The WBENCE Summit & Salute wrapped up last week, and once again we had an amazing time meeting and strategizing with other Certified Women Owned businesses and stars of their industry.
For those that are unaware, the WBENC Summit & Salute is one of two national events where WBE’s come together to create and develop dynamic relationships while also taking time to celebrate the successes of our Women’s Business Enterprise Stars and America’s Top Corporations for Certified Women’s Business Enterprises. The Summit engages participants in a three-day program focused around various industry-specific tracks, business networking, and development opportunities. The Salute! Dinner follows the Summit and is a festive evening that highlights the WBE Stars and 2018 America’s Top Corporations for Certified Women’s Business Enterprises.
There were two workshops that stood out as we looked back on our week at the conference.
Having a defined problem solving process can help my business make better decisions.
One of the workshops, Design Thinking, really helped us think about how we currently make decisions in our organization and how to improve the proces. Design Thinking is a design methodology that provides a solution-based approach to solving problems. It’s extremely useful in tackling complex problems that are ill-defined or unknown, by understanding the human needs involved, by re-framing the problem in human-centric ways, by creating many ideas in brainstorming sessions, and by adopting a hands-on approach in prototyping and testing. It was interesting to try out the methodology and the 5 steps involved, Learn, Understand, Empathize, Ideate and Prototype.
Having a strong personal brand can elevate my company and our offerings.
Another interesting workshop was titled Brand Builder. Brand Builder was about this importance of personal branding, no matter what industry your brand is in. The speaker discussed the importance of your personal brand, especially when you’re just starting to build your company. Brand building can help in attracting potential clients and new partnership opportunities. However, making a strong first impression on various social media platforms is time consuming and many successful business owners don’t focus on their personal brand. Companies do business with those they trust and have a synergy with. Engaging content, self-promotion, credibility, and confidence are some of the basic elements of successful personal branding.
WBENC events always offer a great opportunity to network and learn from peers across the country. This year’s conference once again provided some amazing opportunities.
