Here’s you’ll find key announcements over the history of Women In Consulting.

More in-depth insights and initiatives are inside of our Consulting Blog under the News category.

April 2023

Announcing new membership benefits and pricing changes.

The monthly Sandbox has been a shining star in our event lineup. The format, topics, and facilitated discussion delivers on what’s best at the heart of Women In Consulting. Thank you to Ellen Grace Henson for creating this at the beginning of the pandemic and continuing to host this successful series.

We’ll continue to offer the Sandbox free to all Women In Consulting members; we’d love to have a donation and will keep offering that option.

Women In Consulting also encourages anyone who is not yet a member to attend up to 2 Sandboxes for free (within 6 months of each other) to experience what’s special about our organization. This is a change in our previous policy for non-members. We’ll ask them to join to attend a 3rd time.

We have also changed our membership level names to reflect our organization’s transition to a 501c3 almost two years ago.  Here is our new naming convention:

• Community -> Basic
• Professional -> Standard
• Contributing –> Premier
• Executive –> remains the same

A summary of membership options and benefits can be found on our Membership Overview page here.

Women In Consulting also offers a new free benefit: in-person networking around the San Francisco Bay Area once a month. The locations will be in the East Bay, Peninsula, and South Bay, shifting each month. Invite your friends that would like to get to know powerful women in business like yourself and come ready to network and have valuable conversations.

February 2023

In Memory of Avery Horzewski

Sadly, Avery Horzewski passed away this week.

Avery led Women In Consulting as president for several years in the early 2010’s. She was a thoughtful, energetic, and smart leader – for our organization and just generally.

I met Avery in a Stanford evening class on the new marketing landscape of social media and new business models, around 2008-2009. She was excited about the new directions and fun to work with. I always enjoyed her insights and initiative. Meeting up with her again as a member of Women In Consulting was a bonus for me.

Avery was a help to me in brainstorming ideas about leading Women In Consulting. She was generous with her time, ideas, and support.

We at Women In Consulting were lucky to have her leadership and the lasting impact she made. I’ll certainly miss her.

–Kathryn Gorges, President

2022 Recap for Women In Consulting

Fully Embracing Our 501c3 Status: Fundraising and Serving Our Community

This was our first year of fully stepping into our new status as a 501c3 charitable nonprofit. We successfully participated in our first Giving Tuesday after Thanksgiving. We also have raised funds through Amazon’s Smile program (be sure to set yourself up with that to automatically donate to Women In Consulting every time you buy from Amazon). And we are now officially a recognized nonprofit for fundraising on Facebook.

We have begun our next step to partner with organizations so that we can bring the considerable knowledge resources and best practices research to professional businesswomen who want to become independent consultants and contractors. Our first initiative will be to deliver a new workshop developed by a volunteer team to help women identify their monetizable expertise. Our first workshop will be in first quarter 2023.

Women In Consulting Distinguished Service Award

The Women In Consulting Distinguished Service Award honors members for unwavering dedication and service to Women In Consulting. This year we presented this award in March to Ginger Weeden for her commitment, creativity, and initiative in generating visibility for our events and activities on social media. Please feel free to congratulate Ginger again for her enthusiastic support for our organization.

Member Interview Series

We have a series of member interviews that we’ll be continuing in 2023 to help each of us get to know each other. These are approximately 15 minutes long and get to the heart of who you are and what your business does. Let me know if you’d like to be part of this.

New Brand Messaging for Women In Consulting Coming Soon

Our Marketing Messaging Team of volunteers is hard at work developing new brand messaging using in depth interviews of our members, surveys, testimonials, and member stories. We will be highlighting the heart of what makes Women In Consulting unique among professional organizations in the depth of connection, sharing of expertise, and depth of learning from others’ hard-won lessons learned on the road to success. Stay tuned for this in first quarter 2023.

Membership Campaign in 2023

Keep your eyes open for some fun incentives to invite your colleagues, peers, friends, and business associates to become members of our remarkable organization. We are currently planning a campaign for February/March timeframe.

I hope you have a wonderful end of year. Remember to take a break, breathe, and contemplate your many achievements and embrace your future.

November 2022

Women In Consulting First Giving Tuesday as a 501c3 Nonprofit

Giving Tuesday is just one week away – and Women In Consulting is participating for the first time as a 501c3!

In this season of giving and reflection, I invite you to consider how Women In Consulting is always here for you – available to get support, encouragement, expert insights, and the friendship of professional women leading successful independent consulting, coaching, and service businesses.

