dispatches from the new world of work

Women's New Business Factory

This weekend, I had a terrific time attending the BlogHer Conference in Santa Clara, CA, with Cathy Mosca and Phoebe Espiritu, two colleagues here at Tom Peters.

This amazing conference had 100% women speakers and 80% women attendees, all focusing on Women and Blogging. Check out these pictures.

There were so many good break-out sessions, but I wanted to mention the feeling in the room when Mary Hodder, Denise Howells, and Patricia Nakache led a session on women starting businesses and getting funding. The feeling was like one of those noisy starting gates where thoroughbreds are waiting in their slots to run the Kentucky Derby, ready to kick up their heels. Believe me, we were all chomping at the bit.

Halley Suitt posted this on 08/03/05.

Comments

100% woman speakers?? Us men want to be invited to speak at your conference too. Can we join next time?

Posted by Augusta at August 3, 2005 5:00 PM

80% women attendence?? I just want to go there and mingle!

Posted by Tom O'Leary at August 3, 2005 7:40 PM

Kudos to all u lovely ladies out there!

a) A few quotes on SUCCESS for all u aspiring (and already) SUCCESSFUL ladies.....

b) If A is success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut. - Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)

c) Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value. - Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)

d) To follow, without halt, one aim: There's the secret of success. - Anna Pavlova (1885 - 1931)

e) If your success is not on your own terms, if it looks good to the world but does not feel good in your heart, it is not success at all. - Anna Quindlen

f) I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. - Bill Cosby (1937 - )

g) Success in business requires training and discipline and hard work. But if you're not frightened by these things, the opportunities are just as great today as they ever were. - David Rockefeller (1915 - )

h) We succeed only as we identify in life, or in war, or in anything else, a single overriding objective, and make all other considerations bend to that one objective. - Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890 - 1969)

i) Success is counted sweetest by those who ne'er succeed. - Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886)

j) My mother drew a distinction between achievement and success. She said that 'achievement is the knowledge that you have studied and worked hard and done the best that is in you. Success is being praised by others, and that's nice, too, but not as important or satisfying. Always aim for achievement and forget about success.' - Helen Hayes (1900 - 1993)

k) People fail forward to success. - Mary Kay Ash

l) Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire. - Reggie Leach

m) Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm. - Sir Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965)

Happy Bloggin & Cheers once again!

Posted by K.Sriram (from India) at August 4, 2005 8:02 AM

is the conference due to women's current lack of success in business?

Posted by onhandclapping at August 4, 2005 11:23 AM

K. Sriram, nice quotes, especially because are targeted to women by a man who sounds, I am sorry, kind of sexist or who may think that women are complete ignorants. Please apply the re-imagine formula Sir.

Onhandclapping's answer: Is the conference due to women's current desire for improving in business? please notice this is re-inventing positive thinking. I invite you to apply the previous question to men.

I must say I am thrilled with this kind of events and just by visiting BlogHer site one can notice all the good stuff that is going on in there. Fantastic!

Posted by Omara at August 5, 2005 3:44 PM

"The quarrels of popes and kings, with wars and pestilences in every page; the men all so good for nothing, and hardly any women at all - it is very tiresome."

Jane Austen.

Posted by Omara at August 5, 2005 3:46 PM

The best part of Blogher, something I'm not seeing a lot of ink on, was the bringing together of business and personal blogging. I knew there were 'mommy' bloggers out there, I didn't know there were 'daddy' bloggers out there...but I learned about them both at Blogher.

In fact, I learned something I should have known: these 'personal' bloggers, who write about family, love, life and the pursuit of happiness (or lack thereof) are powerful! They have devoted readers who are all part of any business's target market.

This conference -- and yes, there were men there (which I, personally, found enjoyable; I write about women's issues and, let's face it, men are a women's issue, big time!) -- but all in all, this conference (how did I miss Cathy Mosca???) was worth the time, energy and money, more than almost any other conference I've attended this year.

Kudos to Elisa, Jory and Lisa, and to all the panelists, and especially, to everyone who was there. Wow...next year will be out of sight!

Posted by Yvonne DiVita at August 24, 2005 8:48 AM