| BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE : OCTOBER 11, 1999 ISSUE | ||||||||
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| BUSINESSWEEK INVESTOR
Where Working Moms Chat--Offline As a full-time journalist and mother of two, I've found it nearly impossible to connect in a meaningful way with other mothers who have careers. It seems as though everyone is in the midst of a neverending balancing act. So when my good friend and neighbor, Anne Angowitz, founder of the Preferred Placement legal and executive recruiting firm in Manhattan, suggested I attend a dinner of the newly formed Working Mothers of Chappaqua in our New York suburb last February, I gladly agreed. The group, now renamed Second Shift, is the brainchild of Mara Saperstein Weissmann, an attorney at an international law firm in New York, and another mother of two. She wanted to bring together all the professional women she had met on the train platform commuting into the city but never had time to talk to. On a whim, she called a local restaurant to book a table for 15, printed out invitations for a dinner, and asked Angowitz and another friend to hand them out to professional women they knew in town. At the first dinner last November, 33 women showed up. ''It was confirmation that there was a tremendous need for such a group,'' says Weissmann. From a questionnaire and general discussion, it was clear that the women wanted a low-key, social networking group for business development, with periodic speakers and quarterly meetings. Word spread. I attended the next dinner, as did television producers, entrepreneurs, psychologists, bankers, and clothing designers. Weissmann incurred the initial incidental expense of invitations, nametags, and party favors of notepads and pencils. There is now a $25 membership fee that will pay for future expenses, such as the cost to compile a business networking guide. The handbook, being created by a member, will briefly describe the professions of all the participants. ''I got the group off the ground but it is essentially running itself now,'' says Weissmann, who has more than enough volunteers to help. Although the group is barely a year old, members have seen concrete results. Weissmann, for one, landed a legal client. ''So far, we're in the feel-good stage, letting these women know they aren't alone,'' she says. On a personal level, I find it gratifying to be in the company of other women who can identify with my need for professional fulfillment and yet understand the ever-present feelings of guilt that I'm not home with my sons, ages 11 months and 2 1/2. For our November dinner, Weissmann has invited our newest neighbor, Hillary Rodham Clinton. We're still waiting for a reply, but whether the First Lady comes or not, I'm eagerly awaiting the next meeting. By Toddi Gutner _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ BACK TO TOP |
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