Mark your calendar for Giving Tuesday on November 29th and contribute to helping women in our greater community create flexibility, freedom, and earn a living from their own expertise.

Or…consider an early gift today to show your commitment to our important mission of empowering women business owners to take that next step in building their businesses.

YES, I WANT TO SUPPORT WOMEN IN CONSULTING NOW!

Your donation on Giving Tuesday will help develop skillful, ethical, and confident consultants, sole practitioners, and small business owners through support programs that deliver best-in-class business advice and education.

2021 Recap for Women In Consulting

Four New Board of Directors Members

This year we added four new Board Members: Shannan Herbert, Neema Mayhugh, PhD, Brenda Swiney, and Kate Stephenson, PhD. You can learn more about them here. I’ll also be introducing them in my weekly emails starting in January 2022. They bring an impressive set of experience and accomplishment to our board. Our nine-member board is now in a great position to continue the transition to a 501c3 focus from our 501c6. I feel honored to be of service to this group on the board, as well as our amazing organization and greater community.

Women In Consulting Spirit Award

The Women In Consulting Spirit Award honors members who go beyond the normal level of contribution to our community and show a deep dedication to our mission of helping women be successful in their businesses.  In November, we acknowledged a long-time member who has given her heart and soul to Women In Consulting in time and attention and commitment since 2003. She has been on the board since 2003 and has held positions of responsibility in various capacities for Women In Consulting, and still does, and spends a lot of time and energy holding the heart of our organization, bringing other people in, and making things happen. We presented the spirit of Women In Consulting award for 2021 to Deb Siegle. Please congratulate her when you have a moment. She has made a huge difference for all of us over the years.

New Partnership with the Association for Strategic Planning (ASP), US West Coast

Women In Consulting and the Association for Strategic Planning (ASP), US West Coast Chapter are now partners. Look for ASP US West Coast Chapter events on our calendar and take advantage of a $5 on their events!

Office Depot Benefit

Our Professional, Contributing, and Executive Membership Levels have an amazing set of benefits from Office Depot. Take advantage of that so we can continue to be a partner. Members who are getting this benefit are raving about the savings… don’t miss out!

March 8, 2022

We Wish You Prosperity and Success on this International Women’s Day!

Today is International Women’s Day. The theme, created by https://www.internationalwomensday.com, is #BreaktheBias. We absolutely agree with that.

We also believe that 365 days a year is the timeframe for working towards equality, equity, prosperity, and opportunity for every woman on our planet. One day isn’t enough.

We wish you all that’s possible today, and every day. And we hope to do our part to help make that happen for you and any woman wishing for a successful independent consulting practice.

Women In Consulting Announces 2020 Annual Best Practices Survey Report

Consultants said staying in touch was the best investment in their business

Silicon Valley, CA — December 2021—Women In Consulting® (WIC), a collaborative community of professional consultants and business owners, announces the findings of its 2020 annual Best Practices survey.

The survey is based on 100 qualified respondents reporting on 2020 business results and surveyed in the spring of 2020. It includes both members and non-members of Women In Consulting, including male and female consultants across the US. The results are a temperature check of how some best practices remain constant whilst others evolve.

Key Findings will be provided in the forthcoming report ~ stay tuned for more information!

These results are available at no fee for Women In Consulting Professional, Contributing and Executive members, as well as all survey respondents, each year. Starting in 2016, we began selling report access to others for a fee. Purchase access to the Best Practices in Consulting Research Report here.

BIG NEWS!!! Matching Donor Challenge for Virtual Food Drive ~ 2021

Help us meet our $2,000 goal and it will be matched, providing 8,000 meals to Silicon Valley Families Food Drive dates: November 2021 – January 2022

Virtual Food Drive Results ~ June 2020

Help vulnerable neighbors during the COVID-19 crisis | June 2020

WE MADE OUR GOAL!!!

As our community deals with the COVID-19 public health crisis, neighbors experiencing or on the brink of poverty are disproportionately impacted. Working families who rely on hourly wages are scared as shifts and pay are being cut.

One consequence of California/the Bay Area locking down is our infection curve has been effectively flattened—that’s good! But flattening it also lengthens it, meaning area residents will need to stay locked down for many weeks to come to avoid a surge in new infections. Area food banks are already reporting unprecedented demand, and it’s only going to get worse as the weeks stretch on.

MANY THANKS to the anonymous donor who matched our contributions of $3,260 dollar-for-dollar, allowing us to meet our goal of $5,000 in donations made by Women In Consulting members with a total donation of $6,520!

