Join Our Treat Yourself Meet & Munch

Guess what? The Network of Entrepreneurial Women is back! With the unpredictable winter weather we decided to take a hiatus since long commutes are no fun. But now that spring has sprung and birds are chirping we are ready to connect with women business owners throughout the Chicagoland Suburbs.

ChocMnMPostcard

Our next event is coming up on Wednesday, a Chocolate Meet & Munch. We’ll gather at Let Them Eat Chocolate to pamper ourselves with delicious treats and discuss why we should indulge ourselves.

The high-powered businesswomen present will address the Return On Investment of treating yourself and creating strategies around being the best boss ever when you’re self-employed. If you can’t be your own best boss, who will be? There will be ample time for mingling to get to know each other and make business or personal connections.

Chocolate

“Treat yourself as well as you do your business,” advises Entrepreneur.com. We’ll tackle the best strategies by sharing experiences, wisdom, and questions as women entrepreneurs while we indulge in delicious chocolate. This lovely venue also offers paninis, baked goods, Italian soda and a jolt of caffeine with various coffee beverages.

Treat Yourself: Chocolate Meet & Munch will be held on Wednesday, May 13, 2015 from 2 to 4 pm at Let Them Eat Chocolate, 5306 N. Damen Ave., Chicago. For $5 per person, you can delight in advice, support, and sweetness. I’m looking forward to this treat and exploring Andersonville a little bit more. Andersonville was named by real estate site Redfin as the 7th hottest neighborhood in the country – attributing the ranking in part to the “abundance of charming small businesses”.

LetThemEatChocolateAndersonVille

Let Them Eat Chocolate is a high-end all natural chocolate shop and lounge. It offers Belgian and vegan chocolates as well as cozy chairs and gelato that is most commonly reviewed as “amazing.” Tickets for this event are $5. Each participant pays for her own chocolates and refreshments from Let Them Eat Chocolate’s Menu.

Graphic courtesy NetworkHoncho.com and photos courtesy Let Them Eat Chocolate.

NEW – The Network of Entrepreneurial Women is a group of Chicagoland business women who are upgrading business networking with fun and creative events that inspire attendees to work together, refer each other and most of all cheer each other on as the membership succeeds. Events rotate around various suburbs on a semimonthly basis, usually the 2nd Wednesday and 4th Thursday of the month. RSVP for our upcoming events at Meetup, or like us on Facebook and check up on the calendar there.

 

Sipping Tea at Peaceful Parlour

Before Thanksgiving the Network of Entrepreneurial Women gathered in Geneva for a lovely afternoon of chatting, tea-sipping and getting to know each other.

PeacePeacefulParlourGroup

Members from the neighborhood as well as Winfield, the O’Hare area, Elgin, St. Charles, Barrington, Hyde Park, Evanston and Downers Grove introduced their respective businesses.

ChattingatPeacefulParlour

We sampled the delicious teas and chais at Peaceful Parlour, which was in full swing preparing for Small Business Saturday.

SmallBizSatButton

The eco-chic boutique has stocked up on all kinds of environmentally friendly and locally sourced holiday gifts.

BathroomGoodies

So when you are strolling down third street in Geneva, step on down into this cozy store and warm yourself with a cup of tea.

BootWarmers

The store holds whimsy and calm for the spirit.

cinderellahooks

I enjoyed taking home a delicious special blend with Dandelion leaves, which I complemented with some goodies from The Sugar Path.

WallofTeaPeacefulParlour

Due to the holidays we won’t be meeting in person in 2014, but we have plenty of locations in mind to gather every 2nd Wednesday and every 4th Thursday of the month next year.

SpiritedMunchies

Photos copyright NetworkHoncho and Maike’s Marvels.

PeacefulParlourMagic

NEW – The Network of Entrepreneurial Women is a group of Chicagoland business women who are upgrading business networking with fun and creative events that inspire attendees to work together, refer each other and most of all cheer each other on as the membership succeeds. Events rotate around various suburbs on a semimonthly basis, usually the 2nd Wednesday and 4th Thursday of the month. RSVP for our upcoming events at Meetup, or like us on Facebook and check up on the calendar there.

Bizcards

Learning and growing with NEW

NEW’s Crain’s Small Business Day was a blast, and full of nuggets of wisdom by our fabulous guest speakers. During our meet and greet ladies mingled and were introduced to NetworkHoncho.com with their pop-up of a new small business networking tool that is currently in beta launch.

NetworkHonchoPopup

Members and visitors also perused my wares at my pop-up table.

MaikesMarvelsPopup

Then we gathered around for formal introductions and a business card exchange, with a variety of very interesting businesses represented.

BizCardExchange

After learning more about each other we split into three groups for roundtable discussions.

