February President’s Letter: Happy Valentine’s + Operation Turquoise!
Happy Pepeluali (that’s Hawaiian for February!) It’s the month of LOVE!
In the spirit of Valentine’s Day and all of the heart shaped everythings that I’m seeing at the grocery store, I thought I’d share a photo of my valentine - Meet my husband, James! I know, what a dreamboat, right!? James is the backbone of our `ohana and takes such good care of us. In our free time, we love hiking and camping together. Our love of nature and adventuring in the outdoors is a big piece of our relationship. Who is your valentine? Post a photo of them on your social media and tag TCWN to be featured in our stories throughout the month of February!
Before I get to the exciting plans for TCWN in the month of February, I wanted to share a bit about last month. In the middle of January, our 2022 Board of Directors gathered at Inner Sanctum Cellars Basecamp for our annual board retreat. We spent a full day connecting, strategizing, and planning what is sure to be a great year for TCWN. If you attended our Installation in November, you may have heard me mention in my acceptance speech how important it is to pay homage to the leaders of TCWN who came before me. The women who have lead this organization have created a solid foundation of networking systems and programs that provide amazing benefits to our members. Through the pandemic and over a year of not being able to meet in person, we haven’t been able to tap into many of those benefits and opportunities. This year, it’s a big goal of mine to revive programs like Networking Works, New Member Mentoring, and opportunities for membership tables at meetings. In addition, our board has planned for new initiatives to help drive referrals to your businesses and grow membership. Through the mission of our theme for 2022, “Ignite the Light”, it is my ultimate goal to ignite and inspire as many woman-owned/operated businesses and female entrepreneurs in the Sierra Foothills as possible!
At our board retreat, we selected three action areas to focus on in 2022: Membership Growth, Member Referrals, and Member Benefits. The initiatives we have planned in all three of these areas will ultimately help you grow your business and get the most out of being a member of TCWN, while at the same time igniting a spark in our local economy following the challenges that the pandemic has brought to small businesses. Out of the strategy and planning of the board retreat, Operation Turquoise was born. I don’t want to spill the details of O.T. here just yet, as we will be formally launching this campaign at our February General Meeting. But I can tell you, three things - It is going to drive business to our members (YOU!), it is going to bring a ton of fun to our programming this year, and there’s a challenge. Like, you could win a BIG prize. Okay, I’ve already said more than I wanted. So, do me a favor - head over to the Event Page right now and buy your ticket to our New Year Kickoff Meeting happening Wednesday, February 16th at 5 pm at Teleli Golf Resort. Guests are welcome - so if you have a girlfriend who is interested in learning more about who we are, bring her with you! Or if you aren’t a member yet but have been wondering what we do, join us! Tickets include dinner and dessert - $25 for members and $30 for guests. And, just for attending - you’ll get a head start for the Operation Turquoise Challenge.
I can’t wait to see you all and kick off 2022 with you. It’s going to be a great year for TCWN!
Aloha nui loa,
Nikki Coleman, President