It’s well known that women make most of America’s buying decisions. Fewer people realize that women also own a great number of Minnesota’s businesses, and are therefore poised to help our local economy rebound.

“Small businesses got us out of the big recession in the last century, and we can band together to do it again,” says Robin Kocina, president of Mid-America Events & Expos, Inc., producers of the upcoming Girlfriends Expo & Getaway, which features the Women’s Home & Interior Design Expo (www.101expos.com). “Minnesota tends to be at the business forefront,” she says. “Women business owners are a driving force, and what’s happening in our own business community is a good indicator of what’s happening across the country.”

According to results of a 2009 Economic Forecast survey, 31 percent of Women Presidents Organization (WPO) members say their businesses have grown since 2008; and 82 percent are optimistic about business performance in 2010. These women business leaders identified two of their greatest current challenges as customer retention and competition.

To help local small businesses succeed in these areas, Kocina is creating face-to-face marketing events specifically by and for women. “We just added the home show element to our upcoming Girlfriends event because we understand that that home-related businesses, many of which are woman-owned, are starting to recover. They need a platform to get in front of thousands of potential women buyers to that they can to start filling their sales funnel.”

Kocina has a life-long interest in helping women succeed, and has been recognized multiple times for mentoring women in our community. A current board member and past chairman of the board of WomenVenture; a member of WPO and the National Association for Women Business Owners, she offers her top three economic recovery tips for local women business owners:

• Be creative: what you did before might not be enough right now. “Look for new ways to create an impact including blogs, Facebook and other social media. Because they enable you to stay in front of your customers with fresh, relevant content, these promotional channels can positively impact both customer retention and set your business apart from your competition.”
• Find face-to-face ways to interact with your primary audience. “In-person events such as the Girlfriends Expo & Getaway accelerate the selling process. They are considered best for branding, creating name recognition, and building databases. With more prospects in your sales pipeline, you’ll be able to rebound faster for post-recession profits.”  
• Consider how you might want to re-position your product or service. “Buyers are still making buying decisions. This is a good time to go after those people who are re-evaluating their current buying decisions. If you have a high-end product, you might want to focus your messaging on durability instead of luxury, for example.”

Kocina believes that it’s up to the women of America to get the country back on track. “Women juggle their personal and business obligations 24-hours a day. That’s why we tend to be better at prioritizing and seeing the whole picture. Our ability to approach an issue from this broader perspective is one of our best business advantages.”

Those interested in participating in the Girlfriends Expo & Getaway featuring the Women’s Home & Interior Design Expo, may visit www.101expos.com or call Helen, at 612-798-7232.