas, owner and operator of DeTV was on hand to photograph and video some of the session which also included aerial Drone photography.

Jessica created her first Facebook Livestream video as we took a break to cool off in the water, which wasn’t “Caribbean Blue” but it was refreshing never-the-less.

on the beach

If you are a small business owner then you should have a Business Plan but a SWOT Analysis is much different. SWOT is the acronym for identifying and assessing your STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS.

Not only were the businesses varied, but the locations from which some of the ladies traveled was just as diverse. I believe the longest distance which was driven was from the DC area. Actually, she was from Bowie, Maryland, which of course is where our son Malik will be returning to college next week.

This was the first WBC networking event held on the beach, but I doubt it will be the last. Just like Jessica we all loved being by the sea and under the sun for a perfect day out of the office but still getting work done!

SWOT on the Beach

The next big WBC event will be held on September 29th in Wilmington, and although it won’t be on the beach, it is definitely going to be filled with smiling faces and lots of fun.

Head over to their website and sign up for “Saddle Up for Business and Connect with Cocktails” , get your cowboy gear and we’ll see you there!

enjoying the summer at Lewes Beach

DISCLOSURE: This post contains affiliate links of which if you click and take action, I will get a percentage of the sale – or at least enough for a cup of coffee!

First State Saves Week Celebration March 4, 2013

On Thursday, Delaware Financial Literacy Institute (DFLI) celebrated “America Saves Week” with an Awards luncheon held at the Junior Achievement building in Wilmington. Board members, business owners, volunteers, and politicians were invited to attend in honoring Debra Forbes, RN, BSN, MS from Governor Bacon Health Center and Jim Godfrey, President/CEO of Consumer Credit Counseling Services of MD & DE, Inc.

The Money School of Delaware

The Honorable Robert Glen, State Bank Commissioner presented the awards and spoke about the First State Saving’s Bank At School programs. With each new branch opening the ribbon cutting ceremony includes entertaining plays that shows students the importance of saving money.

Debra Forbes was honored for creating onsite financial training programs. These United Way sponsored events are held during normal business hours making it convenient for attendees. Jim Godfrey was honored for partnering with The Money School in assisting consumers with debt reduction and credit counseling. Arming consumers with important financial tools has a positive impact on the community as a whole.

Kamysha Martin, representing Theatrical Fusion, presented a DVD entitled “Shopaholics”, designed upon the reality TV concept but with a twist. These free web based videos were created for teens and young adults to educate them about finances. As an introduction to the world of budgeting, debt management, smart spending, and debit vs credit card usage. Financial management is something that either parents or schools should teach but when it’s not, by the time they enter college it’s possibly too late, something I can personally relate to!

The unique concept of this program is that it gives the viewers the ability to choose the ending scene which is then played out accordingly. The DVD also featured Intervention classes as a follow up, these web based video can be seen here.

The Honorable Governor Jack Markell gave a brief history about The Money School of Delaware.

In 1999, The Money School launched it’s first 1 day conference with few attendees, but today has over 600 programs within the state of Delaware. Instructors are all volunteers, and a small staff of 6 operates the main office. Ronni Cohen, Executive Director of DFLI works diligently with the Governor to ensure the successful growth of these programs in the state.

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