As some of you may have heard, the National Women’s Business Center in Washington D.C. has closed its doors. For those of us who have benefited from the Center over the years, this is sad, sad news. I got my first “Boot in the Butt” as a member of their CEO Roundtable many years ago. Even though my revenues were over $1M at the time, our facilitator Lorraine Warshaw commented that I didn’t have a business, I had a contract. OUCH! That hurt, but she was right on. She didn’t tell me what I wanted to hear (you’re doing great, Julie!), she told me what I NEEDED to hear. Her comment gave me a Boot in the Butt to go out and expand my customer base and exceed even my own expectations for my businesses’ success. THAT is what a good advisor does for you.

So who will train them now? Many people I talk with ask why a place like the NWBC, which was focused on women, is needed. Prior to my ACTiVATE experience, I would have said that such a place is a nice-to-have, but not a necessity. After teaching a high-tech, all-women class in entrepreneurship for the past 2+ years, I’ve changed my mind. A place like this is absolutely needed. Women who are learning something new will often feel ‘safer’ in a single-gender environment. Going outside of your comfort zone requires, for many, a feeling of support and camaraderie. Look at the success of Curves. Women could get the same results in a mixed-gender gym, but yet many choose the all-female environment. While I personally have found supportive mixed-gender mentoring environments through my former TEC group, I was also raised with 3 brothers and have worked in male-dominated industries (manufacturing and IT) for my entire career. This is not the case with many women, so who now will provide them with the learning environment they need? I just added something new to my personal mission…