NEWGroupCrainsDay

Peggy Goddeau discussed retirement planning, highlighting how inflation and taxation do not increase at the same rate, and we thus have to base our retirement planning on projected true buying power. She recommends a balance between cash flow and debt management based on three categories of assets: protection, savings and growth. As a financial advisor with The Heartland Group, Peggy offers consulting services for anyone at any age to ensure their retirement is on the right track.

RetirementPlanningRoundtable

Dr. Crystal Foreseman Landers offered wellness tips which included an 80/20 rule for eating whole foods (80% of the time), and allowing for 20% of not-so-nutritious meal or snack decisions. This would allow for 2 ‘cheat’ meals a week, creating less pressure than a vigorous diet. She also recommended having lean protein with each meal to counteract food cravings, and paying attention to what we are eating instead of multitasking while we chew. She also recomended drinking 1/2 of your body weight in ounces to stay properly hydrated.  Dr. Crystal offers additional naturopathic health tips at Living Tree Natural Health, Inc.

WellnessRoundtable

Author and speaker Niquenya D. Fulbright discussed the 4 P’s of profit, which are not price, product place or promotion, but passion, purpose, partners and productivity. She recommends that to achieve a goal, we need to make a list of weekly steps to get there. This makes long-range planning far more effective, because we know we can do one thing a week in a specific category, and then feel more accomplished about doing another thing the next week. She also stated that sunk cost should never be considered when making a decision (and who isn’t guilty of hanging on to something just because we spent so much time and money on it already?). As President and CEO of Building Bridges Consulting, Niquenya transforms dreamers into successful entrepreneurs by giving them the tools to turn their passion into a viable business.

4PsofProfit

After all this insightful learning it was time for a pint and we gathered around to dine on our host Shannon’s Irish Pub’s delicious food.

ShannonsDining

NEW will gather tomorrow in Geneva for our November Meet & Munch. We will revisit the lovely Peaceful Parlour for some tea time and to gather ideas for eco-friendly holiday shopping.

PeacefulParlourMM

Peaceful Parlour is an eco-friendly shopper’s paradise located in Geneva, IL. The boutique offers products that are locally made, USA made, natural or organic, hand crafted and made from renewable or sustainable materials. Their focus is to find products with environmental and community benefits, supporting local artists, small businesses, fair trade and women co-op groups around the world.

FunGroup

Due to Thanksgiving, this will also be our only event for November. No Wine, Women and Wellness on 11/27, since we’re all likely to be gathered around dinner tables.

Photos copyright NetworkHoncho.

NEW – The Network of Entrepreneurial Women is a group of Chicagoland business women who are upgrading business networking with fun and creative events that inspire attendees to work together, refer each other and most of all cheer each other on as the membership succeeds. Events rotate around various suburbs on a semimonthly basis, usually the 2nd Wednesday and 4th Thursday of the month. RSVP for our upcoming events at Meetup, or like us on Facebook and check up on the calendar there.

Masterminding Roundtables on Wednesday

Next week is Crain’s Small Business Week, and once again the Network of Entrepreneurial Women is participating in the event. On Wednesday, October 8 we will host three guest speakers at Shannon’s Irish Pub in Glen Ellyn. First, we’ll have a pop-up trunk show, at which I’ll have some pieces and other members will showcase their products and services. Then we will have Mastermind Roundtable sessions with our guest speakers, after which we will network and place delicious food orders.

crains_NEW_ad_2014

The 30-minute roundtable talks are designed specifically for women business owners. After each session, you’ll have the opportunity to rotate on to a new table with a different group of fellow participants to enjoy another lively, enlightening talk. Each session will include expert speakers and provide opportunities for brainstorming personal concerns/questions related to the topic discussed.

5CrainsSocialMediaTable

Roundtable Talks will include:

A casual dinner will follow, where attendees will each have the opportunity to eat, network and connect with women business owners representing a variety of industries from throughout Chicagoland. Last year’s event was a blast and we look forward to toasting each other to missions accomplished since that gathering.

Round1

NEW – The Network of Entrepreneurial Women is an exciting, fresh group of Chicagoland business women who are upgrading business networking in the Chicago suburbs and beyond. Focusing on no nonsense networking, the group holds fun and creative events that inspire attendees to work together, refer each other and most of all cheer each other on as the membership succeeds together.  NEW was founded in 2013 by by Karen McCormack, Independent Insurance Broker, Erica Thomas, one of the two lead programmers to create NetworkHoncho.com, and Wax and Wire Artist Maike van Wijk, Chief Marveler at Maike’s Marvels.

cofounders

The NEW art of networking involves events that remind us why we love being entrepreneurs, and introduces attendees to other radiant, inspirational women entrepreneurs as we form a community that is open-minded, focused and friendly. NEW: Inspiring, enlightening and encouraging women to reach their highest potential.

