Kajol Bishnoi

NEW YORK (TIP): Lady Drinks hosted another successful event for Tri-state women Entrepreneurs, in collaboration with Mayor’s office on “How to Raise Capital for Your Small Business?” The Event held on June 5 in New York City attracted a number of women entrepreneurs. Each month, Lady Drinks hosts a monthly networking event, so professional women can build business, adopt better practices and work synergies. Opening remarks were given by Joya Dass -News Anchor and Co-founder of Lady- Drinks. Jeff Hamer from Mayor’s office gave a presentation on NYC Business Solutions which is city’s initiative to help small businesses raise money for their enterprises. The presentation was followed by a Q and A round. Others who spoke included Lara Land, owner of Land Yoga, and celebrity baker Aliyyah Baylor, of MakeMyCake.

These two women business owners have raised money through city’s program and because of their hard work and dedication, were named as successful entrepreneurs of New York. The three major messages from this edition of Lady Drinks were-

1. NYC Business solutions is great in helping you drill down on your strategy for raising money, before you approach a traditional or alternative lender.
2. Lean on organizations like http://www.score.org/ to get mentorship and free business advice from retired executives.
3. To be taken seriously in business, women entrepreneurs have to dress formally and know their numbers/data inside out.

Lady Drinks NY is a women’s networking initiative which holds meetings on the first Thursday of each month. It features workshops, panel discussions, and networking events/dinners geared towards the female entrepreneur. Joya Dass and Greta Knutzen, have been hosting this monthly event since July 2012. Over time, attendance has gone from 4o to 300 women. Lady Drinks had its roots in Toronto, where women in film or TV production came together on the first Thursday of each month to network and find jobs. Today, in its New York incarnation, it is a monthly networking initiative for women who either own their businesses or are contemplating starting one. Like any, a business relationship takes time to grow. The end goal for Lady Drinks is to become an accelerator for women-owned businesses.