For a decade, Leslie Sturgeon (left) has helped women connect, further their careers and find ways to live more fulfilling lives, and she’s done it with flair and a signature pink boa.
Sturgeon founded Women Inspiring Women, what she describes as a community of “fabulous women,” in 2007 as a way to network with other women in the Lakes Region. She already had a successful business under her belt that she started in 1989 when she was 22, providing office support services and association management.
“There were no organizations for young professionals or for business and professional women then,” Sturgeon says. “Informally, I was getting together with older women and thought how awesome it would be to get women together on regular basis to do what I was doing informally.”
During her informal meetings with women she considered mentors, she would vow to one day start her own networking group. Until one day, she decided it was time to just do it. “I was talking to someone about always having this vision, and a light bulb went off and I said, ‘why can’t I do it now? My business is established,’” she says.
When she launched Women Inspiring Women, she had one goal: to host one event per month in the Lakes Region while maintaining her day job.
But she also wanted her events to be different from other networking opportunities. So she started off presenting topics that ranged from business issues to personal improvement, but always with a fun and supporting atmosphere where women could learn from one another. “I wanted it to be feminine and fun, meaning we can still be professional as women and show our femininity and know we are all in this together,” Sturgeon says. “I knew the impact other women professionals had in my life. … I wanted to give women a place where they could be vulnerable and talk about struggles.”
She sent out 500 invitations from her personal contact list for her first event, and 150 women attended. And it grew from there. Soon, women from other parts of the state were traveling to the Lakes Region to attend Women Inspiring Women events. As a result of that demand, Sturgeon began hosting monthly events in Concord, Manchester and Portsmouth as well.
“I was always trying to keep things fresh and new,” Sturgeon says, and “always fun,” she adds. “It’s infectious enthusiasm. It’s very upbeat. I try to keep each event unique. Usually there is a speaker or some sort of program, but sometimes we do a social event like a pajama party,” she says. Topics have ranged from goal setting to working with the media, health and wellness issues and even how to get out of your own way.
In 2010, Sturgeon decided to cut down how many events she hosted to 12 per year to free up time to launch the NH Conference for Women, which has grown in popularity and now draws 400 to 500 women. This year’s conference, which includes keynote speaker Elizabeth Smart, an abduction survivor; mentoring, and 70 exhibitors, is being held Nov. 3 at the Radisson Hotel/Center of NH in Manchester.
A group of women take a photo at a Women Inspiring Women event.
Photo by Linden Photography + Design
She also developed an Inspiring Women in Business Conference that she holds every other year that focuses solely on business topics and networking. “I have a pretty solid consistent following. Someone from the Lakes Region will travel to the Seacoast for one of my events because they know the caliber of my events,” she says, adding it is an opportunity to network with women from across the state.
In December 2015, Sturgeon retired her office support services business to focus entirely on Women Inspiring Women, which has 350 members. She says the business is growing revenue about 25 percent annually through corporate sponsorships and exhibitors as well as new membership and increased event registrations.
Looking forward, Sturgeon hopes to expand her events to the Keene and Mount Washington Valley regions. She also wants to start a mentoring program for teenage girls. “New Hampshire is full of cool businesses and professional women. There is so much untapped potential for [the organization] and room for growth,” Sturgeon says.
For more information, visit womeninspiring.com.
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