CWE client and former member Sarah Palya came in second place in the Richard King Mellon Foundation’s first startup pitch competition and was awarded a $300,向巴特勒县的格斯齿轮公司投资了1000美元, 这是一家由首席执行官萨拉·帕利亚创立的两人创业公司. 格斯齿轮专门生产医疗设备和用品，旨在帮助患者, 主要是孩子, 在接受各种医疗条件的治疗期间，过着更安全、更积极的生活. The startup will use the funding to subsidize a significant discount on its products to those who are facing financial hardships. It also allows the company to establish a distribution center and hire employees from financially distressed communities to help run it.

我在2015年秋季通过查塔姆CWE学习了创业课程, 知道自己想要创业. 这门课让我保持在正轨上, 保持发行的积极性, 并认识其他鼓舞人心的女性. 我在2016年8月和其他4名员工一起创办了这家公司, today I have a team of over 20 employees and we have substantially grown our client base across the United States, 加拿大, 甚至澳大利亚. I have been able to meet some really great successful women along the way through CWE and Chatham’s SBA Women’s Business Center. 我可以免费使用妇女商务中心的顾问服务, 在我刚开始工作的时候是我的救命稻草. 我知道我可以信赖安妮, 她的团队, and the Counselors to help me connect to the tools and resources I need through all stages of my business growth. It is great to know that I am able to get the support I need locally in Pittsburgh through affordable and free programs through the SBA. I am proud to say that I get the opportunity to help others by being the Human 资源 Technical Counselor for the Center.

切尔西Burket, 第一代大学毕业生和企业家, 多年来一直梦想拥有自己的生意. 她于2017年春季开始学习第一门课程，多年来一直参与CWE的编程工作, 建立她的知识, 连接, 商业计划. 2021年2月, 切尔西买下了关门的瑞士谷达里熟食店, 承担了一个改造项目, 收购银行融资, 开发供应商, 雇佣员工.

“今天，我和6名兼职员工经营着一家盈利的公司. Chatham CWE的支持对实现这一目标至关重要. 我参加了商业计划课程，并与该中心的顾问一起完善和完善我的商业计划. 一份强有力的商业计划对我获得资金至关重要. 通过这门课, 我结识了一位律师和一位会计, 他们都在我的创业阶段提供了慷慨的无偿建议和支持. 我继续使用它们作为付费服务提供商. 我还得到了中心财务和人力资源顾问的支持. My financing counselor spent hours talking through my options for funding and providing valuable insight and guidance. My HR counselor prepared me to bring on my first employees - giving me the confidence I needed to become an employer!

作为瑞士达里酒店的唯一老板，我身兼数职, 但我从不觉得孤单. 如果我需要帮助，我总是知道CWE是一个电话或电子邮件!".

杰奎琳·赖特, 山地原住民, owner and operator of Kelly's Kingdom Child Care for the past 18 years is stepping into a new but very familiar territory. 杰姬把她对烹饪的热爱带到了街头. 琼奶奶的Pgh餐车是为了纪念她已故的母亲琼·迈耶斯，是她启发了她做饭. 她妈妈称之为安慰食物. 日复一日，她会通过食物创造出最惊人的乐趣. 她希望在春天发射. 请出来支持她的灵魂美食.

Tia贝克, 皇冠礼宾部, 专注于个人及专业生活方式管理服务, 包括为时间紧张的个人和公司提供目的地服务. 他们处理必要的日常任务，传递生命中最宝贵的资源:时间.

Tia说:“CWBC为我的业务奠定了坚实的基础，是一笔无价的资产. I've attended many classes and workshops which have helped me avoid common pitfalls which could have been detrimental to me as a new business owner. 我将继续利用他们的服务，并乐意将该中心推荐给女性拥有的企业."

As a member of the Center for Women’s Entrepreneurship at 波胆网站 I’ve had access to very helpful programming at the CWBC. 到目前为止, 我参加过小企业管理局的8(A), Hubzone and Women-Owned Certification Programs workshop which gave me not only great insight into which certification’s I should go after, 也给了我完成申请所需的动力和额外资源. 除了, 我有机会与CWBC的合作伙伴一对一会面，他建议我获得WBENC认证. This insight and time spent with professional and successful women who have been through so many certifications was invaluable and so encouraging. These certifications can be challenging and the overall support the CWBC has given me so far has been essential. 和, I look forward to attending more events in the future that provide insight on how to effectively use the certifications to my advantage.

我所得到的咨询是无价的，它使我能够创造一张新的名片, 一本小册子, 还有一个计划，修改我的网站，并考虑我的业务参与社交媒体. The counseling has been a great support to me and I have been able to focus on my goals in a clarifying and declarative way as a result. 我期待着在查塔姆妇女商业中心的支持下继续我的商务之旅. 非常感谢您给我这次机会.

在2016年4月完成创业课程后，我开始在他们自己的家里看望以前的病人. 截至2017年，我全职从事自己的业务, began turning a profit as of mid February and am considering developing a unique internship program for both businesses. 通过妇女商务中心的培训和咨询, I learned about and held 3 focus groups - super helpful; learned about and developed my own free Weebly website and posted it; learned about and set up Quickbooks Online (brilliant); used free legal counseling offered through the WBC program and continued with these attorneys’ paid legal assistance.

2016年6月，我创立了自己的小企业Write Results, LLC. 查塔姆妇女商业中心的咨询对我早期的成长和成功起到了重要作用. 我还参加了从概念到启动的课程，到目前为止，这对我非常有帮助. 因为查塔姆, 我现在有了更强的专注力, 一份商业游说计划和一次电梯游说. I am eager to write my business plan and have every intention of staying very engaged with Chatham Women’s Business Center and their many beneficial resources. 我热衷于帮助我的客户分享他们的故事, 是什么联系了其他人，并建立了更牢固、更忠诚的客户关系. 更牢固的关系通常意味着客户销售额的增加和利润的增长.

