The Root continued their multi-city series, Young, Fabulous and Female event in NYC last week Wednesday with a night of conversation about black women and they challenges that their are facing. Sponsored by Pepsi We Inspire, the event was held at the Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theater and was attended by over 200 women (and a few men). Jacque Reid, co-host of KISS-FM’s The D.L. Hughley Morning show, moderated the panel discussion with a great panel line-up: Tracey Ferguson, editor-in-chief of Jones Magazine and star of Centric TV’s reality show, Keeping Up with the Joneses; Lois Samuels, model and fashion designer; Edwina Findley, actress (Tremé); Donna Byrd, publisher of The Root; Raina Kelley, Newsweek staff writer; and Harriette Cole, president of Harriett Cole Media.

The conversation start off with a bang with what women and men really thought about rapper Slim Thug’s recent comments of black women in an interview. The rest of the discussion focused on theme of sisterhood, mentorship, balancing work/life issues, learning more about yourself and ways of how we can grow as women. The overall take away message was that the being fabulous is not about the clothes you wear or the shoes you rock but about being yourself. We have to love who we are and don’t letting anyone stop our goals. It’s okay to be scared, used that fear to start a plan where you want to be. A good tip about going after new opportunities was that you have to be willing to volunteer. Not everyone has the time to be a mentor. Avoid asking someone to go to lunch, ask to have coffee. There was tons of discussion going on online via the Twitter hashtag #youngfab.

All women can apply the advice given that night. It was such an empowering experience and would love to attend one again. Final words to remember: “We are responsible for the image we put out. We can change the way media see us.” and “Believe in the power of speaking things into existence”. I would like to thank The Root and Pepsi We Inspire for a great evening, Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theater for a beautiful venue and all of the successful and fabulous ladies of the panel.

Photo by LaVelle Finerson

Hang up those beach towels and let’s get back to work!

•  The BOC Women’s Business Center is holding its fifth annual “21st Century Business Woman” conference on September 10th in Staten Island.  For more information, click here.
• The American Business Woman’s Association is holding a number of events in September.  On September 15th, there’s a neat-looking conference about building your business - “Building a Business You can Sell.”  Click here for the complete calendar of events.
• On September 16th,  NYC Small Business Services  is holding a workshop targeted to Latina-run businesses, about selling your services/products to the government.  Click here for more information.

Have a productive Fall!

This is the first in a series of posts about one woman going out on her own, making money and bringing home the bacon. Enjoy!

Picture this: You are just months away from your college graduation and you get offered an opportunity of the lifetime. You seized said opportunity and feel that life couldn’t be better. Then the economy starts to tank and you are personally affected. What is a gal to do went she loses her job? The answer: Go out of her own.

This is exactly what happens to me about eight months ago. I landed a great internship, was able to stay on pass my college graduation but then the recession hit. So while looking for a job (and I am still looking) I thought why not make my own money. Being your own boss is not easy task. There is a lot of researching, time, and planning that goes into becoming successful. The only plan I had in place was to get a job before graduation. I had no back up plan. I kept putting off the idea of freelance on the side. It wasn’t until I was put into a situation where I had to start thinking on my feet and get my act together. So the past couple of months I been doing my homework and making a game plan.

So tip #1 to my fellow women who have found themselves in the same position, is have a game plan and at least two alternatives just in case plan A falls apart. Tip #2: network, network, network. No one would know that you are looking for a job and/or clients if you don’t get out there and tell them. And last but not least tip #3: believe in yourself. Believe that you can do anything that you set your mind to.

Until next time.

Today is the first day of Entrepreneur Week.  There are some fun, informative and networking events going on, so check out the NYCENT site and sign up for events. Many of the events are FREE.

Tuesday, The Downtown Women’s Club is having an event in Brooklyn.  The topic of this month’s meeting is “What’s New About Networking in 2009″

1. Clicks & Mix Networking:  Why you can’t ignore Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn
2. The new rule of networking:  Sharing, not hoarding information
3. Mastering the personal/professional blend
4. 360 degree networking
5. How to have fun while networking

Purchase tickets  today which are $16/DWC+ members and $22/general public.

Cupcakes Take The Cake is hosting a shopping night this Thursday, April 23, at Re/Dress in Brooklyn.

Last week I attended the Step Up Network’s Personal Branding and Networking Panel with Beth Schoenfeldt, Co Founder, Collective- E as the moderator and featuring panelists:

Carla Harris, Managing Director, Morgan Stanley
Hope Hughes, Director, Deloitte Consulting
Christine Beauchamp, President Ann Taylor Stores
Juliette Powell, Media Entrepreneur

Have you thought about your personal brand? If you haven’t, you are not alone. In a nutshell, a brand is a collection of experiences and associations connected with a service, a person or any other entity. Great examples of brands are Oprah, Martha Stewart, or Coca Cola. Those are brands known around the globe that we associate with things.

What stood out among the panelists is how that strategically made choices on how they wanted people to see them. Some of the best words of wisdom came from Harris “pick three words that you want for people to say about you when you are not in the room, because most of the decisions about your career will happen when you are not in the room”.

While it may daunting to think about branding yourself, know that you brand is not set in stone. Your branding changes as you change so do not be scared to take risks then make changes if something is not working for you.

When branding it’s impossible to not think about how you are going to networking and vice versa. If you are seeking a new job or thinking about changing careers, tap into your network. Each panelist said that women need to stop being scared to ask for help. Sometimes all you have to do is ask. Never assume that you don’t already have the right connections to land where you want. If you have a goal and you never let anyone know where you are trying to go they cannot help you. Several of the panelists, Beauchamp and Powell, had different careers, but tapped into their network to open doors for opportunities. Remember to ask and cultivate you network!

Harris also stated that instead of playing small, play big and take risks. A company will take notice and know how valuable you are. If you play small and keep your head down that could make you expendable. It was emphasized that even though companies are laying people off, those same companies are hiring.

Develop your brand, develop the relationships in your network, and get yourself noticed. It can take you anywhere you want to go.

WCBS presents its ninth annual Working Women’s Luncheon on Wednesday April 22 at the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center. Women For Hire CEO Tory Johnson will be the keynote speaker.  Tickets are $50.  (until April 1st)

The luncheon will open up with a unique networking session that leads to an interview with Tory Johnson, hosted by WCBS-AM Morning Anchor, Pat Carroll. Come hear Tory and her team discuss networking, career change, marketing and reinventing yourself.