Businesswomen focus of conference

Are modern-day businesswomen being held back by banana bread?

Some experts say sharing homemade goodies with co-workers isn't a smart professional move. It's a topic that will be explored at the 2008 Women in Business Conference being organized by the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce and the Center for Women.

So far, more than 300 women have signed up for Saturday's conference, which will feature networking and five workshops geared at females in the work force.

Today is the last day to sign up.

Kelly Love Johnson, a Charleston author who recently published "Skirt Rules for the Workplace," will offer advice on how women can position themselves for success in the workplace. That positioning doesn't include becoming known as the "office mom."

"There's a lot of books out there about succeeding in the workplace, and many will tell you that you have to act like men. ... You just have to stop acting like their mothers, hence the 'no baking,'" she said.

Other sessions will focus on Internet-based marketing strategies, effective leadership and how to get a business certified as a woman-owned enterprise, which allows a firm access to special loans and bidding opportunities.

Organizers say the gender-specific conference is especially relevant in the Charleston area, which has a rapidly growing base of women-led businesses. The Center for Women estimates that more than 20,000 women-owned businesses exist in the three county region.

"This is a national trend. Women are starting businesses at twice the rate of men," said Jennet Robinson Alterman, the center's executive director.

Women, especially ones from the younger generation, are gravitating toward technology-based businesses and ones that provide a flexible work schedule, Alterman added.

Many are leaving traditional workplaces to start their own ventures.

"The main reason we're having (the conference) is to make sure that as many of these businesses as possible succeed," she said. "It's hard to start a business and even harder to grow one, and we're going to try to make that easier."

Reach Katy Stech at 937-5549 or kstech@postandcourier.com.