Virtual Food Drive Results ~ 2019

Annual Holiday Giving | December 2019

In 2019, we were again for the tenth year in a row, awarded the GOLD service award. We are so honored to have had that much of an impact in our community!! We also had a great time at the food sort:

Women In Consulting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement

We are committed to being anti-racists in our actions, our policies, our membership outreach, our speakers, and our outreach and mentorship for ongoing leadership.

Silicon Valley, CA — June 11, 2020—Women In Consulting® (WIC) stands in solidarity with people protesting the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and the countless other black men and women whose lives have been ended at the hands of the police, criminal justice inequality, and systemic racism. Protests and vigils are frequently the catalysts for crucial foundational change in our democracy, however uncomfortable they may be.

Women In Consulting as an organization recognizes the benefits we’ve experienced via white privilege.

We are committed to being anti-racist in our actions, our policies, our membership outreach, our speakers, and our outreach and mentorship for ongoing Women In Consulting leadership. We will be doing the work to make that happen. This commitment takes us further than our non-discrimination policy in our Bylaws.

We look forward to having deep dialogue on what that really means and how we can shift the dynamic for broader support of our colleagues who are people of color.

We have put a resource page together for all of us to use in educating ourselves and taking anti-racist action. We have lists of books, essays, videos, and more for our members and our community to use for their own education and also to help their clients and their community in whatever ways make sense.

Women In Consulting’s leadership will be taking advantage of these resources, as well as reaching out to understand how we can better serve the community as champions for anti-racism. We are looking at workshops and exercises to increase self-awareness and understanding for our current leadership as well as offerings for our community in the next few months.

We invite our larger community to participate in this process with us. Women In Consulting is, at heart, a community-focused organization. Businesses are built in community. If you have thoughts or recommendations or would like to be part of this process in any way, please let us know.

Kathryn Gorges
President, Women In Consulting
(on behalf of the Women In Consulting Board of Directors)
President, Stanford Entrepreneurs
Business and Marketing Coach

Women In Consulting Announces 16th Annual Best Practices Survey Report

Consultants are optimistic about the future, investing in their business

Silicon Valley, CA — August 28, 2018—Women In Consulting® (WIC), a collaborative community of professional consultants and business owners, announces the findings of its 16th annual Best Practices survey.

The survey is based on 150 qualified respondents reporting on 2017 business results and surveyed in the spring of 2018. It includes both members and non-members of Women In Consulting plus male and female consultants across the US. The results are a temperature check of how some best practices remain constant whilst others evolve.

Key Findings

Participants show a strong optimism and enthusiasm for their businesses. Even consultants who have been in business for over 10 years are finding ways to reinvest and engage in their businesses to maintain and increase value to clients.

Respondents are optimistic about the future, with 65% anticipating increased revenues in the next year. Average gross revenue for all participating consultants increased by 15% from $130K in 2016 to $150K. The top 20% also saw an increase this year (of 7%) from $420K to $450K. Their profitability had a more marked increase from $180K to $300K.

A newly introduced segment, the Top Third, which appears when there is statistical significance, highlights the average revenue for the top third consultants as $316.5K with profit of $193K.

All survey participants, as well as Women In Consulting Premium and Leaders Network members, receive a free copy of the survey report when it is published in August. For more details on the 2018 Best Practices Survey and to order the latest copy visit our Best Practices in Consulting page here.

2018 Best Practices

Additional findings:

• Both average hourly fees and average retainer fees increased in 2017 over 2016, while average project fees remained steady.
• The percent of consultants who are charging project fees instead of hourly fees increased from 70% in 2016 to 80% this year (an all-time high of 81% was in 2015).
• Use of subcontractors was consistent with last year. Subcontractors are used both to expand offerings and bandwidth, as well as to take care of tasks that others might be better suited to do, freeing consultants up to focus on where they can make the greatest impact. 74% used subcontractors this year, compared to 75% last year and a high of 83% in 2015.
• 70% markup subcontractor fees to clients to reflect business development, management, and administration costs and time. This increased from 61% in 2016.
• Charging clients a percentage of the project fee to get started increased slightly from 24% to 27%.
• Renegotiating fees when project scope changes decreased slightly from 63% to 60% this year (and down from 74% in 2015).

Women In Consulting announces 15th Annual Best Practices & Compensation Survey Report

Top findings to grow business – strong networks, project vs. hourly fees, using sub-contractors

San Jose, CA — October 1, 2017—Women In Consulting (WIC), a collaborative community of professional consultants and business owners across the San Francisco Bay Area, announces the findings of its 15th annual Best Practices survey.

