Ladies Who Launch
Issue #30
These women serve up inspiration for aspiring entrepreneurs
By Anastasia Masurat
Published: December 1st, 2006 | 12:00am
2002
WEB SITE:FOUNDERS:Beth Schoenfeldt, a Columbia University MBA, and Victoria Colligen, a former lawyer STAFF: 42 women, including 37 “incubator” workshop leaders in sites around the country
MISSION:To encourage women to launch their own endeavors, whether it’s starting their own business, recording an album, or even jumpstarting their social lives. Schoenfeldt and Colligen are betting that by connecting these women with one another, they can spread the inspiration and ideas necessary to get their goals off the ground.
PREP WORK: Schoenfeldt and Colligen both started their own businesses after stints in the corporate world and at Internet start-ups. Colligen created Ladieswholaunch.com as an e-newsletter and networking Web site for female entrepreneurs, while Schoenfeldt was starting a series of workshops for a similar clientele in New York City. For Schoenfeldt, the undertaking was based on instinct, not preparation. “I had a feeling that if I could bring people together, it would yield good results,” she says. “But when I started, I didn’t know what I’d be teaching the second week.”
HISTORY: After two and a half years of working solo, they decided to merge their networking businesses. An “incubator” program for women looking to launch projects and businesses, based on Schoenfeldt’s workshop series, has expanded nationwide. The site now features online profiles of members and an eBay store for their wares, and the company has begun hosting events featuring successful businesswomen as speakers. However, at its core, the company is still a platform for networking and inspiration. “Women thrive on connecting,” Schoenfeldt says. “Entrepreneurship and creativity are contagious.”
In addition to releasing a book in spring 2007, the ladies have ideas for other media ventures and expansion plans, possibly even creating a program for teenage girls.
ADVICE:“If you have a dream to do something, work on it. Take that first step,” Schoenfeldt says. “The worst mistake you can make is to do nothing.”
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