These days, Westchester businesswomen are thinking B.I.G.
B.I.G. ”“ Believe, Inspire, Grow ”“ is a women”™s networking group with more than 350 members in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts and soon Ohio. Co-founder Rebecca Hull says the organization is looking to establish pods, or chapters, in Fairfield County, Conn., and the upper Hudson Valley.
In the meantime, there are two new pods in White Plains and Chappaqua that members can drop in on. B.I.G. works on the fluid Weight Watchers”™ model, which allows members to attend meetings anywhere, said Julie Trelstad, who spearheads the White Plains pod.
She and Jennifer Fink, the Chappaqua pod leader, say that B.I.G. is for every kind of businesswoman ”“ those long established, those looking to get back in the game or make a career change and especially those searching for a little inspiration and esprit de corps.
The pods meet once a month ”“ the White Plains group at Panera Bread on Wednesday mornings; the Chappaqua chapter at Gail Patrick”™s Café on Tuesday mornings ”“ to discuss everything from personal finance to how to market yourself.
Along the way, connections are made. Fink is a former communications consultant who was seeking a new challenge after her youngest child went to kindergarten. She”™s now entertaining several business concepts, based on a relationship forged in her B.I.G. pod, which includes lawyers, financial planters, a chef and women working in sales, health care and nonprofits.
Beyond the topics and the networking is the sense of support, says Trelstad, whose Plain White Press publishes the Books for Busy Moms series and will be relaunched this fall as a business that helps other businesses publish their own books. Her pod includes a psychologist, a caterer, a web designer, a reporter for CNBC and an editor.
“It”™s exciting that B.I.G. has come to Westchester, and I hope there will be more chapters,” Trelstad said.
For her and Fink, the B.I.G.-ger, the better.
Learn more about B.I.G. at justthinkbig.us.