The survey takes an in-depth look at the state of best practices across consulting firms. All consultants, including those beyond the Women In Consulting community, are invited to participate in this confidential survey. The survey was conducted in the spring of 2017 with over 200 respondents across the United States reporting on calendar 2016 results. Fifty-three percent of respondents were Women In Consulting members.

Key Findings

• A decline in application of best practices is correlated with a decline in revenue – Consultants who continued to apply best practices saw revenue growth while those who didn’t saw some decline.
• Networking is still the number one way to build business and resources.
• Value-based project fees generate more profit than hourly rates.
• Use of subcontractors enables growth through:
  • Freeing the business owner from administrative tasks
  • Enabling delivery of more projects and a broader set of services

In comparing Women In Consulting members to non-members, the survey found:

• 88 percent of Women In Consulting respondents charge project fees instead of hourly fees, compared to 51 percent of non-WIC respondents.
• Women In Consulting members are more likely to use subcontractors (82 percent compared to 67 percent).
• 64 percent of Women In Consulting members who use subcontractors markup fees compared to 58 percent of non-WIC respondents
• 78 percent of Women In Consulting members collect a percentage of the project fee up front, compared with 60 percent of the non-WIC group.

Women In Consulting (WIC) Names 2017 Board of Directors – Ellen Grace Henson is New President

Long-Established Bay Area Organization Provides Networking and Education Programs for Female Consultants and Business Owners

San Jose, CA — March 13, 2017—Women In Consulting (WIC), a collaborative community of professional female consultants and business owners across the Bay Area, announced its 2017 Board of Directors. Ellen Grace Henson takes over the two year role of President.

Women In Consulting, now in its 19th year, supports members in building strong businesses through a variety of educational, mentoring and networking programs. The organization offers monthly meetings with highly regarded speakers throughout the Bay Area while the online community shares everything from best practices, consulting leads and technical assistance to professional recommendations and productivity tools. WIC also offers a tailored mentoring program — its popular Mastermind groups — plus discounts through its partners.

The Board provides strategic and tactical direction for the organization, working with a team of volunteers to drive the various programs on offer.

“Our members represent a diverse and highly experienced collection of independent business owners and consultants, who actively share and learn from each other. We are all focused on building our own businesses while helping others succeed,” explains Ellen Grace Henson, incoming President of Women In Consulting. “In 2017 we plan to amplify that collaboration, as we build on the value of membership for existing and new members.”

The 2017 WIC Board of Directors consists of the following individuals:

President, Ellen Grace Henson

Ellen is the 2017 President of WIC, guiding its strategic direction and success. She is also the director of programs, responsible for planning and recruiting speakers for the WIC monthly general meetings. She is Managing Director and Founder of Marketing Mechanics, and has been working in product management since the mid-’90s and consulting for 15 years. A thought leader with experience across multiple markets and technologies, Ellen Grace brings a unique combination of analysis and creativity to business and product strategy, market and customer insight, product-delivery process design, and aligning cross-functional teams to deliver high levels of customer satisfaction and strong business results.

Corporate Secretary, Katherine Van Diepen

Katherine continues her second year as WIC’s corporate secretary, responsible for the management of WIC secretarial duties. She is the CEO of digital marketing agency Surfwoman, LLC and has over 20 yearsof strategic sales and marketing leadership.

Past President, Deb Siegle

Deb has held numerous leadership positions with WIC, as President, vice president of membership, and director of strategic audiences, heading up WIC’s Leaders’ Network, a role she held for six years. The principal of Strategic Marketing Solutions, she is an astute marketing leader, problem solver and communicator who is an authority in market research, strategy, and customer loyalty and experience.

Vice President of Marketing, Ann O’Leary

Ann leads all efforts around the promotion and communication of the WIC mission and activities. Ann is an experienced marketing communications professional, with particular focus on the software and services sector, working for major name companies in Silicon Valley to early stage companies and agencies.

Director of Finance, Candis J Lipe

Candis manages the finances of WIC. She owns and operates Adminologist.com, a service company that provides onsite or offsite contract administrative support.

Director of Sponsorship and Partnerships, Angel Rampy

Angel is a returning board member, leading sponsorship and partnership opportunities for WIC. She has served as a satellite director and co-hosts the South Bay WIC meetings. As founder of Success through Learning, Angel specializes in coaching and training technical and foreign-born professionals.

