Houston Area Urban League Entrepreneurship Center Celebrates
National Women’s Small Business Month
2^nd Annual She Said. She Led. She Is. Conference

On October 30^th, in Houston, TX, the Houston Area Urban League (HAUL) Entrepreneurship Center collaborated with L’Renee & Associates, business consultant and tenant of HAUL, to host the 2^nd annual She Said. She Led. She Is. women’s empowerment conference.  Over 150 women business owners from across the city showed up to attend the highly anticipated conference where they gathered with other like-minded entrepreneurs and business owners to connect, collaborate and celebrate one another during National Women’s Small Business Month. The conference provided attendees with tools, resources, and information to help them elevate their businesses, careers, finances, and lifestyle.

This year’s theme, Be Disruptive! challenged the women to not just think outside the box, but to get rid of it completely, giving them room to freely disrupt and dominate the marketplace in their respective spaces. To jumpstart the celebration, select Houston area women CEOs were invited to take part in an exclusive Game Changers photoshoot…think Forbes Most Powerful Women meets Oprah’s Power List! The inaugural shoot featured fierce, fly and fabulous women who were either self-nominated or nominated by others and recognized as game changers. They represented diverse industries including; PR, Tech, Construction, Oil & Gas, Financial Services, Real Estate, Health and Beauty, Retail, and more.

Unlike many conferences where women leave empowered and inspired, but still lack “the know how or what to do,” She Said. She Led. She Is. provides women with the substantive information, implementable strategies, and the hands on support they need to grow their business. “To be quite honest, I was tired of attending “pep rally” conferences that got you all fired up, feeling like you could conquer the world, and then left you wondering HOW the heck you were going to make it happen,” said LaToshia Norwood, PMP, Managing Partner at L’Renee and creator of She Said. She Led. She Is. “When I crossed paths with other women business owners, they echoed the same sentiments. I realized if I wanted to experience something different, I had to do something different and that’s what I did. I had to create it,” said Norwood.

The high energy, half day conference featured TED talk-style SHEtalk presentations from some of Houston’s entrepreneurial powerhouse women who are moving, shaking, and disrupting their industries. SHEtalk breakout sessions facilitated by leading industry experts covered a variety of topics including: Insight, Innovation, Incentives & Initiate for Growth, 5 Ways to Reduce Your Chances of Being Sued, Self-Care Guide to Work Life Balance, Disrupt The Market With Your Marketing, and the SHEtalk Power Luncheon presentation on The Secrets To Artfully Develop Business. Woven in between the valuable and tangible content and quality conversations, attendees experienced a myriad of meaningful connections, engaged in strategic partnerships, and were educated about the resources and support available right in the city for access and opportunities. All of which will help them achieve greater success and leverage their ability to be disruptive!

Featured speakers included LaToshia Norwood who spoke about the importance of being prepared for unknown risks and the ebbs and flows of running a business, Alaina Saulsberry, CEO of Color Du Jour, who shared how she transitioned from being a 7^th grade teacher to building an international brand, Nancy Almodovar, owner of Nan and Company Properties who spoke about how her firm (of 45 real estate agents) used technology to disrupt the real estate market, and Elizabeth Bond and Celina Bautovich, advertising mavens who shared tips on how to artfully develop business relationships. LaMonica Orr-Love, Liz Lara Carreno, April Day, and Zaundra Jackson facilitated the specialized breakout sessions.

The event ended with the recognition of seven finalists for the Game Changer of the Year award. Each finalist and the overall winner, Charease Davis, creator of The Total Woman, were awarded cash prizes thanks to the contributions from the Houston Area Urban League Entrepreneurship Center.

In conjunction with the Houston Area Urban League Entrepreneurship Center, other recognized sponsors who have a vested interest in and passion for seeing women continue to be a thriving force in the business world were: WeWork, Women’s Business Enterprise Alliance (WBEA), Houston Community College, CenterPoint Energy, FLUOR, Houston Minority Supplier Development Council, The Document Group, Keisha’s Kreations, NUK’s Fine Catering LLC, Small Business Administration, GetixHealth, City of Houston Office of Business Opportunity, 3T Media, and a host of other companies. For more information visit www.SheSaidSheLed.com

***National Women’s Small Business Month is recognized in October and in the words of Carla Harris, Chair of the National Women’s Business Council, “it’s a time to acknowledge and applaud the talented, dedicated and driven women whose entrepreneurial spirit helps drive our nation’s economy forward. Women’s entrepreneurship has evolved from a growing trend to an inarguable contributor to the economic success, job growth and innovative backbone of this country.”

L’Renee & Associates is a full-service project management and consultancy firm dedicated to improving clients’ performance and profitability. They support high-performing organizations by consulting, training and recruiting the best project managers globally. L’Renee & Associates has served in the capacity as a business advisor for the Houston Area Urban League Entrepreneurship Center since 2014. For more information visit:

www.LReneeLLC.com

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www.SheSaidSheLed.com