Jewelry, clothing and sweet treats were put on display by female entrepreneurs at the fifth annual Women’s Business Showcase, hosted by the Women’s Leadership Network Thursday, Sept. 29.
The event was held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in McCastlain Ballroom and featured 50 women-owned businesses from Conway and the central Arkansas area.
The event, which is hosted every year by the Women’s Leadership Network, serves as a platform for female entrepreneurs and business owners to connect and share their products with a wider audience.
Shaniel Ealy is the associate vice president of Outreach and Community Engagement, which the Women’s Leadership Network is a part of. She is also a founding member of WLN.
“We’re all about empowering women to live authentically,” Ealy said. “We’re really intentional about giving women a platform and making it accessible. We only charge fifty dollars for businesses to do this and normally an expo like this would cost hundreds and hundreds of dollars, so we are really being intentional about diversity and inclusion and accessibility for them to showcase what they do.”
Some of the featured businesses, like Jazzercise and Julie’s Sweet Shoppe, have been in business for decades while for others, Thursday’s showcase was their first event.
Jamisa Hogan was a part of the business lineup representing Willow Event Center and was also one of the presenting sponsors of the night.
As the showcase began, Hogan gave a speech to thank everyone for attending and a shout-out to the WLN.
“I want to take this opportunity to thank you for giving us the opportunity to encourage each other, to share and to laugh with each other,” Hogan said. “It was without a hesitation that I wanted to be one of their presenting sponsors tonight.”
Nadoline Bonney, the owner of Del Afro Beads, showcased handmade jewelry, head wraps and accessories at her booth.
“Everything is handmade by family and friends and it has been a great opportunity to explore that and share with others,” Bonney said.
Bonney said having female representation in businesses inspires women and girls to follow their dreams.
“Women-owned businesses show women and little girls that we can do anything that we put our minds to,” Bonney said. “You may have hesitations when you start something, but you have to take the step to embrace it, and once you embrace it, you see that there are many people who also want what you have.”
The Women’s Business Showcase was the first event put on by the WLN of the semester, but there will be upcoming events every month of the academic year.
The WLN plans to cover topics such as effective communication, leadership strategies and networking for businesses.
“We’ll have either breakfast or lunch or a happy hour and we’ll go over those topics together,” Ealy said.
The event scheduled for Oct. 21 will cover work-life balance.
“We’re entrepreneurs, we’re moms, we’re business owners, we’re educators,” Ealy said. “How do you balance work-life with your career? We’ll be talking about that.”
The event will be held at Blue Barn Bakery, a women-owned business that was featured at the showcase. Doors open at 7:30 a.m.