I seem to be at an age when I love to reminisce about the heady days of my late teens and 20s when anything I dreamed seemed possible.

That was when the world seemed to offer everything I ever wanted. After graduating from college, I hit the streets of Chicago and with seemingly little effort, I landed a position in a busy news organization where I could hone my skills and later was hand-picked out of a pool of copy editors to become one of two women sports writers in that metro area. The other worked for the Chicago Tribune.

My fortunes continued when I moved to Colorado and editor positions in community journalism opened at the right time, in the right places, even through early years of marriage.

Ah, yes, those are the times that make for great, fun conversations over cocktails or to pull out of my memory for personal smiles.

Changing the subject to the days of becoming a fully-engaged entrepreneur are better left unspoken, particularly if you are expected to be perfectly coiffed, have immaculate makeup, wear jewelry, and have your nails done.

No matter how talented, how experienced, how many framed certificates or official credentials hang on the office wall, or how many recommendations from past clients you have, being a woman and going it alone in the world of business is just plain hard to talk or think about.

Making it even more difficult is the fact that you’re often doing it without companions, unless you want to talk to the kids, the kids’ coaches, the kids’ teachers, or the dog.

I was lucky. I had an understanding spouse who at least listened to my plights. Not all women have that privilege.

Those were the days when I couldn’t get a credit card in my own name, which meant my company wasn’t recognized as an officially organized entity unless my company was an official partnership or corporation, and my husband was a named partner or stockholder.

Those were the days when an occasional potential client didn’t believe I owned the company and asked to speak with the owner before doing business with me.

Even a full decade after proving my business was profitable, the only way my bank would lend me enough money to expand was to use my home as collateral and have my husband co-sign the loan, even though by then he was no longer an owner of the company.

I can’t believe a woman-owned business experienced this same decision just last week by an Estes Park financial institution!

It doesn’t matter what gender you are, being an entrepreneur takes a whole lot of tenacity, vision, self-confidence, and passion. But having cohorts on my side, other women I can talk with, is an opportunity I cannot pass up.

I’m excited to know the newly forming Estes Women’s Business Network will take flight this week and is available to all women who are leading businesses as owners, entrepreneurs, directors, and managers in the Estes Valley.

Women are intelligent and are learners. They are problem solvers and planners. They are resourceful. They manage the complexities of a multitude of business and family relationships. This organization will help women support one another through networking and building partnerships that help our businesses thrive. 

The first inaugural meeting is Tuesday evening, March 4 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Kissing Moose, 840 Moraine Ave. The organization plans to meet four times a year for a networking dinner meeting and promises no membership dues, bake sales, galas, or fundraisers.

The meeting will feature a keynote presentation by Jana Sanchez, who led the Estes Economic Development Corporation’s BASE program. Sanchez is a business coach and ecosystem builder specializing in corporate training. She will be joined by Cato Kraft, director of the Estes Nonprofit Network, who will talk about the synergy of for-profit and nonprofit business in driving the local economy.

The steering committee includes Maureen McCann (Mad Moose), Lisa Hohensee (Humana Military Healthcare), Kim Ingram (Rocket IT Solutions), Elizabeth Clark (Let’s Communicate), Becky Robbins (RE/MAX Mountain Brokers), Patti Brown (Estes Valley Voice), and Gosia Pisowicz Stewart (Monroe Institute at Rocky Mountain Meditation Group).

March is Women’s History Month. Join us to celebrate the moment and make some history. You’ll have more to talk about when you get to be my age. Please click here to RSVP.