Networking conference planned for business women

UVSC will host a networking conference for women entrepreneurs on Friday, Oct. 12.

Startupprincess.com, along with the Orem Small Business Development Center, will host the event geared toward helping women who are interested in business meet others like them and to inspire them to develop their business dreams into successful, working plans.

The theme of the conference, "Make a Wish, Make It Happen," is what Startup Princess is all about.

Startup Princess was started by Kelly King Anderson in 2006. According to the Web site, the purpose of the group is to be an "online and local networking and mentoring system dedicated to the success of women entrepreneurs."

The Web site is a blog site for users to read articles addressing issues pertaining to entrepreneurship by some of the top female business leaders in the world. 

The event is being co-sponsored by the Orem Small Business Development Center, a department of UVSC. Located off campus, the center provides help with anything from creating business plans, marketing research, record-keeping classes, financial planning and production assistance.

The Small Business Development Center caters to both new and existing businesses.

"We feel that it is important for UVSC’s women, entrepreneurial-minded students, to have opportunities to network and get to know high-level business women in our community," said administrative support personnel, Laurie Ann Thomas.

The conference begins with a kick-off speaker at 9 a.m. on Oct. 12.

Speakers with various professional backgrounds from the community will give tips for success and ideas on developing attendees’ businesses for the remainder of the event, which runs until 3 p.m. that afternoon, with a break for lunch.

Conference organizers have planned three keynote speakers, including Anderson, the founder of Startup Princess, as well as Becca Levie, Mrs. Utah 2006 and Barbara Vineyard, editor of Wasatch Woman Magazine.

The conference will also feature eight breakout-session speakers, which are likely to appeal to the wide-range of participant backgrounds.

The registration fee for the conference is $65, which covers lunch, if you register before Oct. 9. Contact Laurie Ann at (801) 863-8230; and for more information, visit www.uvsc.edu/sbdc/workshops