One of the initial questions I had to ask the members of my women's networking group, WOW-Women Optimizing Women, is whether they had determined if they had a hobby or a business. Heads tilted. Eyes widened. And some ladies were truly uncertain of an adequate response. I had to elaborate. To prod delicately as each one of them was quite passionate about what they did. I also came back with a follow-up question. What money had they made so far? Of course, some of the ladies were in various stages and some held multiple jobs while trying to network and convince, literally convince, other attendees that they were a legitimate business.
A hobby by definition, is something you do regularly in your leisure for pleasure such as reading or gardening. On the other hand, a business is something you do as a regular occupation, trade, or profession. It is how you make a living; although, some people are far better at making money to support themselves than others. It can include making widgets, jewelry, practicing a profession such as a lawyer or a doctor, or even providing a service like a limousine, travel agency, computer service, or even networking and consulting. We've seen retail change from brick-and-mortar structures to online business hosting a wide variety of products from candles and books to lumber and lighting. The banking and mortgage industry has changed with people forming them for virtual applications and services without meeting with anyone personally.
I began coordinating a women's networking group over 10 years ago as a way for business women to get together to share their visions, develop relationships, and build their business. It wasn't a traditional 'hobby' and it certainly was not a 'business' based on the definitions of same. It lay somewhere in between. Clearly, women were doing business together and I was making a lot of business contacts and we were meeting on a regular basis. The networking group gained in strength and the number of participants. I kept their contact information and sent out invitations for events. We shared business cards with one another and I kept them for both future reference and to give to other women as they requested a need for a particular person or business entity.
Eventually, things changed. It wasn't until I met a gentleman, Tom Mazerski, at Carroll Community College in October of 2021 that I realized I had the components for a business. Tom and I started communicating about blogging. I needed help. As the weeks passed by and he introduced more concepts and ideas, he began asking questions about what I did. I spoke to him about WOW. His voice got a bit excited as he exclaimed, "You have a business, Barbara! You have a following-several hundred ladies, a logo, have conducted regular events, and have great insight." The latter was perhaps more my words than his. But, I did have insight. I had a vision. I was goal oriented and I knew what I wanted for the group. I had a full-time job requiring a great deal of time and was in no way ready to begin focusing on a business.
Then, the opportunity presented itself. One too many corporate monthly meetings soon had my mind shifting in a different direction. I realized the time had come. The networking was ready to shift into a business! The decision was made on April 14, 2022-a little after 1 pm. I planted my seeds, started an LLC, and began thinking in a different light. I started building a website. I continued the WOW networking meetings and began attending other networking events. I spread the word and used my WOW FB page to update the ladies as I made progress. I am still in the infancy of a business and each day work toward achieving the next goal and look forward to a prosperous and fulfilling adventure.
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