More than 80 business owners came together Thursday, May 2nd for a standing-room only conference dedicated to women in business. The She Creates Business conference, now in its third year, was originally started in Thomasville and was brought to Valdosta by the Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce.
 
“I had the privilege of attending She Creates Business in Thomasville in 2018 and was impressed by the quality of the speakers and the attendees,” said Betty Morgan, Vice President of Business Development for the Valdosta Chamber.
 
“The room was packed with outstanding leaders. It was really inspirational to see so many dynamic women in business gathered in one place to take their businesses to the next level. Our Chamber is dedicated to bringing the best quality content we can to our business community. I knew She Creates Business was something we needed in Valdosta,” continued Morgan.  
 
Conference founder Dara Barwick, of Dara Barwick Consulting, explained her inspiration for creating the conference. “During my career working in economic development, I interacted with thousands of small and large business owners all over the state. Over time, I learned, the secret to success may be different  for everyone, but the principles of business growth are nearly universal. I founded this  conference because I saw a need to support women with access to very high-quality information. We bring in speakers who are truly at the top of their game. Every one of them is someone you wouldn’t want to miss,” said Barwick.
 
Barwick credits the steady growth of the conference in part to her partnership with Adele Creative Marketing & Design. “They came in alongside us in our second year and gave us the branding and messaging we needed to reach our target market. There really is something different about the way they message, and it produces visible results. We had founder Lauren Vann come in and give a session on using Digital Marketing for Business Growth, because that level of insight is what we’re providing to our attendees. There’s a focus on greater value, deeper insights and real change that goes beyond surface level workshops.”
 
Lauren Vann, founder of Adele Creative, concurred. “When Dara approached me about collaborating with She Creates Business, I was really captured by her vision. Dara is one of our region’s most sought after business consultants, and for a reason. I knew she was building a conference that provided a real value to the business community. It’s been an awesome experience working with her as well as with the Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce. The Valdosta business community has a lot to be proud of in their Chamber. They are definitely the reason this conference was sold out its first year in Valdosta.”
 
She Creates Business was held at Birdie’s Events & Catering, and brought together speakers including Keira Moritz-Johnson, founder of Steel Magnolias; Montina Portis, founder of CIA Media Group; Renee Moss, founder of Farmer’s Daughter Vineyard; Deana Bibb, founder of Proper Pepper Pimento Cheese; and Layne Varnedoe, the entrepreneurial mind behind Lee Container, Lauri Jo’s Southern Style Canning, the Coffee Corner, and other business ventures. The 2019 Conference was hosted by the Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce, presented by Dara Barwick Consulting and Adele Creative Marketing & Design with lead sponsor Tickle Me Pink Daycare and Learning Center.
 
Pam Cater with Tickle Me Pink Daycare and Learning Center told the audience, “I jumped at the opportunity to sponsor this conference dedicated to inspire women to grow their businesses, and be the business leaders that this community needs and deserves. I truly believe that it is important to look at our goals, to learn from each other, and build each other up.”