Corporate Comforts
The right relationship with a corporate insider can bring out the best in both worlds.
What can women in corporate America offer women entrepreneurs?
Plenty. Just ask Lauren Rosenstadt, owner of Besthesda,
Maryland-based Herbal Animals. "We had been selling our
product for all of one month and were ready for the big time,"
remembers Rosenstadt, 43, mocking her early naivete. In 1995, she
began a marketing campaign to sell her animal-shaped aromatherapy
pillows to retailers, including The Body Shop and The Nature
Company. The first pillow-sheep-shaped and filled with lavender,
peppermint and flaxseed-was dubbed Sydney Green Sheep, and the
body-care products buyer at The Nature Company happened to be a
woman named Sydney Scott. "When I pitched it to Sydney, I had
a feeling it would be a go. She loved it. They started with Sydney
Green Sheep, then asked us to make something just for The Nature
Company," says Rosenstadt. "By fall, they had given us a
10,000-piece order. She really took a chance on us, because at the
time, we were very small."
Woman entrepreneurs tend to be so
focused on building their business, they often wear
blinders.
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Scott may have taken a chance on Herbal Animals, but she
didn't leave things to chance. Her staff worked with Rosenstadt
continuously, checking on delivery dates and more. "She did a
lot of hand-holding," remembers Rosenstadt, who wondered if
the treatment was unusual. In fact, that type of relationship is
common. Content Continues Below
"One of the things I hear a lot, especially from women
who've been in corporate America for 20 years, is how difficult
it was getting started because they didn't have mentors or role
models. They want to share their experiences and make it easier for
others," explains Maria Semidei-Otero, founder and president
of the nonprofit Women's Venture Fund. In addition to making
loans, the organization pairs women entrepreneurs with
mentors-mostly corporate execs. She notes that women entrepreneurs tend to be so focused on
building their businesses, they often wear blinders.
"Corporate women need to see a variety of things to manage the
process," says Semidei-Otero. "Because they must interact
with other divisions, they must negotiate and present information
to different people at different times." And the relationships are mutually beneficial. Women business
owners help imbue their corporate counterparts with the
entrepreneurial spirit increasingly needed to succeed in corporate
life, says Carol Nichols, JPMorgan Chase senior vice president and
Texas statewide manager of commercial business banking. "I
think women entrepreneurs are real leaders in terms of having new
and different ways to do business and be successful," says
Nichols. The connection between women entrepreneurs and those in
corporate America can be powerful. It's in the best interest of
both groups to ensure the other is strong, vibrant and fully
realizes its potential. | | Network News | | Want to network with corporate women? In addition to the
organizations below, check with your local women's chamber of
commerce and industry associations. - National Association for Female
Executives, (800) 634-NAFE, www.nafe.com
- National Association of Women Business
Owners, (202) 347-8686, www.nawbo.org
- Women Business Enterprise National
Council, (202) 872-5515, www.wbenc.org
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