Flagler County, FL – For seasoned professionals it’s often easy to take for granted the wealth of knowledge accumulated over years in business, but for those just starting out or new to a community, getting plugged in can be daunting.
Helping women in business succeed, the Professional Women of Flagler County (PWFC) are taking the stigma away from asking for assistance, while sharing their experience about how to effectively manage the multiple roles women in society often have to juggle.
Jennifer Brown says she was one of those women who felt she could do it all. As an insurance professional with a family, she’s a go-getter.
“I was one of those women that would have been like great, fine, I’m doing it on my own. Once I joined the organization and not just joined it, but became an active part of it, it was amazing how much more I could do with a support system,” she said.
“I may have been doing okay on my own, but I’m doing amazing now that I have a support system I can go to and people I can count on, and people that I know if they need something insurance-wise, they’re going to come to me, because they know if I need something in their business, I’m going to go to them.”
PWFC President Danielle Silva says it’s important for women to support each other no matter which networking group they belong to.
“It is very important – for instance, Professional Women are also working with Boss Ladies and we all interchange. We encourage, support and learn together and are always looking to help our professional women in anything they may need,” said Silva.
As a member of several networking groups, Cindy Dalecki said Professional Women of Flagler County is one of the most important to her.
“It’s globally proven that when women help other women, your GDP of the country improves,” she said with her trademark enthusiasm. “So it’s really important, like Danielle was saying – we’re partnering and cross-referencing with Boss Ladies and other networking groups in the county, and it’s just fantastic that women help women.”
“We want to see each other succeed, and when a woman opens a business, she hires other women and that again starts the entire community picking up,” said Dalecki.
Ana Reyes-Ouzts, founder of the Boss Ladies of Flagler County puts the emphasis on building relationships, not just passing out business cards and fleeting small talk.
“This group of women is really making a difference in the community,” she said of the Boss Ladies.
Staging the monthly meetings at a local restaurant and selecting a charity to assist, Reyes-Ouzts sees it as a way to grow deeper, meaningful connections among women in the community and raise awareness for potential opportunities to support each other.
“I was doing this in my home, in my living room, and after COVID we decided to take it outdoors. We meet up outdoors and it has grown to over 300 women from the 11 that we had the first time,” she said. “We empower an organization charity-wise every month we give back, we empower a guest speaker every month, so we empower women not just a business but to empower another woman.”
Featured Photo: Boss Ladies of Flagler County founder Ana Reyes-Ouzts joins Flagler Auditorium director Amelia Fulmer and Cindy Dalecki representing Professional Women of Flagler County for the “Stronger Together: A Salute to Women” evening at the Flagler Auditorium as part of the 2021 Community Celebration Series on Saturday, March 13, 2021.
