Women’s Idea Network Plans Big Expansion in 2010

Three years ago, Debbie Christy McCurry founded Women’s Idea Network with one simple question in mind: “How do you find the courage to start your own business?” The answer started McCurry on her own journey to entrepreneurship. WIN’s networking luncheons have taken off in West Chester, and are attended by female business owners from every field. In 2010, McCurry plans to expand WIN to eleven additional Tri-State communities.As a commercial real estate manager, McCurry saw a need to bring together the women who rented business space in her buildings. When she organized a luncheon to share ideas, several women asked if they could bring a friend. To her surprise, 29 women showed up for the first meeting and Women’s Idea Network was off and running. The format for a WIN meeting is simple. During two networking rounds, groups of ten trade business cards, seek solutions to problems and get to know each other. “It’s a soft structure – no pressure,” says McCurry.McCurry builds WIN around the needs of her clients. “I’m not going to sell you a blue dress if you don’t need one,” she quips. Early meetings featured speakers, but McCurry found that her attendees preferred talking about their own businesses. McCurry’s vision for the future of WIN includes a magazine and a large annual meeting for all chapters.WIN’s charter West Chester meeting takes place at the Beckett Ridge Country Club, 11:30 A.M. – 1:00 P.M., the third Wednesday of each month. One hundred fifty local women are members; average attendance at a WIN luncheon ranges from eighty to one hundred fifty. Women pay $15 to attend a luncheon, and can attend their first with no obligation to join the organization. Reservations are due the Friday before the event.Right now, McCurry is laying the groundwork for a simultaneous launch of the 11 additional WIN locations; partners are helping her scout locations, secure staff, and market the meetings. Another company has approached McCurry about launching WIN-style events in Indianapolis and Columbus, but McCurry has these plans on hold until the Cincinnati events are well underway. Amid the scope of her business plan, McCurry keeps the needs of individual business owners first on her list. She describes WIN as “a business sisterhood…as much about the personal side of our lives as about the businesses. Sometimes, you just need someone to come alongside you and say, ‘Hey, you can do it.’”Written by: Elena StevensonSource: Debbie Christy McCurry, Founder and President, Women’s Idea Network