As a member of two amazing professional women's organizations: Oregon WEO and ThePowerMOB, I'm able to engage in intelligent business conversations with a variety of women from endless experiences. This is a gift I receive as a member. Two meetings a year are worth the price of membership!
As a work from home professional, isolation is a part of the day; nose to the screen and keyboard to plow through the day. I rarely look at what's happening in the adjoining room until 3:30 or so, only to feast my eyes on total toy chaos and snack debris. As a result I don't get a chance for a lot of face-to-face communication with my clients. This is alright. I really enjoy my clients, but what I miss the most is the positive side of the "office."
My early experiences of "the office" are positive. I truly enjoyed the friendships, chatter, the brainstorming sessions, Friday night poker nights with the gang in the warehouse, creative sessions and crazy deadlines at 2 a.m. with my team. I never had the large corporate setting with the politics, back-biting and waste of time. I'm grateful to all of my former companies and employers for this:
Multi-copy in S. El Monte, Avon Seagull Marine in Irvine, Roberts Mealer Emerson in Costa Mesa, Commpro in Tustin (now Eagle, Idaho). That's the end of it. The rest has been me, my company, my 8 x 8 space in my house and now, my women - my office.
After moving to the Portland area, The PowerMOB was my first answer after leaving a very supportive and creative group in South Orange County, California. I'm still a remote member, but I missed the brainstorming and problem solving we tackled at each meeting. ThePowerMOB filled that gap. Marlynn Schotland founded this group for women who have truly created their own businesses. This is not for the franchisee, this is for those with an original idea of your own business.
There is different thinking that goes with a woman business owner who, not only relies on her income, but created the solution from her own ideas. This type of woman thinks differently and in larger scaled ideas. These are the women open to collaboration and helping each other succeed and have something to bring to the table in each gathering. There are several women in ThePowerMOB who do what I do, sort of. What I mean is, we are all web "designers," but we each have our own focus, area of expertise and style. This allows us to join forces and come up with ways to improve our businesses. It also allows us to help the other members as they are developing the graphics, marketing and online presence for their businesses.
What do you miss from "the office?" The end of the year party? Me too. I do love to dress up and go to a nice place with my colleagues and let my hair down - short as it is. The Power MOB had an office party at Thirst Wine Bar on Montgomery. We weren't learning anything in a workshop, we weren't presenting our businesses, we were enjoying each others company and learning a bit more about the other side of a mom-owned-business - the family side. I am a grateful member of this organization of hundreds of amazing women!
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