ENDNOTE by Jill Vitiello Lifting as we climb Sixteen years ago, I walked into a ballroom at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort in Buena Vista, Florida, as an accidental entrepreneur, and I walked out an impassioned business owner with purpose and a plan. It was the seventh annual conference and gala awards celebration of Enterprising Women. Those three days connected me to this inclusive and generous women’s business network and changed the course of my career and my company for good. Months earlier, my sister, Carol, employee Number Two at Vitiello Communications Group, read about the awards competition and nominated me. When we learned that I’d been named a finalist, we decided to go to the conference just for fun. After all, a few days in the Florida sunshine at the end of a cold New Jersey winter sounded like a great idea. From the moment we arrived, we were embraced by a special warmth that went way beyond the pleasant weather. The dynamic, successful businesswomen who attended the conference included us in conversations, asked us about our work, and congratulated us for being recognized among that year’s winners. The well-named Monica Smiley, Publisher/ CEO, Enterprising Women, welcomed us personally on our first morning. Later that day, she introduced me to Dr. Marsha Firestone, Founder and CEO of the Women Presidents Organization. The great Dr. Firestone put her arm around my waist and introduced me to women business owners in her vast network. She invited me to join WPO and later that day, made a call on my behalf to the Chair of my local chapter. At the gala awards ceremony, as I crossed the stage to receive my award from a beaming Monica, I felt a sense of wonder as hundreds of women applauded my achievement. That special evening recognized the hard work, sacrifice and joy that every awardee experienced, and it was thrilling to clap and cheer as each woman took her turn in the spotlight. Carol and I returned to the office, energized and excited by all that we had learned at the conference. We used the social media marketing roadmap that one of the workshop leaders had provided and immediately launched a blog, an e-mail newsletter and Facebook page. We convened our small team and shared the information we had gleaned from other sessions. Together, we developed new branding, an integrated sales approach, and a financial performance reporting framework. That year, 2009, I joined the Women Presidents Organization and faithfully attended our monthly meetings. The wisdom and skills I gained from sitting at that table of seasoned business owners taught me the management skills I needed to take my company to a new level of client service and sales. By 2012, we had doubled annual revenues, and I was named an Enterprising Women award winner in the $1 – 5 million category. That year, my mother accompanied me to the conference, held at the Ritz-Carlton in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I’ll never forget the awe she expressed for the women who ran thriving businesses in industries ranging from manufacturing to professional services. A career-long education administrator, Mom was my first and most ardent cheerleader, and it was supremely rewarding to have her there at the conference with me that year. I noticed that every key organization in the women’s business community made it a point to be present at the Enterprising Women conference. It was through Enterprising Women that I learned about the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, which led us to seek and earn certification by that distinguished body. We soon were involved in WBENC, attending conferences, meeting with the diversity supplier representatives of corporations, and serving on the Forum. We were honored to attend the WBENC-Tuck Capstone Program. As I continued my involvement in WPO, WBENC, and Enterprising Women as an advisory board member, I saw that the leaders of these and other key groups were intentional in their support of one another and the opportunities they offered to business owners like me. They practiced a principle first voiced more than 125 years ago by Mary Church Terrell, the first president of the National Association of Colored Women (NACW): “Lifting as we climb.” With global initiatives such as Peace Through Business and the Young Enterprising Women mentorship program, Enterprising Women and its allies actively promote economic empowerment for women around the world. We lift as we climb. This unique community of women business owners and leaders shatters the common and cynical perception of businesspeople as selfish and shows a different way of being and working. Through our mutual and inclusive support of the diversity of experiences each organization provides, we light the path for every woman who dreams of owning a successful business. This year, I walked into the ballroom at the Grand Hyatt in Nashville, Tennessee, anxious about the unpredictable changes we are experiencing in this nation and concerned about the impact on women’s businesses. It turns out I had nothing to fear. This gathering of Enterprising Women was historic and profound. Every panelist and presenter expressed confidence in the resilience and solidarity of the women’s business community. Because we lift as we climb. JILL VITIELLO writes and speaks about women in business, leadership communication, and allyship advocacy. She was the founder and CEO of Vitiello Communications Group, one of the first woman-owned employee engagement and communication agencies in the U.S., which was acquired by a global life sciences marketing firm. Jill is a member of the Enterprising Women Advisory Board. 82 enterprising Women
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