Director of Education and Mentorship Programs, Michele Molitor

Michele is new to the board and is responsible for the Education and Mentorship programs at WIC and also serves as the East Bay Satellite co-chair. Michele is the CEO of Nectar Consulting, Inc. and is a nationally recognized speaker, certified executive coach and consultant.

Director of Social Media, Nancy Nelson

Nancy is a returning board member, leading the team responsible for WIC’s social media presence across all channels, including WIC’s blog. She is the principal of HRProse, LLC, an HR consultancy dedicated to building HR policies and practices that work for small businesses.

For more information on joining, please visit our Membership Overview for full details. WIC also offers sponsorship and partnership opportunities for those organizations interested in reaching this professional network of Bay Area women-owned businesses.

Women In Consulting Launches Mentorship Program

Consultants Will Benefit from Actionable Advice from Peers and Subject Matter Experts

SAN JOSE, CA — July 29, 2015— Women In Consulting (WIC) today launched a mentorship program that will help consultants and other women business owners address the challenges of running their own businesses. The highly practical WIC Mentorship Program, which is open to non-WIC members, will allow participants to bounce ideas off their peers, get feedback from experts, and celebrate their successes.

“Running your own business can be incredibly exhilarating,” says Robin Weintraub, WIC’s director of Mentorship. “At the same time, you can feel isolated and may not know where to turn for advice and counsel. Based on feedback from our members, we have put together an engaging three-faceted program that includes Mastermind groups, webinar coaching and speed mentoring to help enrich the participants’ personal and professional lives.”

WIC Mastermind Groups

WIC Mastermind groups are designed to help participants share resources and networks, develop a trusted support system, and benefit from tested ideas and business practices. The Mastermind participants will act as personal advisors, giving professional advice and opinions, alerting each other to opportunities, and helping each other navigate smoothly past blind spots.

Learn more about Women In Consulting Mastermind groups here.

WIC Speed Mentoring

WIC’s first speed mentoring event occurred on June 18, 2015. More than a dozen experts provided real-time input on business challenges and answered a host of questions—all in tidy, seven-minute segments. The response to the event has been extremely positive. (“It’s like speed dating, but much better!”) WIC plans to host another session in 2016.

Survey Finds that Consultants’ Income is Steady, Optimism is High

13th annual Women In Consulting (WIC) survey also finds increased collaboration and continued emphasis on networking

SAN JOSE, CA — December 18, 2014 — Gross revenue for Bay Area consultants has remained steady for the past two years; consultants are optimistic about the future; and more of them are using business practices that increase profitability.These are some of the findings of the 13th annual Women In Consulting (WIC) Best Practices and Compensation Survey.

WIC is a collaborative community offering professional consultants and small business owners a powerful resource for building strong businesses.

“Each year hundreds of consultants and small business owners take this survey, making it a prime source of information about practical ways to strengthen and expand a business,” said Kathie Sherman, WIC’s president and the president of Ten Four Marketing. “This survey underscores WIC’s mission to foster collaboration and help consultants and small business owners improve their skills and thrive.”

The survey covers overall trends in revenue and rates, and examines best practices, including the choice of business structure, use of employees and subcontractors, billing practices, networking and marketing approaches. The WIC survey team analyzes the responses of top-earning consultants to identify best practices. The team also tracks evolving trends in consulting by comparing results to previous years.

The survey covers overall trends in revenue and rates. It also examines best practices, including the choice of business structure, use of employees and subcontractors, billing practices, networking, and marketing approaches. The WIC survey team analyzes the responses of the top-earning consultants to identify successful best practices. The team also tracks evolving trends in consulting by comparing results to previous years.

“For years, consultants and small business owners nationwide have told us how valuable the survey information is to them and how it has helped them improve their businesses,” said Jennifer Berkley Jackson, WIC’s executive vice president and president of The Insight Advantage.

Key Findings: Revenue

The key revenue findings contained a few surprises.

Gross revenue numbers overall are the same as the previous year ($130,000). Average project fees and hourly rates are fairly consistent, and retainer fees are slightly down overall for respondents.

However, gross revenue for the Top 20% dropped 10 percent (from $440,000 to $400,000) after growing for two consecutive years. At the same time, the Top 20% made an average of $100,000 more in net profit than the group as a whole.

Anecdotally, several consultants reported that projects and budgets are larger than in previous years, especially from existing clients.

Key Findings: Business Practices

Consultants are generally optimistic about their businesses. Fully 60 percent of respondents expect business to increase next year. Some of that optimism may be the result of increased collaboration and a consistent emphasis on networking.

