Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Cassandra Bradford Wilson.
Dr. Wilson, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Run Women’s Conference began five years ago as an answer to the struggles that women-owned businesses and entrepreneurs have in maintaining and executing a successful business: Information. Every year, RWC gathers 8-10 speakers who are specialists in their field to teach and educate small business owners (men and women) how to become effective in their business, community, and themselves.
We understand that for every business to succeed, the Business Owners must be mentally, physically, and spiritually able to do so. We must prepare our mindset to think like a business owner, not like an employee. We must understand the evolving and involvement of technology, social media, and various types of CMS and communicative platforms to be “constant” with our customers. We must consider economics and political involvements and well and community and social issues that may have a direct or indirect influence as to how our business with maintain and/or succeed. We must be physically able to achieve the tasks to run an effective and efficient business. And we must understand the vision for the business that has been given.
Run Women Conference welcomes women from around the world and from diverse social and economic backgrounds to experience motivation, education, information, and opportunities to create “relational-currency” that will inspire a community of collab’preneurs.
Has it been a smooth road?
With any endeavors, challenges are always present; however, it’s what you do with those challenges that separate you from the rest. I remember our first year’s conference, we had negotiated a contract with Dallas Cowboy’s stadium about 11 months before the actual conference date. In the interim, the “shift” from Dallas Cowboy’s Stadium to AT&T Stadium occurred; thus, causing a “double booking” by Events Management. We were devastated. The Management team tried their best to accommodate us; however, it seemed as though “all was lost”.
We received a call from a colleague with Lockheed Martin about a brand new event center in Carrollton Texas who had not yet had a single event within their facility. We immediately introduced ourselves, created an awesome business relationship with the owners, and for two years in a row, we hosted our mega conference at the Dallas Palms Event Center. The epitome of beauty, splendor, and elegance within a facility.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Run Women’s Conference story. Tell us more about the business.
Run Women’s Conference has taken on many facets and have grown exponentially within the past four years. We have included Run Women’s Conference Tour (Strategy Sessions), RWC Walk and The Sophisticated Sip which raises money and awareness for Survivors of Domestic Violence and women in transition, and recently, the Run Women Network which hosts members from around the world to participate and receive business related information via our social media platforms.
Our Founder, Dr. Cassandra Bradford Wilson is a Small Business Consultant, Strategist and Mentor for the past 25 years. She is an activist in the business community and has a heard and passion to grow businesses through strategy sessions, certifications as a M/WBE, VBE/SDVBE, and HUB certifications. She is a certified Super Bowl Business owner. Though her niche consulting firm has been successful, holding accolades such as 2016 NAACP Female Business Owner of the Year, 2015 Minority Business of the Year, and 2012 Hispanic American Business of the Year, Dr. Cassandra has been a champion for disadvantaged businesses everywhere. in 2009, she started the North Texas Minority Chamber of Commerce as well as the DFW Roundtable Mastermind group.
Because of such great efforts, Run Women’s Conference is “pushed” with the same drive and determination that she has given to her past endeavors. Her team of entrepreneurs and leaders also have the same passion: to help small business grow successfully.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Within the next 5-10 years, RWC expects to have leveraged its “relational currency” abroad. We have been invited to host our conference and training symposiums in Jamaica, Australia and Canada.
Small business owners should be “pushed” to expand and grow. Small business is the “backbone” to the US Economy and women-owned businesses are on the rise to 95% since 2012 and it looks onward and upward.
RWC expects to “shift” when the economy and technology “shifts”. We need to stay ahead of the curve and be involved with the forever changing technology and embrace it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.RunConference.org
- Phone: 800-718-2425
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @runwomensconference
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/runwomensconference2015
- Twitter: @runwomensconference
- Other: www.genesispreferred.com
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