"Deals on Heels"
Networking group Success in the City
connects over cosmos
Reported and produced by Diane S.W. Lee
The nation's capital is crawling with professional organizations. But one group of career women in D.C. set themselves apart: they like to call themselves "divas," who make "deals on heels." Like members in any typical networking organization, they exchange business cards and schmooze over cocktails. But when these divas get together, they're looking for something more than that 30-second elevator pitch.
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To bid farewell to HBO's TV series "Sex and the City" in 2004, Cynthia de Lorenzi threw a D.C. networking event for career women. But it had a bit of a spin: she required guests to wear high heels and red lipstick.
De Lorenzi, 57, said she felt out of place after moving to the D.C. area to take over her brother's Internet service provider business PatriotNet.
"I moved here from Texas, and I talked funny and I dressed funny -- I wasn't like any of the women here," said de Lorenzi, who toned down the heavy makeup and the pink in her wardrobe in order to adjust to conservative Washington.
The one-time farewell event "was purely a joke," she said. But the 40 women who showed up didn't think so: They were soon bombarding her with calls, asking about the next event. That's when she realized women wanted to connect with other business executives like her.
A networking organization for senior-level executive women called Success in the City was born. These women are used to hitting the ground running.
De Lorenzi sold PatriotNet in 2006, and now runs Success in the City full-time as the "Chief Diva Extraordinaire."
De Lorenzi said the group helps women to develop friendships, which ultimately leads to "deals on heels." They exchange business cards, offer advice and share contacts.
But the group is not a formal mentoring program. They aren't looking for a 30-second elevator pitch. Instead, they're looking for a way to connect with other entrepreneurs and have fun at the same time.
Shopping, Not Golf
If men can network over golf, the woman of Success in the City can incorporate their favorite hobbies into business engagements, they said. They unwind over cosmos. They relax at the spa. Once a month, they hop on a bus from Virginia to New York for a day of therapeutic shopping.
Rose Wang, 39, joined ten other members on a New York City shopping trip in late June. Wang, president and CEO of Virginia-based Binary Group, said it's a "lonely place at the top" as an entrepreneur.
"It is great to have friends that can relate to the frustrations you deal with, and can still laugh at things," Wang said. "You can laugh with them and laugh at yourself without feeling silly or something."
Membership has reached more than 200, and it's still growing through word of mouth. It costs $350 a year to join, and it involves an application process.
Although the group is predominately made up of women, a few men join too.
David Keuhner, 38, attended his first high tea with Success in the City in late June. Keuhner, founder and CEO of Virginia-based Destination Cellars, said the group is unlike any other networking organization he's been to.
"They're talking about purses; a lot of time you go to networking events they're talking about stocks. I think the fun element is what makes it special," said Keuhner, who plans to return.
The Right Spirit, and The Right Heart
Judy Bradt, 48, said she joined the group because she needed to learn to have fun.
"It's been a marvelous way to bring some balance and some fun into my life, because I get very focused, I really want to meet my goals, make my numbers and all that stuff," said Bradt, principal of Virginia-based Summit Insight. "And this is a really good place where I know it's safe to relax because everybody here is just as serious as I am about my stuff, and they're able to relax too."
Bradt said winning business comes with time and trust.
"The important thing is not to focus quite so quickly, 'Gee, did I get the return on investments in hard dollars this month from being here,'" Bradt said. "Keep showing up in the right spirit, and the right heart — that counts for a lot."
De Lorenzi said she receives at least two e-mails a week from people outside the D.C. region, wanting to start chapters in their area. She hopes to expand the group 100 miles outside the D.C. area, and bring the fun back into women's lives.
"It's your sorority when you're all grown up," de Lorenzi said. "It's just that place where you walk away and you've had a good belly laugh or laughed or giggled. And it's really something that women need and I think we missed that for a long time."
Production assistance from Kristen Lee and Holly Tylenda.
