Group lets women business leaders share wisdom

It can be very lonely at the top, said Vicki Hainsworth King, president of Mountain Vista Development Inc.

That’s one reason she joined the Las Vegas chapter of Women Presidents’ Organization.

“None of my girlfriends are entrepreneurs and I can’t go to my employees, so it’s hard to know if I’m looking at something right,” she said. “It’s hard to look at situations objectively.”

The organization was founded in 1997 in New York City by Marsha Firestone, who had built a career in leading women’s development groups and wanted to fill a void for successful female entrepreneurs. Firestone is also the author of “The Busy Woman’s Guide to Successful Self-Employment.”

“Just because you’re running a business that’s generating at least $1 million, you still need education,” said Firestone, who continues as president of the national group, which has 120 chapters on six continents. “There’s just as much need for business education in a business that has grown to a multimillion-dollar level as there is in a business that’s in the startup phase.”

Las Vegas chapter Chairwoman Shelia McKay said members meet for three hours once a month for 12 months and learn from one another’s experiences in a peer learning environment.

“Each meeting, we present an issue having to do with what’s going on in the member’s individual businesses,” she said. “The agenda for the year is decided by the members to meet their needs at the time and stay current.”

The Las Vegas chapter, founded in 2005, has 13 active members from various industries.

“You can’t have more than one from an industry because you don’t want to divulge what you’re doing to your competitor who is in the same room,” McKay said.

To join, women must lead a company with at least $1 million in gross revenue in a service-based business and $2 million in a product-based company with partial or entire ownership of the company.

Megan Huegel, owner of a California Closets franchise on Dean Martin Drive, said each member is equal and the chapter has no hierarchical positions.

“It’s very flexible,” she said. “It’s a great place to learn and to clarify as well as have people listen.”

Huegel added that the support and encouragement she receives from the organization is priceless.

“There aren’t many people saying, ‘Good job,’ when you own a business,” she said. “There are things I’ve learned here that I wouldn’t have even known how to ask about.

Firestone said, “Women need this and they like to share their experience with one another,” Firestone said. “So many women I’ve met say it can be lonely running a business and not having other women understand what they’re talking about. This isn’t just a social circle; it helps them with operational issues and strategic thinking.”

Chris Harvey, who owns The Design Factory, a conference and trade show exhibit company in Las Vegas, said she’s become a more confident business owner since joining the organization five years ago.

“Just because we run successful businesses doesn’t mean we have all the answers,” she said. “Within this organization we mentor each other and that’s hard to find out there.”

McKay said Las Vegas’ chapter seeks new members to participate in professionally facilitated peer advisory groups to accelerate their businesses.

“Someone should join because they’ve achieved a certain amount of success already but want to grow their business and bring it to the next level,” McKay said. “We’re not a networking group. Our purpose is education.”

McKay said she’d like to establish a Women Presidents’ Organization chapter in Henderson.

“I think there’s a need and potential,” she said. “We need to continue to effectively meet the needs of women entrepreneurs.”

To join, email Shelia McKay at wponevada@cox.net or call 702-275-3253. For more information, visit www.womenpresidentsorg.com.