Happy November, TARRA!

Tomorrow, we host our very first “How She Built This,” featuring four of the most innovative and growth-driven entrepreneurs in our city. These women are globally-minded but connected in community—an ethos we share at TARRA.

Over the last nearly two years (it makes me gulp to even think about it), we have quickly seen the pendulum of the business world shift from globalism to localism. We used to all take the global supply chain for granted, but now each of us, individually, is experiencing the domino effect a global economy can have on business owners large and small.

I was originally going to write my November Editor’s Letter about “goal setting” to follow up the strategic planning conversation from October. However, I have been thinking a lot about the power of community recently and felt like the upcoming holiday season provided an opportunity to talk about the value of relationships and network. 

Think of this as your gentle nudge to stop and thank those friends, colleagues, and connections who support you when you need to fall and lift you up when you need it most. 

What Does a Powerful Community Look Like?

If the women of How She Built This can teach us anything, it’s the power of local and the true value of community. 

Each of these business owners serves as a testament to how local connections expand our horizons, provide opportunities for growth, and spur innovation. 

Take Guadalupe Hirt, co-founder of Second Act Women, a global membership community of 40 & 50+ women, taking on ageism in the workplace. Lupe works alongside Barbara Brooks, and together they are rapidly growing a community to support women with resources to help them reimagine what’s possible in their professional and personal lives. Second Act Women is creating an important dialogue about a topic that is growing in urgency.

Or look at Lakeisha Ashley, founder of Blvcmrkt, our panel moderator. This young woman is taking Denver by storm with her fledgling vintage clothing company with roots in her local community. Ashley believes that what people wear is an extension of themselves and sought to bring the stories and history of the black experience into the world of sustainable fashion, creating not just a clothing brand, but also a network of people who want to live with authenticity.

Griffen O’Shaughnessy, founder of Canopy Advisory Group, has grown her business into a community of high-level consultants and advisors. The very essence of Canopy is founded in the collective network that creates opportunities for more flexible and meaningful work.

Rounding out the panel is Rachel Williamson, founder of Dive in Digital, who is creating a burgeoning network of marketing minds in Denver and Susan Chung, founder of Two Cranes CBD, who created her products as a way to support her friends, colleagues, and community facing burnout, pain, anxiety, and other mental health issues.

I could continue, but it’s outside the scope of my word count to keep waxing poetic about the exceptional minds you will hear from on November 3, 2021…Suffice to say, these women are the foundation of TARRA and embody what we have been building for the last five years.

All of these women have navigated their way to successful companies that don’t rely on the global supply chain or teams of international consultants to operate. They are proof that small businesses work best when they are connected to purpose and firmly grounded in creating, maintaining, and celebrating a community of individuals tied together by the same mission.

They aren’t big corporations with offices in 10 countries. They aren’t space-obsessed tech bros with a mission to leave the very planet they are seeking to rule. These women own the types of businesses that tie the fabric of our lives into an untreatable bond. When stitched together, these businesses form the backbone of our economy and are an essential part of the future of our world.

The TARRA Community in 2022

In 2022, we will open the doors to our first TARRA Campus in Denver, Colorado. With it, we transforming the way women connect business, life, and community. This last word is the most critical to our mission. Our goal is for this campus to become a home base to all the incredible businesses, organizations, and networks that collectively support and promote professional women throughout the state. We are effectively a community of communities, a “hub” that will bring together powerful voices, leaders, and individuals who are ready to create a more equitable future. It may sound like a lofty goal, but I believe that we are stronger together.

I look forward to sharing more about our journey to opening the doors to TARRA.

Onward together,

Kate