Hera Hub DC’s CEO, Julia Westfall, serves as a guest speaker on the “Women in Business” workshop panel at the 2019 D.C. Small Business Fair: Launch, Grow and Innovate.
The DC’s Small Business Fair took off with opening remarks of encouragement for the somewhat 1,300 entrepreneur attendees. Founder of DC Fray, Robert Kinsler and Capital Group DC’s founder, Curtis Porter, shared their not so straight-line journeys that led to their successful businesses- two very inspiring messages that are relatable to any start-ups and small business owners. Congresswoman Norton graciously took the stage and stressed how reliant DC is on small business being that they make up 47% of the employment. The Congresswoman then announced this year’s D.C. Norton Small Business of the Year Award which went to LINK Strategic Partners. Closing introductory remarks invited attendees to support the vendors who were also present at the event and to attend the workshops that best catered to each individual’s business needs.
Hera Hub DC’s very own CEO, Julia Westfall was joined by Kelly O’Malley of the Vinetta Project and Soundwise founder, Natasha Che for the “Women in Business” workshop. The panel mirrored their own experiences and observations by discussing challenges that women typically face when starting and attempting to expand their businesses.
During the panel discussion, Julia and Kelly highlight the disadvantages of thinking too small while stressing over the details when women entrepreneurs consider ideas for prime projects. Julia points out that “women usually have a more conservative outlook on pursuing projects and tend to underestimate themselves.” She admits that she tells her members “if you’re smart enough to get two masters degrees, then you are an expert on how to run your business”. The biggest takeaways from the panel are that no one knows your business better than yourself; know your strengths and use them; identify mentors that can help in specific areas of your business; don’t rely solely on expert advice and finally, women’s intuition is strong, so when you feel a great idea pull you…go for it!