Specifically:

• Overwhelmingly, consultants consider networking to be the best way to build a business.
• More consultants are using recommended best practices, such as using subcontractors (up to 78 percent from 74 percent the previous year), marking up those subcontractors’ fees (up to 69 percent from 59 percent), and collecting a part of their fee upfront (up to 18 percent from 13 percent).
• The vast majority (91 percent) of the survey respondents believe that regular in-person meetings are important, but only 41 percent of respondents report having these meetings.
• Social media has become an intrinsic part of the lives of consultants. Eighty-three percent of respondents report using social media for business purposes, with LinkedIn the hands-down favorite.

“This survey is one of the ways that WIC fulfills its mission to help its members grow professionally and build strong businesses,” said Kathie Sherman, WIC’s president and the president of Ten Four Marketing.

The survey, which was open to both WIC and non-WIC members nationwide, covered the 12-month period from July 1, 2013, through June 30, 2014. Almost half (48 percent) of this year’s 155 respondents also participated in 2013.

Participants and WIC Full and Leaders’ Network members will receive a detailed report of survey results.

WIC 13th Annual Best Practices Survey Review | General Meeting & Silent Auction

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA — September 18, 2014 — Every year, WIC surveys consultants across the United States to identify trends in marketing, consulting, compensation, and best practices. WIC board members Kathie Sherman and Jen Berkley Jackson will present the results of this year’s survey.

Key Takeaways

• Best practices and trends in consultant compensation, business operations, sector growth, and subcontractor usage
• Latest strategies from top-earning consultants
• Key insights into effective marketing techniques, including social media

Silent Auction
The Silent Auction is a great way to pick up great deals on items, services, and experiences you didn’t even know you needed! And, you can even feel good about bidding, because 10% of the proceeds go to the Second Harvest Food Bank. Preview (and even bid on) the items ahead of time.

Women In Consulting (WIC) Launches “Consulting 101” Course

Ten-session online series aimed at new and prospective consultants; enrollment is limited

San Jose, CA — April 9, 2014 — Women in Consulting (WIC) today announced the launch of its “Consulting 101” online series designed to help new and prospective consultants succeed.

WIC is a collaborative community offering professional consultants and small business owners a powerful resource for building strong businesses. The organization helps consultants throughout the U.S. be successful by providing a way for them to collaborate, share referrals and resources, and stay abreast of best practices.

“Consulting 101” will consist of interactive webinars, practical assignments and online “office hours” about topics such as how to define a market, select a business entity, and deal with contracts and finances.

Participants will complete assignments about each of the topics, and post them for review by a small group of peers. In effect, they will have access to the expertise of the instructors and the opinions of their peers. To assure participants get the personal attention they need, enrollment in the online series is limited.

“We believe the combination of pertinent information, practical applications, and ‘community’ feedback will be of great value to people who are interested in a consulting career, or have just gotten started,” said Kristin Baier, president of Persuasions Distance Learning who spearheaded this WICademy course. “Participants who really take advantage of all the course has to offer will emerge with an actionable plan for starting and enhancing their businesses.”

Dates and Fees

“Consulting 101” will begin Thursday, May 1, and run almost weekly until Thursday, July 17. The sessions will be at 12 pm PT.

For more information and to register, visit Consulting 101 in our Women In Consulting Academy.

Women in Consulting Marks 10-Year Anniversary

October Event to Celebrate 10 Years of “Passion, Purpose, and Perseverance”

San Mateo, CA – September 30, 2008 – Women in Consulting (WIC), a collaborative community of professional consultants and small business owners in the San Francisco Bay Area, today announced that the nonprofit’s 10th anniversary event will be held in Mountain View, CA on October 16. Celebrating WIC’s “Passion, Purpose, and Perseverance,” the event will include a silent auction, a fine art sale, and networking opportunities. Kim Fulcher, CEO of Compass, will give the keynote presentation on “Three Keys for Entrepreneurial Success: Passion, Strengths, and Purpose.”

Over the past decade, WIC has grown to more than 400 members and affiliates from the Bay Area and beyond. Representing a diverse range of industry and domain-specific expertise, WIC consultants have deep experience working with and consulting to a wide array of clients—including some of the most respected companies in the world, such as Bank of America, Cisco Systems, Genentech, Hewlett-Packard, Procter & Gamble, and Wells Fargo.

