“Along the way they have gained tips and advice from other women in business and expert speakers, felt the support of others through the ups and downs of their business journey and increased business opportunities through referrals and alliances with other local businesses.” Schutt said members enjoyed the chance to share knowledge and experiences with other women encountering similar challenges. For evolving businesswoman and member Janelle Atkinson Bloom was as much a place for connecting with others as it was for refining her work direction after shifting focus to accommodate motherhood. “For me, the road to having my own business has seen some twists and turns, but reinventing and reassessing is all part of the journey,” Atkinson said, “A lot of the gutsy and often hard-tomake decisions were made after listening to others’ stories and inspiration. “When I first joined Bloom I didn’t have
a business, but I had a vision, a plan, and a great idea I was sure could be a success. What I felt I lacked was the knowledge to make it happen. In reality, the only thing I lacked was the courage and I found that in incredible support from Jo and fellow Bloom members who I am now proud to call friends. “Joining a networking group when my business was still just an idea seemed wrong – like I was promoting myself to be something that I wasn’t. “Surely I was going to stand out as a fake or a try hard? Surely there would be people at this event much more successful than me? Well there were, but no way did I ever feel like a fake or like I had nothing to offer. And those successful businesswomen started out just like I did…these were the women I drew inspiration and knowledge from. Bloom helped transform my idea, gave it wings and helped it to fly.” Bloom members see the access to speakers and mentors as a bonus. Normally they would trek up to Melbourne to see
high profile speakers – and pay considerably more money for the experience. In the past year the group has welcomed speakers such as Trevor Young, the PR Warrior; past Australian Telstra Businesswoman of the Year Marcia Griffin; Sarah Prout, of Adventures in Manifesting and Verbii Publishing; and Danielle Storey, of Million Dollar Relationships The group also stages two full-day business building workshops a year. Bloom Networking meets on the third Tuesday of every month at Mornington Golf Club, with tickets available through eventbrite. Bookings are essential. Contact: savvy@bloomnetworking.com.au website: www.bloomnetworking.com.au *Bloom member and peninsula business chick Andrea Rowe is director of boutique Copywriting, PR and Social media business Your Coastal Connection and a regular blogger for Little Melbourne, ABC Splash and Parent’s Jury. Contact www.yourcoastalconnection.com.au
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May 2014 | Frankston / Mornington Peninsula / Dandenong BusinessTimes | 21