Hey ladies, well summer has continued and hasn’t it been wonderful. School is back, and networking has kicked up a notch with most of us back to our ‘normal’ routine. Guests are coming in the door thick and fast, and the numbers in groups are climbing.
February 14th saw me celebrating one year since I stepped up and took over the reins of Venus – isn’t it amazing how time flies. Best year of my life, huge learning curve but I’ve loved and continue to love every moment of it. When you’re doing something you love it doesn’t seem like work does it?
As I came back to work early, I took a week off early February and headed to Sydney, spent some time sailing Sydney Harbour, which I loved and then had a long weekend with my sister. Just the two of us, no kids or hubbies in tow – what a wonderful break, it was so nice to spend one on one time with one another and just enjoy each others company – although she did talk me into climbing Sydney Harbour Bridge. I had a wee fear of heights, but that was dispelled – the sense of achievement I felt was amazing, as I stood 135metres in the air at the peak of the bridge I decided if I could do that I could do anything – so watch out my plans for Venus are getting bigger!
So what have I been up to?
Well, post my week in Sydney I’ve been really busy getting stuck into our next magazine, starting to visit some of the Auckland groups, meeting with sponsors, speakers and an MC for the NZ Business Women’s Conference and getting the Venus Academy calendar all set up. Yolanda Alba and I have been working on these as well as managing the day to day running of the network – it’s incredible the detail involved in all those things – seriously think I need to look into cloning both Yolanda and I as there are so many places we’d also like to be!
Venus Training Academy
Over the last month, Yolanda has had and is continuing to catch up with VRM’s to work out a plan for each region. Remember if there is any programme and/or workshop you are interested in please do get in touch. I’ve also appointed a new Coach in the South Island. Deborah Cooper from our Dunedin group is coming on board and will be delivering programmes not only in Dunedin and Queenstown but also in Christchurch and on line.
If you want to find a little more about the Venus Academy, book a RAVE with one of either the Regional Managers or the Venus Training Academy Coaches? These women have a good handle on what they are delivering via the Academy and will be able to give you a little more one on one information. Remember the Venus Training Academy is there to run group training in an environment that sees you alongside other women who are looking for the same learning and advice. It’s very much about the learning alongside like-minded women in a supportive environment.
Venus Networking
Member Success and Power Hour are well underway so if you haven’t already booked into one do so sooner rather than later. It’s a great way to find what’s going on in your region; please get in touch with your Regional Manager, she is the lady running these so will have the detailed information. Alternatively, if you go to the link on the website, you will be able to see from there what is happening locally.
Remember if you’re new to Venus, Member Success is a free MUST DO workshop. You will need to have done this before you do your six-minute spotlight. Additionally, existing members need to do a Member Success ONCE A YEAR as well to stay up to date with the ‘goings on’ in Venus. Things move and change rapidly, and it’s the best way to keep up with what’s going on as well as network and meet newer members and the wider Venus community.
Remember in networking you get out what you put in!
Venus Magazine
Well, we are well underway with the next magazine, and I’m pleased to say we’ve had a lot of interest in both articles and advertising. Still, a few spaces left if you’re keen. The magazine was initially meant to be coming out in April, but we’ve moved to late May as there is so much to do to pull it together and April was putting too much pressure on. Moving forward I’ve moved the publishing to Late May/early June and then again in November.
Inspiring Business Women
You may have noticed a number of posts of inspiring members last year, make sure you don’t miss out on the promotion of your business in 2018. Fill in the link below and we shall add your story to the Venus website, post on social or print in the magazine.
So what are you waiting for… tell us now.
Free Month
We’ve had a lot of groups having Visitor Days at the beginning of the new year, and we have had a bit of an influx of registrations and quite a few guests who visited last year wanting to join this side of Xmas.
I still, however, want to encourage you to refer Venus to the women you do business with. The power of the community is the community and as we grow and change our ability to work alongside, help and collaborate with one another increases as well. The power of the network is the network, the more of us that there are, the more we can help one another step up.
A reminder that for each person you refer to Venus you get a one-month free membership when they’ve joined and paid their membership fee. Get them to register online or put them in touch with your Regional Manager. Who do you know that would either benefit from being part of Venus or add value to this beautiful community – pick up the phone, drop them an email!
New Groups for 2018
Good news – Venus Taupo is alive and kicking, bought into the world Thursday 8th March by myself and Linda Crosbie. Whoop, whoop! Rotorua and New Plymouth are next on the agenda
If you know any business women in any of these regions, please encourage them to register – and put your name on the registration for the free month.
A reminder of our cities for launches:
• Taupo
• Rotorua
• Whangarei
• Dunedin (our second group)
• Havelock
• New Plymouth
• Christchurch x 2
• Auckland Harbour
Venus Foundation
Our charitable status application is still with the Charities Commission for approval. We are now in a holding pattern waiting to hear back from them.
NZ Business Women’s Conference
We have set the Venus Foundation up and moving forward any profits will be going in there for the benefit of our members. Any profit made from the NZ Businesswomen’s Conference will be going straight into this account. The purpose of the Venus Foundation is to provide loans to our members to help them develop and grow themselves and their businesses. These loans will need to be applied for and will be approved by our soon to be appointed external board.
Let’s Rock 2018!
Everyone seems to be starting this year with a hiss and a roar which is wonderful to see, imagine all the amazing things we’ll achieve and do in our businesses and together as a community. Here’s to having a fantastic 2018 one and all!
Carolyn x
