Tonight was such an inspiring evening! 😊 Kristen Cronyn, Owner and CEO of Meet & Eat Charcuterie celebrated her 4th year in business by hosting an amazing celebratory networking event for women business owners in Buffalo – boards and bosses! Congratulations Kristen! You are an inspiration. So grateful I could attend and celebrate Kristen’s success while meeting and networking with some amazing ladies! Learning about their businesses and passions was so inspiring and energizing, all while enjoying some delicious bubbles, cheese and charcuterie courtesy of Meet & Eat! We passed the mic around and I loved to hear everyone else give their one minute elevator pitch about who they are and what their business is!
For anyone new here, I’m Claire – recruiter, HR Pro and career coach helping you position yourself for and attract dream opportunities. We work together to clean up your materials and online presence (mainly resume and LinkedIn) to best showcase your skills, experience, personality and voice. Then, we connect, post and engage intentionally to attract opportunities – that could be a new job, speaking, training, speaking, board service – all types of opportunities depending on your goals and interests! I’m a product of my product. Everything I teach my clients, I’ve done myself to advance my career and attract opportunities to myself! Reach out to me here on my site if you want to chat through your current situation and talk about working together. I’d love to help you.
I want to spotlight a few of the amazing bosses I met at the boards and bosses event this evening. There is so much incredible work being done in our community – so much passion and desire to help, grow, learn, and make a better future for ourselves and those coming after us. Here they are!
First I met Erika Bozeman. We were both there on the earlier side of the event, and had both come alone, so we decided to sit together to enjoy our food and drinks! Erika does catering. Check out her Instagram to see what makes her unique and sets her apart! She’s serviced clients for corporate events such as Buffalo Prep and Planned Parenthood, as well as personal events! If you are hosting a family celebration, backyard event, etc Erika can be your catering go to.
Next I had the pleasure of chatting with Stephanie of Mix it with Steph! Steph makes simple syrups using locally sourced ingredients. She competed in the Erie County Fair Exhibitions craft cocktail competition! She recently made a seasonal pumpkin pie simple syrup – yum! You can find her at local events and farmers markets. If you need a mixologist for your event, reach out to Steph! She’s a pro at both cocktail and mocktail recipes.
I also met Mignon, owner of Classroom Cafe LLC. Classroom Cafe, a woman-owned LLC established in 2022, was founded by Chef Mignon, who is driven by a passion to connect cooking with education—especially for youth. Her vision is to inspire young people to make healthier food choices and to empower them with the skills to cook for themselves, fostering independence and self-reliance.She believes that by providing children with a solid foundation in cooking, they gain a valuable skill they can carry throughout their lives.
Last but not least, I talked with Crystal Morgan a lender ready to help small businesses in WNY get funding! I learned so much talking with her about predatory lending, interest rates, and the relationships she holds with financial institutions who can help small business owners in WNY. The organization she works for, Pursuit, has 15+ loan programs and Crystal’s goal is to find a loan program to fit your business needs. Funding is available, but a lot of small business owners don’t know how to get access to it. Please spread the word if you know a small business owner looking to grow – have them reach out to Crystal!
I’ll leave you with this – get out there. Put yourself out there. Whether you’re already a small business owner, or you just know you want more or better for yourself – get out there. Go to that event, update your resume, create a post on LinkedIn, reach out to someone for an informational interview or networking chat. The universe sends you opportunities when you’re taking action. You attract dream opportunities by doing, not by waiting. I’m so glad I went to boards and bosses and was so inspired by Kristen and all the other small business owners. The networking creating connections that will help all of us in our future growth pursuits. If you need a friend to go with you to that next event, send me a message. You got this!
Claire is Coaching 