Extraordinary Living

The Women's Business Exchange: A Place to Connect, Grow and Mentor

By Janelle Brandon • Images by 5 Foot 20 Design Lounge

Cari Rauch, president of the WBE (The Women's Business Exchange), is a certified life and money coach. She is passionate about helping women learn to live extraordinary lives through coaching them to step into the woman they desire to be right now. She believes life is a wildly fun adventure which she infuses with laughter, play and pleasure everyday, and teaches her clients to do the same.

However, she wasn’t always this articulate with what she wanted to do for her career. That’s where the WBE, a group that was founded 10 years ago to focus on both “intra” and “entra” preneurial women’s needs and issues, came into play.

“When I first joined WBE, I didn't have my own business nor was I looking for customers,” said Rauch. “Instead, I became involved in order to connect with more women in the community. Now that I have my own business, I'm still involved for the connections, but it has also grown into being able to support an amazing group of women.”

Rauch said the greatest benefit is being able to meet and connect with incredible women in the community who have helped her expand her knowledge, strengthen her love of helping others and increase her self-confidence.

“One of the greatest things about the WBE is that there are no memberships and no meeting or attendance requirements,” said Rauch. “All you need to do is register for one of our events and show up. I highly recommend attending an event because it's a chance to build connections that are not just business contacts but friendships that can turn into long-lasting relationships. I have made many of these connections through this organization.”

Karen Stensrud, vice president of marketing for Bell State Bank and Trust, was one of the founding members of the WBE. She reflected on her experience being involved in the group early on.

“Years ago, when I had my own business, Arlette Preston (also a local businesswoman and former city commissioner) and I were meeting over coffee,” said Stensrud. “Arlette said, ‘I would love to know all of the women in business in our community and what they do, because I’d like to support them in any way I can.’ From there, the idea blossomed into the founding of the WBE, with the goal of providing networking, education and mentorship for women in business or those considering starting a business.”

Over the years, even as Stensrud’s career evolved and changed, she’s shared conversation and ideas with many wonderful business leaders and entrepreneurs through the WBE. A special highlight for her was being asked, several years ago, to be one of several women mentoring other younger women in business and organizations. These core mentors have become a group of supportive friends that meets several times a year and continues to mentor each other in their professional and personal lives.

“If you are looking for a comfortable exchange of ideas for business and personal growth, and a place to expand your networking circle, give the WBE a try!” said Stensrud. [AWM]

To learn more about the WBE or for information on upcoming events, visit wbefargo.com