Darina Loakman.com

I spent yesterday at the 3rd Annual Irish Business Women.com (IBW) conference in Mullingar. Once again a great day with some really fantastic speakers.

I love the diversity of the members of IBW, so many fab women with such a variety of businesses. From work at home Mums like myself to larger business owners and employers. The conference each year is an opportunity to learn and network and have some fun too. I generally go down the night before, because any excuse for a night away on my own I’ll grab !!

This year the theme was “Inspiring Women” and I for one certainly think it lived up to it’s name. The highlights for me were listening to Sue Stockdale talk about her experiences skiing to the magnetic north pole and relating them to business, as a closet wannabe adventurer myself ! I listened with a mixture of envy, admiration and re-ignited determination !

Jenny Bristow then told us her inspiring story and as a Mum who wants to be there for her kids yet still be able to work and have my own life ! I could really relate to a lot of what she said and how she felt about working and how she planned it so that it suited both her and her family life. It certainly added to the renewed vigour and resolve that had been building during the day !.

I am a pretty determined type of person, maybe not as focused as I could be ! but I don’t ever believe or feel that “other things” stop me from doing what I want, I know that the only obstacle in my way is myself ! and I’ve always known that, it’s the way I’ve always thought. If I couldn’t get in the front door, I always looked for a back one or an open window ! even as a child. Financial, practical and other perceived obstacles have never stopped me, only lack of confidence and belief in my abilities - which hits all of us at times and I can work on that ! But it can get hard bouying yourself up and believing in yourself all the time ! so every now and then it’s great to go and listen to inspiring people like this who help to re-ignite that “can do” attitude !

Each year at the IBW conference 4 of the members give their story and every year this is one of the highlights. Once again we heard 4 inspiring stories. After each one I thought well, I feel sorry for the next speaker cos how are they going to follow that ! and yet there was no need for me to feel sorry, each one was as great and as different and yet still as inspiring as the previous !

This year the member speakers were

Maria Waters
Aisling Mackey
Noemi Beres
Jenni Woolfson

4 very different businesses, 4 women at different life stages with different issues and achievements and yet the common thread of being female entrepreneurs paving their way in business, making mistakes and achieving success !

If you’ve been thinking about doing something ! about wanting to work from home or change your life in some way. What’s the point in waiting !! go take one step in the direction you want today and see how it makes you feel

One of the attendees Deborah actually blogged live at the conference so she has a much more detailed record of what was actually said and talked about ! So I encourage you to head over and read her report of the conference here

http://tast.ie/tag/irish-business-women/

talk to you soon !

Darina