From myself, and the Board of the WBII, I want to wish you all – our members, past members, potential members and those who follow us – a very Happy New Year. May 2025 provide us with challenges we are ready to meet and succeed in.
It may seem ‘late’ to still be wishing people a Happy New Year but, given the dark grey skies we have had over the holiday period here, sharing a little warmth and good cheer is NEVER too late – in my opinion.
My First Year
It has been a year since I took on the role of Chair of the WBII. The early days were busy – as I reached out and connected with (almost) all the volunteers who have been supporting a variety of our activities. A total of about 16 intrepid individuals contributing their time and skills to our community, to our network.
I learnt a tremendous amount, got to know the individuals and slowly started planning. One thing was clear – time had to be respected, goals adjusted to that time respectfulness and we needed clear roles at the Board level for the volunteers to work with and be able to rely on. We spent the year defining board roles; fine-tuning our budget; creating a new way of communicating with our members – via a WhatsApp Community – and ensuring systems worked in a timely manner and not last minute. For instance, we realised we all had a role when it came to ‘making pictures’ to ensure our website, newsletter and social media teams could still carry out their role – even if they could not attend a meeting.
It all sounds rather ‘small’ and mundane, but what I have learnt is that when the small things function well, there is space and time for bigger things to happen. We have now started a re-strategising process, building on what was done last year – and have ambitions to further enhance the WBII for ourselves and for future members. For the many female entrepreneurs who work alone and could use a community of ‘fellow colleagues’ to learn with and from. For the many times we just need to take a break, enjoy a drink and meet others like us.
2025
Collaboration was the theme chosen – by our community – for 2025, and we are excited about bringing a variety of speakers to our events who will build on the theme and show us how, together, we can be stronger and have more fun in what we do.
Sinead will get us started this year – showing us how, even with competitors, there is room for collaboration. And in March, Jacinta will help us understand how to work effectively with neurodiverse clients and colleagues. So much to look forward to. In February – which is a difficult month to plan for given school holiday schedules – a chance to catch-up with a drink and chat about our plans for the coming year. Will we see you there? We hope so. Dates are set – details of speakers etc. are being finalised, but you can pencil them in.
Oh, and a little surprise 😊: supporting fellow female entrepreneurs, we will be moving our regular networking events to ROOM La Chambre on the Anna Paulownaplein 9. We are looking forward to this change too.
Deborah Valentine, WBII Chair