Women in Business

Marbella Business Network

Now in its 6th year, the Women in Business Association in Marbella provides a hotbed of professional skills and juicy networking opportunities. Long term member, Louise Cook reports.

Ok. So you're sold on the sunny Costa lifestyle, you've bought the house, moved the family here, and opened your business. Now what? Many women find that despite the vast numbers of expatriates living and working on the Costa del Sol, marketing their businesses can be a minefield.

Short of taking a megaphone and driving up and down the A7 sounding off about your wonderful shop, must go restaurant, unique beauty salon, exclusive boutique, state-of-the-art agency, or indispensable professional services.... or investing large sums of euros on advertising in the local press, where does a girl start when it comes to peddling her wares or services to the disperse English speaking population, or even more daunting, trying to make inroads into the local Spanish community....?

Local Marbella business women

Make life simple for yourself, and before trying to decipher the complexities of the Coast's business community on your own, join an established business network such as Women in Business, and take a welcome shortcut into the world of the local movers and shakers. Not only will you save yourself a great deal of time and legwork, you will have an enjoyable time swapping business cards and insider tips at a sumptuous monthly lunch meeting. Venues for the monthly meetings have included some of Marbella's finest gourmet restaurants, a beach club, a 5-star spa, a boutique hotel and a sumptuous golf club - the variety adding to the overall surprise factor of the monthly get-togethers.

Formed by a group of self-motivated business women back in 2002, the Women in Business Association has grown and flourished since, boasting some two hundred members. Around 50-60 women attend the monthly lunches, and although women come and go ( and let's be realistic - Costa del Sol society is somewhat transitory) among the women regularly attending are many stalwarts who have lived and worked here for many years.

WIB President Caroline Bowley

Is it Not Just Ladies Who Lunch...?
So what distinguishes the WIBs from other ladies luncheon clubs in Marbella? As the association has grown and evolved, it has taken into account the specific needs of local business women, and created a series of circumstances to support them, without allowing for too much idyll chit-chat. The monthly speakers - largely from within the group - deliver information that is relevant and constructive to fellow women in business, and a new 5 minute education slot gives useful hints and tips on the nitty-gritty of running a business in Spain.

A workshop programme is currently being devised for more in-depth knowledge to be shared, and regular "speed-networking sessions" have made shameless card swapping and running off to greet the next guest a respectable pastime! The WIBs committee give generously of their own valuable time to source suitably spacious venues, good speakers, and a constant supply of new members to make the world of WIBs go round.

So why become a member of WIBs? The answer to this question could be as varied as the members - and accompanying guests - attending the lunches. Networking is not an exact science, but it is generally agreed that seeing and being seen is an asset in business, and while you may not come away with a handful of new clients at every lunch, you are making contacts, getting your business known and educating yourself about who and what is available in the area for whatever needs may arise.

Louise Cook

An Insider's Recommendation
Having lived and worked on the Coast for 14 years, and run my own business for 8, from my personal experience, I can recommend the WIBs as a valuable cog in the wheel of my own business. Over the years, I have given three speeches - on the power of PR, navigating the local media and creating a good corporate image; made many new contacts and friends, and gained some valued clients. And last but not least, I've also eaten some fantastic lunches, in good company which comes as a welcome change to a salad munched on the run in my meeting room....

Louise Cook is editor of marbellas.com, Marbella's first online magazine and co-director of Media Machine International www.mmi4.com

For further information on WIBs - see www.wibspain.com or call president Caroline Bowley on Tel: 677 167 310