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Women in Business, a community built with tremendous work and sacrifice, but with even greater satisfaction

Now, that I’ve reminisced over my motivation to create a community for women in business and the steps I’ve undertaken for the creation of what now is the most active community with this profile in Romania, I turned a little emotional. There are, apart from the quantifiable results that make me so proud, a bundle of feelings that I’ve experienced throughout the years growing alongside our community. It might seem cliché, but they’re all coming undismissably back to me, as if it was yesterday that I started.

Seems quite funny now that, although I had previously had my share of hardcore meetings and heavyweight discussions, the shakiest I got was when I organized the first formal face-to-face interactions with these fine ladies. When we initially started with our get-togethers, I felt quite in control of the situation, but as soon as we implemented the business networking events, it didn’t get any smoother. Is it ok to admit that I felt a bit emotional? More emotional, for example, than when speaking on TV, and that’s a true fact. I blame it on a mix of responsibility, novelty and excitement about creating a new meeting format that would harvest business relations between highly skilled women. And the stakes felt so very high: the bigger the success, the tougher the failure and, given the professional background I told you about, I was – I confess – a bit insecure over what was going to happen. Still, that had me gearing up and, while my knees felt shaky, I was acting confident and strong, as I was just starting to feel the pride of being an authentic businesswoman. 

I’m not afraid to admit that the experience with Women in Business shaped a lot of what Alice is today. I have learned, together with the members of our ever-growing community, what embracing femininity in business is about. Sharing, above all business opportunities, a, seeing and understanding how gender dynamics changed in business, brought me to the understanding that I don’t have to be o man to succeed, I just have to be true to myself. Looking, feeling and ultimately acting feminine, far from being a weakness, is a blessing, because it is about being comfortable in one’s own skin and this is the ultimate luxury many persons can only dream of today, while life keeps spinning us crazy. Being at the very core of the Women in Business phenomenon changed my perceptions on many things, from opening towards business opportunities and relations, to empathizing with my collaborators, to embracing patience and care a strong virtues in business, to being different without being eccentric, to being confident without being vain and – I saved the best for last – to being stylish without abdicating from business rigors.

There was loads of effort put in it all, I confess, but never have I regretted a sleepless night or a working weekend. And I’m not feeling generous about what I did, because - although every positive feedback received throughout the past years felt as an important vote of confidence and a strong encouragement - it foremostly helped me become that woman I love J. And this woman found inspiration in relating to other women in her shoes to create a brand for them. It felt natural, reaching this point of maturity against myself, that I would create something that expresses who I am in a way that harvests my entrepreneurial nature. This is ALISIA ENCO.

Alice Botnarenco