Sridhar Ramanathan, general partner at Aventi Group, commented, “The members of WIC are a truly impressive group of highly talented and trustworthy professionals. As a partner in a specialized consulting practice, I’ve had tremendous success tapping into this wealth of talent and can personally attest to the quality, responsiveness, and overall professionalism exhibited by the WIC consultants that I’ve hired.”

“We’re extremely proud of how far WIC has come over the past decade in terms of helping members succeed in their individual businesses and consulting practices, as well as building a strong and diverse network of committed professionals,” said WIC President Linda Popky. “Our recent compensation survey revealed that WIC members have continued to grow their businesses and thrive despite operating in an extremely challenging and uncertain economic climate. We want to celebrate these collective achievements and set our sights on continued success during the next decade and beyond.”

The celebration will take place at the Microsoft Conference Center (1065 La Avenida St., Mountain View) from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m.

Women in Consulting (WIC) Creates “Leaders Network” for Senior Consultants

Network designed to foster collaboration among senior WIC consultants

San Mateo, CA – May 8, 2006 – Women in Consulting (WIC), a San Francisco Bay Area organization of seasoned professional consultants, today announced the formation of its Leaders Network to attract and provide services for senior consultants. Network participants have an average of 22 years of work experience, eight years running their consulting firms, 12 employees, 13 subcontractors, $5 million in revenues over the past three years and an average of 17 projects per year.

Piloted and launched this year, the new initiative is designed to not only attract senior, seasoned consultants to WIC and promote the organization, but also to foster collaboration and share knowledge in what can be the solitary profession of an independent consultant. The Leaders Network provides a quarterly roundtable to discuss current business issues and a forum for further development and growth of the successful consulting practices of WIC members.

Admission to WIC membership at the exclusive Leaders Network level takes into consideration a number of criteria, such as years of experience, revenue, areas of expertise, number of employees or subcontractors as well as consulting work that takes place primarily with director, VP or C-level clients. A recommendation by a WIC board member or current Leaders Network member is also required.

“From early feedback we’ve received, the Leaders Network already has proven to be valuable in giving members more opportunity to connect and learn from one another, as well as in strengthening WIC as a whole” reported Karilee Wirthlin, president of WIC. “It’s so successful that our Board is exploring the feasibility and the need for more groups of this type. The impressive level of expertise within the Leaders Network elevates WIC’s value proposition to the business community and has provided valuable tips, experienced speakers and impactful articles to the membership.”

The inaugural members of the WIC Leaders Network include:

– Elaine Starling, President and Founder, Starling Media Services, Inc. (www.starlingmedia.com): Since 1998, Elaine’s company has provided businesses with a 360-degree approach to media planning and buying. She brings 20+ years of client and advertising agency experience from her work with dynamic domestic and international businesses in the software, Internet, high-tech, telecommunications, toys and entertainment industries.

– Molly Davis, Founding Partner, Rainmaker Communications (www.rainmakercommunications.com): Founded in 2000, Rainmaker is a boutique marketing firm offering both marketing strategy and program execution to large and small technology companies as well as service companies including venture capital firms and investment banks. Each Rainmaker partner brings more than 16 years of marketing experience, working directly with a select few clients to support their business objectives with intelligent marketing solutions.

– Marisol Pizarro and Linda Tsien, Founders, KnowledgePoint Marketing (www.knowledgepoint.net): KnowledgePoint Marketing was founded in 1997 to deliver strategy development, market research, product marketing, launch management and marketing communications to technology companies. Linda offers clients more than 25 years of marketing and senior management experience in both technology and consumer goods. Marisol offers more than 20 years of high-tech marketing and senior management experience in the US and internationally. Both founders bring extensive experience in the areas of hardware, enterprise software, networking and wireless infrastructure, security, IT consulting services, and consumer electronics and services. Clients include Hewlett-Packard, Sun Microsystems, Adobe Systems, Symantec and Network Appliance.

– Barbara Fagan-Smith, CEO and Founder of ROI Communications, Inc. (www.roico.com): This award-winning internal communications consulting firm is focused on helping large organizations adapt and succeed in times of change. Building on more than two decades of experience in corporate communications and journalism, Barbara leads ROI’s work with Fortune 500 companies. The ROI Communications client roster includes Hewlett-Packard, Sun Microsystems, Adobe Systems, Blue Shield of California, Cisco Systems, GAP, Maxtor, Oak Technology and Dreamworks.

