Behind The Scenes with Women Connect Co’s Katie Hunter
More space in life means creating more space in business for me personally. I know there are a lot of women who own their own businesses in the Susquehanna Valley and a lot of people who work for women here in Central PA. My business and I would not be where we are today if it hadn’t been for the small business communities I connected to, learned from, and eventually built. And I could not have built the small business community we call Women Connect Co. without my dear friend and partner, Kate Hunter. Kate is one of those smart, driven women who seems to just be born with confidence, so she was the first person I thought to interview for this November empowerment issue. Keep reading to learn more about Women Connect Co. and the brains behind the operation:
Mara: Hi Kate! Thanks for being willing to let me interview you about the small business community we’ve created here in Lancaster!
What was and is your drive behind running a small business community?
Kate: I wouldn’t be honest if I said that being a part of Women Connect isn’t purely selfish! I once heard a speaker talk about how to find the right people to connect with. He said, “Look around you and take notice of those running towards your goal, then run with them.” When I found those people and started running alongside them, it fueled me to go further, to create more, and help other women in business reach their goals too. Women Connect has become the consistent accountability I craved for myself.
Mara: I would echo that and I am so grateful.
Because our core values at Women Connect Co are community, empowerment, and support, I wanted to put a spotlight on WC for this special issue of SS and ask you how those values manifest themselves in our operation.
Kate: Community for us means a space that is open, honest, inclusive, and trusting; meaning that we don’t hide what we are going through as leaders. Our position is not one of “We know what's best and you should do xyz.” As business owners ourselves, we realize that it is a LOT of trial and error. But community also means a safe place to fail. Our members support each other through successes and failures. They offer an ear to those who need to let off steam, clap and jump up and down when a launch sells out, and encourage each other to persevere when things get hard. Empowerment, in my opinion, is an emotion, a very strong emotion. I recently did an exercise during a training where we were putting physical attributes to our emotions. By pinpointing the physical feelings in our bodies we can recognize the emotion we are experiencing that much quicker. If I were to do the same exercise with empowerment it would be the moment when I feel so sure and confident of an idea or decision that my inner core begins to vibrate.
Mara: I love that picture and the way you speak about our values reminds me that we are offering a tremendous resource to women in business and I feel honored to be a part of that.
My blog is called “MoreSpace for Life”. How has Women Connect created more space for women in business?
Kate: Not only do we see our community growing professionally, but we see them growing personally as well. As we continue to better ourselves as individuals, we can contribute professionally back into our communities to make the changes that we want to see happen on a local level. As business owners, we tend to be constantly going and doing; moving from one client, project, or meeting to the next. Women Connect allows us to pause and breathe for a few hours each month and reconnect with each other and ourselves.
Our schedule is always consistent. This allows our community to plan out their month. The second Tuesday of each month at 10 am is Coffee & Connect, a virtual meet up with open round table discussions. These small round tables allow for a more personal connection to the community. The evening of the third Tuesday of the month is our business building event which ranges from Business Speed Dating, panel discussions, and workshop style events.
Mara: Well thank you for sharing the heart behind what you do, Kate. You have taught me so much along the way and I couldn’t have asked for a better partner and friend on this journey.
If anyone would like more information on Women Connect Co., you can go to our website at WomenConnectCo.com or follow us on Instagram @WomenConnectCo. We’d love to connect with you and share the resources that have made more space for us in business and in the community!
