Vegas society for working moms nurtures on a national scale
Vegas society for working moms nurtures on a national scale
by Business Press - Valerie Miller
When Gina Robison-Billups founded a small networking and support group of working mothers, close to four years ago, the business owner never imagined that she was doing anything groundbreaking.
She was.
Robison-Billups soon discovered that her Moms in Business Network was not only a rare breed, it was a nonexistent one. The marketing professional searched for something like it elsewhere but came up empty-handed.
COURTESY MIBN
Moms in Business Network founder Gina Robison-Billups
"I really had a hard time believing that there was no association for working mothers anywhere in the country," she recalled. Her small group was a rarity. It quickly grew from four to around 80 members and formally became an association.
That number has now swelled to 250 strong -- and that's just in Southern Nevada. MIBN has become so popular that working mothers and others from all over the country have contacted the group.
California, Arizona, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Washington State and Colorado have members in MIBN. The organization became so successful that Robison-Billups sold her own business, the Marketing & Business Development Center, to devote herself full time to Moms in Business.
MOMS SPAWN A SEQUEL
While MIBN is a for-profit entity, it now has a sister group, the International Association of Working Mothers. The latter currently is applying for non-profit status.
The IAWM was founded by Robison-Billups because she felt the name "Moms in Business Network" might be putting some people off from joining. It's not solely the domain of businesswomen who are raising children, she notes.
"We have teachers, nurses and a lot of casino workers," the founder said. "We have two targets: the women business owners and the women executives. They are typically involved in decision making when it comes to the community."
Corporations and men can benefit from joining the group, too: "Women are usually involved in decision making when it comes to developing the business, and (in) sales, when it comes to other businesses."
Moms in Business can count some big-name corporate members, including Station Casinos and Alberto Culver, which owns Sally's Beauty Supplies. Culver's brands include such household names as Alberto VO5 and Mrs. Dash.
EATING AN ELEPHANT
MIBN offers classes to its members, including being certified as a female-owned business. Training is offered for both the Women's Business Enterprise National Council and the U.S. General Services Administration.
"Getting certified can be daunting," Robison-Billups reported. "What the association does is educate women on the steps that need to be taken. It's like they say, 'What's the best way to eat an elephant? One bite at a time.' At the end of 16 weeks, you should be on your way to getting certified."
The group offers both career advice and moral support. Members are taught that having children can be a plus when climbing the corporate latter, not a minus. The organization's Web site offers the opportunity to network in cyberspace. In-person networking events and seminars are also held for MIBN members.
MIBN offers two $5,000 grants each year to its members. One is awarded to a start-up and another to an expanding firm. Only $1,000 of each grant is in cash. The remainder is in the form of support services, including training.
The network is expected to continue growing. There are five out-of-state seminars penciled in this year, with another 10 scheduled for 2008. With more than 15 million female business owners is the country, Moms in Business certainly has a large target audience.
"It's been word of mouth," Robison-Billups explained. "People see the Internet and just call us."
