Divas in Business Entrepreneur Expo

I can’t recall how I ran across the Divas in Business Entrepreneur Expo, but somehow I found myself on their Facebook Page. Something told me to set my notifications to get alerts regarding the event. When Founder, Trish Drake, announced that she was looking for bloggers, I immediately jumped on the opportunity. The conference was held in Las Vegas, one of my favorite places. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the Expo, but I was excited to go.

As a budding entrepreneur, I’m always looking for events and activities to grow my business and connect with like-minded women. Divas in Business Expo turned out to be the perfect place to do this. From start to finish, the expo was filled with camaraderie, empowerment, business building tips, and even a little pampering.

Speakers such as Kim Pothier, Shade Y. Adu, Aisha Curry, Keitiaunna Howard, Quniana Futrell, and Andrea Eppolito graced the stage. Brittany Soul blessed us with her beautiful voice, and we enjoyed an intimate Spa Day at Neiman Marcus, courtesy of Sisley– followed by lunch with Jewel Tankard.

Some of my take-aways were:

God can move quickly!!! Pastor Kim talked about working in Bloomingdale’s just 2 years ago. Only two years ago she was at the make-up counter, with a broken down car. Now she is touring the world spreading the gospel. It encouraged me to keep going, despite how slowly things seem to be happening. Today could be the day that everything turns around.

We hold the success of another in our hands. Trish Drake’s introductory game was not your typical “Introduce yourself to 5 people.” We introduced ourselves, THEN we proceeded to introduce the people we’d just met to others. It was a powerful example of how easily we can move someone else to the next level with a simple introduction, phone call, or referral.

There is power in connection. While attending the conference, I got word that the event space I’d planned to use for my own event was no longer available. It was two days before the event, and I had nowhere to host it. Oh but God… I just so happened to be in a room full of local event planners. I asked Arlene, who quickly put in a phone call, and referred me to several places to host the event. Another attendee, Gabrielle, was able to get her employer to allow me to use their space. While I didn’t use any of these spaces, I realized how important it is to get to know the people around you. You never know who is in the room. I’m typically the person to sit back and not mingle much, but after realizing I was sitting right next to Tony Gaskin’s wife Sheri at BlogHer in June, I realized that I should really be aware of whose presence I am in. You never know how you can work together.

 

Be yourself. This was the theme for my whole trip to Vegas. From the ConnectHer Conference, to conference speaker Andrea Eppolito. In a world that tries to convince us that we need to be a certain way, it is important to hold tight to who we truly are. There are people you will only be able to reach by being your true, authentic self – unapologetic and not watered down.

Balance is Key. As entrepreneurs, businesswomen, moms, wives, etc, etc etc, we can become so laser-focused on getting the next thing done that we lose sight of ourselves. We find it hard to be ourselves, because we don’t even remember who we are outside of our daily tasks. I loved that the Divas in Business Expo provided a great balance of activities – pool time to relax with friends, empowerment sessions to feel good, strategies to get down to business, and a spa day for me-time. Balance is essential to success.

God doesn’t make mistakes. This was my major take away. Trish said it multiple times, and as things began to unravel for me, I realized how true it is. On our life journey – whether it be business, family, relationships – there will be mishaps. There will be things that consistently do not go our way, and seasons where we don’t see the presence of God anywhere. We have to remember that everything will work together for our good, and know that God is using those seasons to grow us and develop our character to be more like His. We have to learn to embrace the good with the bad, and be willing to accept that He knows what He is doing.

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Overall I had a wonderful time at the Divas in Business Expo. I look forward to attending next year, where it will be held in Las Vegas again. Be sure to follow Divas in Business on Facebook or on their website for information on future events.

In the words of Trish Drake, “When one diva wins, we all win.”

What makes you a “Diva”? Comment below.