Reneé Couperthwaite

(Photo: Lisa Steelman) Women have come a long way both in the corporate world and as entrepreneurs. It turns out there are common traits between those women that succeed time and again in business and those that may not have as much forward momentum in gaining higher level positions as they’d like. Some women try to blend in with men…

(Photo: Caroline Caudill) I think most of us understand the importance of giving back – although many busy small business owners simply don’t have time to give it much thought. Being a respected business owner means providing stellar customer service everyday, but also supporting other small businesses in the area, and adopting a few causes that are near and dear…

(Photo: Jan Sullivan-Chalmers) We’ve all been there – whether it was asking a boss early on in our career for a better schedule, talking to an uncooperative coworker or even as a supervisor having to let an employee go – difficult conversations abound in the business world everyday. Knowing how to handle these conversations can mean the difference between gaining…

(Photo: Sherry Acanfora-Ruohamaki) Many of us find out the hard way that owning a business takes much more time and effort than we ever thought possible. Part of the reason for this is that – regardless of how great you are at delivering the product or service you specialize in – there are likely things you never realized you’d have…

(Photo: Wanda Lipscomb-Vasquez) When I was 19, a dear friend told me that I needed to learn from others and not rely solely on my own experiences if I wanted to grow and blossom as an individual. So I try to take what I have learned over the years — in combination with lessons imparted to me by friends, colleagues…

(Photo: Deb Bailey with Summit of Seven members) Many of us have personal passions. One of mine is dragon boating. For those that may not know, dragon boating is a sport that originated in China with 20 paddlers, a drummer and steering person paddling a boat to compete with other teams to a finish line. It’s a team sport and…

(Photo: Kegman, Inc. Staff) I have the opportunity to work with many business owners that are facing the challenges of sustaining their small businesses in limited local, commercial markets. I also have Women’s Business Center clients that have had great success with government contracting. In most cases, clients tend to focus on one or the other primarily, but to all…

(Photo: Cindy Bishop) We all face unique challenges in our lives – both personal and professional – that can derail us if we let them. The key to getting past these difficulties is to take a methodical approach to addressing and overcoming each issue as it presents itself. Sometimes providing an uninterrupted focus on the challenge at hand and using…

(Photo: Rose Thron) For those that run a small business, making tough decisions simply comes with the territory. Regardless of how much time you’ve spent preparing your business plan, refreshing your goals, and keeping up with the competition – the unexpected can occur – and only the most flexible and forward-looking entrepreneurs can weather those storms. Each industry has its…

(Photo: Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala) I think we’re all guilty of it at some point in our careers – not putting enough value on our skillsets and taking less responsibility or money than we’re worth in the marketplace. There are so many valuable skills we learn throughout our personal and professional lives that equate to the business world, whether we are…