"Like, oh my God!"
"No way!"
"Duh!"
Remember the stereotypical "Valley Girl?" Well, guess what?
The Valley Girls Grew Up! And lots of them now have successful businesses here in the famous San Fernando Valley where the name was given.
Last night at a networking event, I met Gail Lara, owner of "Made In The Valley," a retail website that features exceptional women entrepreneurs who have exceptional products. Each women is featured with her story on how and why she began to create her products and has a section on the website. You can shop online and choose from homemade gourmet chocolates, beautiful handcrafted jewelry, bath and body products and much more. They even include local delivery!
"Made In The Valley" also cares about their community by giving 10% of its proceeds back to a local charity. What a great business! Gail is a super sweet and very caring woman who is on a mission to bring back the emphasis on shopping at your local stores to help them grow. Her motto is "Buy Local. Be Local." It's a great time to remember this concept - and of course, to support your hard-working women entrepreneurs!
Gail has plans to extend the "Made In The Valley" brand to other markets soon, too.
I had a great time chatting with Gail about Marketing and Social Media, and listening to her tell me stories of being in the boardroom of corporate America for 25 years when women weren't really "allowed" to have ideas. (FYI - I'm not sure how I would have survived if that was me. Trying to have me keep my mouth shut when I have great ideas is like taking away my oxygen. Kudos to all the women who hung in there and made the guys look good all those years. You're stronger than me!) It was a great night and I love meeting people who are making a difference.
For more info and to check out the products (I hear the lotion bars are amazing!) go to www.MadeInTheValley.net.
