One of the great joys I’ve had since starting Wouldn’t It B Nice? is developing friendships and an incredible support system among other women entrepreneurs. In early 2007, with only a few sketches and a germ of an idea, I joined a MasterMind group facilitated by the incredible co-active coach and nationally recognized artist, Jane Pollak. It was in this group that WIBN really came into b-ing.

Every three weeks, the MasterMind gals - a group of 5 or 6 creative entrepreneurs - would share advice, successes and challenges, set goals and hold each other accountable for them. Jane would challenge us, coach us, keep track of time and keep us on course. Honestly, if it weren’t for my group, WIBN may have sat on my back burner for years — ending up being one of those ideas I would wonder about and regret not exploring later in life.

Today, I still meet with many of the original MasterMind women (and some new ones, too). Malene Barnett is among them. Malene (pictured with me in the photo above) is the designer/creator of the Malene B brand of custom designed carpets and has become a great friend and supporter. She so willingly shares her experience with me and the other women in our circle. Recently, I exhibited for the first time at the New York International Gift Fair — something I had not planned on, but jumped on when an opportunity to share a small corner of booth space presented itself. It was a huge step for me and WIBN and it was thrilling to share it with friends like Malene, who visited me at the booth. I got a bit emotional thinking that Malene remembers when WIBN was nothing more than sketches in a notebook!

During the show, other friends came by to cheer me on. I also invited my 8th grade mentoring student, Meaghan, and her mom to come to the Javits Center to experience the show and what it’s like for a young business to debut there. I tell Meaghan, “You might have gotten assigned a more mature business and that would have been a completely different mentoring experience. But someday, you’ll be able to say, ‘I remember WIBN when Carrie was getting ready for her first big show.’ And that will be an experience I hope will motivate you to follow your dreams, too.”

Thank you all for your continued support and for making our first show a success in so many ways! If you’d like to track back and see my posts and photos of the show, please become a fan of Wouldn’t It B Nice? on Facebook.