Today we’d like to introduce you to Renata Merino.
Renata, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My story began back in 2013 when I had moved from the city of Chicago to the suburbs as a new working mother of two and loved to network. I remember back to when I would be stuck in traffic on a Wednesday evening after feeding and putting my young children to sleep and was headed to a networking event in the city. I would be late to the networking event that I had paid for, annoyed that it was all about pushing business cards in a forced environment and in an environment that was not fun nor was it female centric at all. I mean, really? Who wants to be stuck in a stoic conference hall or hotel lobby where you need to walk up to someone and shake their hand? Forget it. So I would end up skipping out on the networking events and got stuck in my suburb bubble limiting in expanding my network and thereby putting a damper on professional opportunities.
Another interesting fact that emerged to the surface at the time, was the fact that my preconceived notion of women who lived in the suburbs was thrown out the window. I was meeting amazing powerhouse women who were managing it all. From taking care of their children to logging back on at night to finishing their working day in getting back to clients, these women were working (full-time or part-time) and making their family a priority. Like me, they shared the same values and were extremely career drive. These were not trophy wives. Yes, they were beautiful and sharply dressed, but they were also badasses launching businesses, advancing their careers and true leaders in their industries. They were taking their kids to soccer practice, making dinner every night (ok, maybe not every night), supporting their husbands and excelling in their careers. I would meet these women at my children’s soccer games, gymnastic classes or parent teacher go to school nights. However, my conversations with them were limited due to our kids pulling on our legs interrupting or us needing to run to the next activity in our busy lives. These was no venue where we could engage in meaningful discussions that involved speaking about both personal and professional topics.
At this time, the book “The Stiletto Network” was published. This book, written by Pamela Ryckman identified Women’s groups popping up in and around the United States where women would get together to support one another offering guidance and support with respect to personal and professional aspects. From moms launching businesses their basements to high-powered CEO’s these groups were all about women supporting women. I decided that the Northshore of Chicago needed a “Stiletto Network” and since I was a big networker, was all about “girl power” after having attended an all-girls private middle school and high school as a female growing up on the east coast, Blazin’ Babes was born in the summer of 2014.
Since then we have grown our membership base to 100 paying members, have hosted over 50 networking events, raised money for both local and national charities, became a certified B Corporation, was selected to be part of the 2017 Summer 1871 Chicago Latino incubator program and are now seeking venture capital funding to expand and grown nationally.
Has it been a smooth road?
I think being an entrepreneur is tough. I think being a female entrepreneur is tough. I think being a female entrepreneur that is Latina is tough. But I think I’m pretty tough, so all of that goes away. Because the tougher the road is for me, the more resilient I become. If one door closes, there are always other doors.
The top two areas that have been a challenge for me are: 1) Funding 2) Scaling my business to help more women
When pitching to investors, I have found it challenging to find the “right” investor. First, I have had more criticism and puzzled faces from most male investors who just don’t “get” women and the networking thing and the value that my business model provides. Even with the right financial model showing the numbers (yes, I am a Chicago Booth grad and past investment banker) as well as showing testimonials and proof of how Blazin’ Babes has helped countless women return to work, change jobs and launch their own businesses in addition to supporting and driving incremental revenue to local businesses, most male investors are looking for the quick return and not the mission-driven business that is, in actuality, more sustainable, has consistent cash flow and fosters significant brand loyalty. However, the support from female executives, angels and female VC’s as well as male colleagues with whom I have worked with over my 20 year career in marketing, has been amazing. I think with the right investor who not only can provide capital to get us launched in other states, but also can add value to our board and drive long-term sustainable growth to our business, will be the right fit for us. We are ok with finding the right fit. We are very selective in who we bring on to our team. We want to make the “right” move for us, our business and our mission.
Secondly, I think finding the right internal team to scale our business with limited initial capital has been tough. Although I bring solid marketing skills to the table and can work quiet efficiently with a limited budget, rounding out our management team is a critical component to the success of our business. We are seeking a CTO as well as a Programming director and Events Director. Our top priority is to provide our members with exceptional programming and top quality events as well as easy and efficient ways for our members to connect with other women. So for all of your girl power women out there, we would love to have you join our sisterhood and be part of the growth of our brand and business. There have been many opportunities that have bene floating our way and we would love for you to be a part early on in the game!
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Blazin’ Babes is a mission-driven chapter-based women’s professional networking company and a certified B Corporation supported by a tech-based networking website. We provide monthly networking events in female-centric environments offering career-related programming including speaker series, workshops and interactive panels. We target women who are working full-time, part-time or who want to return to work. Many of our members are seeking career transition, interested in launching a business or returning to work after taking time off to stay home and raise their children. We are edgy, fun and embrace the feminine feminism. We love fashion, dispelling the myth that women need to dress conservatively like a guy and we relish in providing networking environments where women can unwind, meet other women, connect, kick off their shoes and grab a cocktail a few miles from their suburb home on a Thursday night and are back at home by 9:30PM!
We are most proud of our mission-driven philanthropic DNA where we consistently give back to those in need. We feel as though we have the means, fire-power and business model to help other organizations who support women going through challenges whether it is financial, health related, personal or career-related. We have donated funds and in-kind donations to non-profits including Bright Pink, Dress For Success, Cara Chicago, One Refugee Child and other local and national non-profits. We are most proud of our most recent donation to One Refugee Child, a non-profit founded by 5 women where we donated funds to build a playground for refugee children living in Lebanon. It is empowering to see the happy children playing on hat playground as we speak!
We are most proud of our B Corporation certification (granted 2 years ago) where we went through a rigorous certification process solidifying our mission-driven DNA and how we use business as a force for good. We believe that all businesses can be profitable and meet shareholder value while at the same time having a social impact on the community, society and the world at large.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Chicago is an amazing city for entrepreneurs and start-ups. After having been part of the 1871 Chicago IHCC Latino Summer 2017 incubator program and being introduced to some amazing business leaders and executives in Chicago and surround areas, I am thrilled to have launched my business here. Feedback to the Chicago start-up community and with a strong hope for the future would be to invite more VC’s, angels and high net worth individuals to come to Chicago and invest in our city. Chicago is the meeting pot of diversity where these business owners have true work ethic, creative minds and think outside of the box. I have met smart, driven individuals who have cutting edge ideas and have quantified and at most times, proven the growth opportunity for their businesses. It’s not all about Silicon Valley. That market is over-saturated. It’s about finding the early stage cities like Chicago that bring innovation, diversity and opportunity that will give investors the return that they are seeking. (And trust me, I am speaking from the perspective of a die-hard eastcoaster who thinks the Red Sox, New England Patriots and Tom Brady rule the earth!).
Pricing:
- Blazin’ Babes offer 3 levels of monthly subscription memberships: Connect: $15/month Empower: $25/month Inside: $37.50/mth. Visit our website to lean more about what these membership offerings provide.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.blazinbabes.org
- Phone: 773-255-3120
- Email: renata@blazinbabes.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blazinbabesnetwork/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlazinBabes/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/BlazinBabesOrg
- Other: www.blazinbabes.net
Image Credit:
Lynne Renee Photography
Classic Kids Winnetka
Rachelle Anne Photography
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