– Adrian Ott, President and Founder of Exponential Edge, Inc. (www.exponentialedge.com): This fast-growing strategy, and research services firm specializes in igniting revenue growth through innovative marketing strategy and next-generation partner and customer relationships for Fortune 500 and medium clients. Prior to founding Exponential Edge in 2001, Adrian worked in management at Hewlett-Packard for 15 years and was honored in an HP Annual Report for her significant contributions to business growth and strategic alliances. A frequent author of articles about strategy and best practices, Adrian also teaches in an Executive MBA program and has appeared on PBS and CNBC.

– Karen Janowski, Founder, KJ & Co. (www.kjco.com): During her 20+ years of experience, Karen has launched more than 30 products, resulting in revenues exceeding $500 million. Prior to founding KJ & Co. in 1997, she served as vice president of marketing for a range of technology companies and was a key member of the executive teams of four pre-IPO startup companies. KJ & Co. helps clients grow by investing in products and marketing programs that target real market needs. The firm’s client list includes: Adaptive Planning, Adobe Systems, Cisco Systems, LoopNet, Network Appliance, and Nextance.

-Tracy Weatherby, Founder, Active Ingredient (www.activeingredient.com): Tracy’s consulting firm is dedicated to solving product and customer marketing challenges through strategy, research and analysis. She has 20 years of experience in the technology and healthcare markets. The company client list includes Fortune 500 customers such as Cisco Systems, Oracle and Adobe Systems, as well as emerging companies such as Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Placeware and Nextance. The firm’s industry experience includes enterprise, education and consumer technology companies and biotech, medical device and pharmaceutical companies in the healthcare space.

– Monica Nester, Vice President and General Manager, Marisan Group (www.marisan.com): Marisan Group has been providing a variety of program, project and business strategy services to the high technology industry since 1990. The company develops customized consultancy and resource services that are fine-tuned to the culture and mission of each client. Marisan Group consists of a diverse, highly experienced group of high technology marketing, technical and business consultants who provide solutions to a wide variety of client needs. Marisan Group makes filling knowledge and resource gaps quick and simple for companies, while providing them with effective budget management. A sampling of Marisan clients includes Hewlett-Packard Company, Symantec, Cisco Systems, AMD and Network Appliance.

Women In Consulting Celebrates 5 Years as Bay Area’s Top Expert Consultant Forum

Launches New Website with Free Searchable Database of Experienced Consultants

SAN MATEO, CA – June 19, 2003 – Women in Consulting (WIC) celebrates its five-year anniversary this month as the Bay Area’s top resource both for consultants and companies seeking expert contract assistance. In recognition of its expanding role as a starting point for companies searching for expert consultants, WIC has launched a new website, www.womeninconsulting.org.

The new website features a searchable database of WIC members available to all website visitors, making it even easier to find specific help in over 30 fields for discrete and ongoing projects of all kinds. It also provides Bay Area employers with helpful information and resources for strategically managing the use of consultants. The organization will recognize its five-year anniversary with a special commemoration during its June meeting, June 19th at Dominic’s at Poplar Creek, San Mateo, which features Nicole Schapiro, New York Times Best Selling Author of Negotiating for Your Life. (www.nicoleschapiro.com)

Humble Beginnings To Dynamic Organization

Founded in 1998 by Eileen LaPorte as a small network of long-time consultants who wanted both to collaborate in consulting projects and to have a forum for continual professional growth, WIC has grown substantially over the last five years. Today the non-profit organization boasts an impressive roster of more than 150 seasoned consultant members who collectively have served more than 1000 Bay Area companies.

According to WIC president Kate Purmal, recently honored as one of the top 25 influential women in Silicon Valley, in part for her leadership role at WIC, the organization’s mission has grown with its members and the market.

“WIC has become an important resource for Bay Area companies needing a wide range of experienced consultants,” said Purmal. “Particularly in the last two years as the market has been flooded with people forced into freelancing because of lost jobs and little job growth, our membership has continued to stand out in the market.

“WIC’s database is the one place companies can go to source a variety of potential consultants, check credentials and whittle their list of potential, experienced consultants to a manageable highly qualified list of candidates – without paying the finder’s fees so common with other professional consulting networks,” added Purmal.

Impressive Roster

WIC’s membership roster features impressive credentials:

• Over 80% of the members have 10+ years experience in their field
• 68% of members have run their own consulting business for 4+ years
• 65% of members have worked in senior management positions
• 87% of members have worked with start-up companies
• 90% of members have worked with Fortune 500 companies

For its members and guests, WIC has an active schedule of networking and educational events as well as a multitude of online resources for managing a consulting business. In addition, its email community boasts an active list of more than 1300 people who daily use the forum to find subcontractors, partners and resources.