DrCrystalForesmanLanders

Naturopathic doctor and multi-disciplinary healer, Dr. Crystal Foresman-Landers, OTR/L, ND, received her doctoral degree in Naturopathic Medicine in 2012 from National University of Health Sciences in Lombard, Illinois and her Occupational Therapy bachelor’s degree in 2000 from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has vast experience in women’s health, chronic pain management, pediatrics, and chronic health conditions. Dr. Foresman-Landers is certified in Sensory Integration therapy, and is also a practitioner of Myofascial Release, Craniosacral Therapy and Kinesiotape. She is passionate about the ways to return to optimal health through a whole person approach which includes improving immune system and gastrointestinal health. She is devoted to restoring wellness by focusing on an integrative approach that includes strategies for chronic pain management, preventative medicine and detoxification strategies.

NiquenyaFulbright

Niquenya D. Fulbright is President and CEO of Building Bridges Consulting, a small business consulting and executive coaching firm specializing in transforming dreamers into successful entrepreneurs. Ms. Fulbright possesses over 15 years’ experience partnering with small business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs, and nonprofit leaders to bridge the gap between where they are now and where they need to be to build successful, sustainable, and profitable business models. Her love of mentoring, teaching, coaching, and networking with visionary dreamers has led her to assume positions such as the Co-Area Director of the Chicago chapter of Networking in High Heels – a national networking group for professional women in business, Strategic Director for the CTW International Ministry – a nonprofit whose mission is to raise awareness and restoration for victims of sex trafficking, and Volunteer Coach (Formerly Director of Training & Recruitment) for New Life Coach Inc. – a nonprofit organization that provides six weeks of free life coaching to underprivileged individuals. Ms. Fulbright also provides Workforce Development and Entrepreneurship training, coaching, and consulting for several Chicago Housing Authority programs administered through the Chicago Urban League on the south side of the city.

PeggyGoddeau

Peggy Goddeau is a Financial Advisor with The Heartland Group. She made a very thoughtful decision to transition out of medical practice and leverage all her training and experience into the financial services industry. Her passion is to work with small business owners, individuals and families, to develop protection-based, financial strategies that are holistic and flexible, which optimizes all of their resources to help achieve tangible wealth and financial security. She does this by guiding them through a five step process which will: Clarify, Organize, Evaluate, Educate, and Develop/Implement (CO-EED) those strategies. Registered Representative of and securities and Investment Advisory Services offered through Hornor, Townsend, & Kent, Inc. (HTK)  Registered Investment, Member FINRA/SIPC. The Heartland Group is independent of HTK. A4CM-0729-03E2

7aCrainsHealthCare1

The entire half day event is free. Each participant pays for her own dinner off of Shannon’s Irish Pub Special Event Menu. RSVP on Meetup or Facebook.

NEW – The Network of Entrepreneurial Women is a group of Chicagoland business women who are upgrading business networking with fun and creative events that inspire attendees to work together, refer each other and most of all cheer each other on as the membership succeeds. Events rotate around various suburbs on a semimonthly basis, usually the 2nd Wednesday and 4th Thursday of the month. RSVP for our upcoming events at Meetup, or like us on Facebook and check up on the calendar there.

Busse Woods BBQ

July was full of fun summer adventures, including a wonderful barbecue with NEW.

FamPicnic

We claimed a pavilion at Busse Woods and brought salad, sweets and meat to grill.

Food

It was lovely to listen to nature right in the middle of a large suburb.

PavilionView

Nature was quite close as we had a defensive pair of bird parents trying to keep us away from their chicks who were nesting in the roof of the pavilion. After a few dives we knew where not to stand and a truce was agreed upon.

Birdsnest

The grills were fired up and the cooking and munching began.

firedupgrill

We had a lovely time chatting about a variety of subjects.

Dining

Photobombing ensued.

Photobomb

There is something freeing about dining outdoors, surrounded by trees and the sounds of summer.

BBQNEWGroup

S’mores capped off the evening nicely.

smores

I look forward to more gatherings like this. Join us next Wednesday from 2 to 4 pm for a tour of the White City at the Field Museum.

NEWFieldMuseumWhiteCity

Photos copyright NetworkHoncho and Maike’s Marvels.

NEW – The Network of Entrepreneurial Women is a group of Chicagoland business women who are upgrading business networking with fun and creative events that inspire attendees to work together, refer each other and most of all cheer each other on as the membership succeeds. Events rotate around various suburbs on a semimonthly basis, usually the 2nd Wednesday and 4th Thursday of the month. RSVP for our upcoming events at Meetup, or like us on Facebook and check up on the calendar there.