自从我去年夏天搬到匹兹堡后, the Chatham Center for Women's Entrepreneurship and Women's Business Center have been key to my developing business and to helping me find a community here in Pittsburgh.

在温迪Mascio和WBC的帮助下, 我已经坚定了我的商业理念，现在正以独立销售代表/顾问的身份开始工作, 将本地公司与XR解决方案联系起来. 自从我上次咨询温迪之后, 我已经与两家XR公司签订了协议，我将代表他们.

通过CWE与东部自由商会联合举办的活动, 我见过洛里·莫兰, 谁为我牵线搭桥，并表示有兴趣让我在某个时候举办研讨会.

Connections made and confidence boosted through CWE people and programs have also helped with a project dear to my heart, which involves getting 360-degree cameras into the hands of youth in neighborhoods around the city to provide their perspectives. This proposal has been enthusiastically received and I have potential partners in the Thrival Innovation Festival and the Obama Academy.

参加CWE/WBC的活动，遇到同样是成员的充满活力的女性总是令人兴奋的. 他们不仅用自己的商业努力激励着我, 但他们让我觉得自己是一个支持性社区的一部分. 非常感谢温蒂、安妮、丽贝卡和CWE的每一个人!

I can not thank enough to everyone at Chatham for all the help connecting me to the right people and services I needed to get me in the right path to open my Café.

7月5日你能来我真是太激动了.

再次感谢你。

This conference and everything I've been learning these last months has really prepared me for finalizing the last details of my "business plan". 这次会议确定了这笔交易，我很感激有机会参加. 感谢查塔姆妇女商业中心的安妮与我分享会议信息. 在这次活动中见到温迪也是一件令人惊喜的事. 从很多方面来说，这对我来说都是双赢.

查塔姆妇女商业中心(CWBC)改变了我的生活. 我经历了一个非常真实的蜕变，从一个“希望者”或“梦想家”到一个真实的人, 一个诚实的“实干家”和一个小企业主. 我梦想中的生意马上就要隆重开业了, Eva Bryn Shoetique, 这在很大程度上要归功于CWBC的支持和知识.

从一开始, CWBC让我认识了自信的女企业主, 善于表达，慷慨地奉献时间和知识. 从商业咨询到概念到启动课程, I was able to receive amazing insight on a fairly regular basis that helped me truly 'launch' my business concept. 温迪Mascio, 我的商务顾问, 真的是我的啦啦队长同时也是理性的声音和宝贵的资源. 我收到的商业建议确实给了我迈出这一步的信心. 有了这种定期的支持，我真的能够成为一个“实干家”。.

我认为自己是查塔姆妇女商业中心(CWBC)的连续学生。. 我参加过一天的研讨会, 六周的课程中, 参与网络和营销项目, 并利用了他们的导师计划. 作为一个企业主, 不为失败找借口是一种授权，因为CWBC提供了鼓励, 分享知识和资源，实现成功! 我鼓励我遇到的每一位企业家都利用这个很棒的项目. 我将永远是CWBC的支持者.

4年前，我开始了我的室内设计事业. 最近，我的生意开始迅速发展. 我在招聘员工方面寻求帮助，并确保我有适当的文件记录. 我找到了CWBC，和温蒂见面讨论我的生意. 她给了我很多见解，帮了我很大的忙. 我还参加了两个课程，“创建商业计划”和“概念发布”。. 两者都很有趣，对我的事业也很有帮助. I have continued to use the monthly meetings when I run into a question about my business or for help with planning growth. CWBC一直是我事业成功的关键合作伙伴，我一定会把他们推荐给其他女性.

我一直梦想着开一家自己的美容沙龙，但不知道从哪里开始. 我查了小企业管理局的网站，找到了CWBC的转介. 我先给温迪·马西奥打了一个一对一的咨询电话. 她真的帮我指明了正确的方向. 在继续一对一的商业咨询的同时，我还参加了“从概念到启动”课程. This class covered many of the basic topics that I had no idea I even needed to consider - LLC vs Sole Proprietor, 会计, 保险, 商业计划等等. 在课堂和个人指导之间，我已经完善了我的计划. 我现在正在开一家移动美容服务公司，而不是开一家沙龙. 我已经成立了自己的有限责任公司, 制定商业计划, 申请创业贷款, 找到一辆货车, 我正在开发营销材料. 很快，我将参加CWBC提供的网站开发课程. 所以，很高兴看到我的梦想成为现实!

婚礼跳蚤市场® is a wedding decor resale event where the newlywed sells her leftover wedding items to those getting married. 新娘在婚礼前存钱，而新郎在婚礼后可以收回一些钱. 婚礼装饰很贵，而且只用一次, 而是通过我们的转售活动, 这些物品不仅可以有多种用途, 但它为夫妇(和他们的父母)节省了数百甚至数千美元.

查塔姆妇女商业中心是真实和真诚的. 他们帮我制定了一个商业计划, 让我接触到很棒的生意, 和我一对一合作, 一直在指导和鼓励我. 他们鼓励成功，商业关系，让你感到受欢迎和权力. 我不断地告诉其他女性拥有的企业，查塔姆妇女商业中心可以如何帮助她们. 我喜欢和他们一起工作，并期待着继续这种关系. 谢谢安妮和温蒂，你们给了我动力，让我看到了自己的价值——并帮助我看到了它.