Conference focuses on entrepreneurial women

By Allie Blood

Published Feb. 26, 2008

Women from across Missouri gathered at the Reynolds Alumni Center Monday night to begin the In Good Company Conference for Entrepreneurial Women.

MU hosted a similar event last year.

Mary Paulsell, director of the University Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, said that the purpose of the conference is to provide for education and networking.

“We hope that it provides an opportunity to learn some kind of tactical things that will help women run their businesses but also to learn from one another,” Paulsell said.

Sponsors set up displays with business cards to help with networking for businesses. Commerce Bank, legal experts and The Columbia Daily Tribune had displays to appeal to the business owners.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services had a booth that displayed ways which busy women could stay healthy.

The conference will resume today with a breakfast at the alumni center and a series of lectures.

The seminars will focus on emerging businesses, existing businesses and instruction on government contracts.

“That’s a huge market that a lot of companies aren’t aware of or are afraid of because of the red tape and the bureaucracy,” Paulsell said.

Speaker Karen Thorton, who owns Karen’s Secretarial Service, will give a lecture to the existing business group, entitled “Hold On; It’s Here Somewhere! Making order out of chaos.”

Thorton says that the best advice for any business owner is to be well organized.

“Most women don’t realize the skill level they already have because they already manage their own home,” Thorton said.

For the emerging business group, lectures will focus on finding financial aid and a target market.

“This is a great chance to network and invariably valuable connections are made,” Paulsell said.

Women travel from across the state to the conference to make connections, said Lois Schaeffer, the president of Classic Lady Packaging Inc.

“I came for networking,” Schaeffer said. “I don’t have any St. Louis connections.”

Paulsell said those attending the conference range from businesses with one or two employees to multimillion-dollar enterprises.

Also, leaders of not-for-profit organizations can benefit from the lectures.

“A lot of the principles we use in for-profit business apply,” Paulsell said.

Two keynote speakers are featured at this event. Speaking Monday night and Tuesday afternoon, the women are Missouri business owners.

“Both of these are homegrown, women-owned businesses,” Paulsell said.

Brenda Newberry, founder of the Newberry Group in St. Charles, spoke Monday and offered advice to women running their own companies. She advised hiring employees based on character and to operate as ethically as possible.

“You want to move forward, not watch your back,” Newberry said.

She also gave tactical advice to move to “the next level,” such as getting a company domain name and having a business advisory board with an attorney and banker to give advice.

The conference’s second keynote speaker is Kansas Aircraft Group founder Michele Stauffer, who will deliver a speech entitled “Success Has Wings!"