Meet Keona Henderson of Positive Women Meet Up

Today we’d like to introduce you to Keona Henderson.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I have always been very creative and passionate about empowering others, especially women and youth. It comes natural for me. I am often able to see something in others that they don’t see in themselves. People often share their dreams and goals with me, and then I create the spark to make their idea brighter. It brings me great joy to motivate someone to achieve their dreams and goals.

While in college, I began to dream about gathering women together for fun and professional meet-ups to empower one another, build friendships, and increase our professional acumen. I wasn’t sure how I would do it, or what I would call it. What I was sure about is that it needed to be done and I would be the one to do it.

Along the way, I was met with some negativity, but that never stopped me from achieving my goal. I was so passionate about empowering women that I often dreamed about it, I got goosebumps when I shared my idea with others, and I constantly brainstormed about all the different themed meetups I could produce. My sister, Cleo Valentine, knew how passionate I was about empowering women, and encouraged me to “just start.”

Being the very organized woman that I am, taking pride in figuring out all of the details and obtaining the full understanding of things before starting, I was hesitant to “just start.” One day, I threw caution to the wind and did something that was extremely scary for me– I just started. I decided to stop waiting until all of the details were perfect. I set a date and invited women for a meetup. It was a total bust.

Three women showed up, one of which was my sister who had been encouraging me for years to start. I was embarrassed and felt let down by all of the people who had RSVP’d but flaked out. I didn’t let that hold me back, and because of that, I now am the CEO, and Founder of Positive Women Meet Up, LLC, a power networking platform for women. We host quarterly empowerment events and provide consulting services for professional development and sponsorship securities.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Nothing worth having and fighting for goes smoothly or comes easy. From learning to invest in myself, produce events, book dope speakers, build my social capital, secure sponsors, charge my worth, file an LLC, and business taxes, my journey has been and continues to be little rocky. Yet, I find some level of joy in it all. At first, coming across a bump in the road is scary and daunting. Later, when I have climbed my way over the bump, I feel worthy because I have earned my success. I have had many struggles, but the one that took the longest to learn was how to believe in myself and trust my vision.

Initially, some of the women closest to me did not show support for my endeavor. That really hurt, but what I learned from that was –my friends are not my customers. I felt that because they were my friends, surely they would come to every meetup, volunteer to help set up, and share my event information every day on social media.

Later, I realized that it was an unfair expectation. Producing these empowerment events was something I chose to do, my friends did not. Just because I started a new venture didn’t mean my friends needed to assume the position of being my public cheerleaders or personal volunteers. That doesn’t mean your friends shouldn’t show support.

Support can be shown in many different ways, and overall, I realized I was putting my focus into the wrong things. I was focusing so much on their support, or lack thereof, that I briefly allowed it to discourage me from my ultimate goal-to empower women. I learned to believe in myself and trust my vision. I didn’t need someone to approve of my dreams and goals or help me achieve them. I just needed to believe in myself.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Positive Women Meet Up, LLC – what should we know?
Positive Women Meet Up, LLC is a power networking platform for women. We specialize in empowerment and professional development. We are known for hosting quarterly empowerment events, which are themed and held in an intimate setting. Every woman leaves our event feeling empowered and well-prepared with actual tools to start their own business, network successfully, build friendships and business partnerships, and/or start the business or project they’ve only dreamed about.

Women obtain breakthroughs at our events and make real connections. We provide consulting services for people who want to become a better speaker, secure sponsorships for their projects or events, and increase their professional acumen. We are also known as the host of a special community event — Natural Beauty, which celebrates the beauty of locs, natural hair and black culture.

As a company, I am most proud of the fact that we are invested in the empowerment and success of women. Our events are not overwhelming, with swarms of women in attendance, making it hard to feel comfortable networking and meeting new people. Our speakers are always positive, dynamic, powerful, candid, and relatable. They are everyday people with tools to share. Women attend our events and are surprised at just how intimate the event is.

Attendees can actually speak with the CEO, staff, and workshop hosts one on one during the breaks or after the event. More importantly, the positivity and networking doesn’t stop when the event is over because attendees leave with amazing tools, gifted to them by our workshop hosts and sponsors. The platform we provide for women to share their professional acumen, and successes sets us apart from others. We teach women empowerment by empowering women.

I want to give a huge thank you to my sisters, Cleo Valentine, and Susan Henderson, for volunteering to help produce these dynamic women empowerment events.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I love that LA and the Inland Empire are melting pots for cultures, religions, creativity, and talent. There is a wealth of knowledge and ingenuity between us all. It is exciting to know that to learn something new, all we have to do is meet someone new.

Networking is a pretty intimate relation; Networking is the equivalent of planting a seed that will later mature into a beautiful harvest if nurtured well enough. Keep in mind to always give careful thought to deciphering whether someone is trying to take advantage of you or be advantageous to you.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.positivewomenmeetup.com
• Email: info@positivewomenmeetup.com
• Instagram: @PositiveWomenMeetUp
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/PositiveWomenMeetUp

Image Credit:
Christopher Morgan, For Mor Media, C.A. Henderson, Cleo Valentine, RayVaughn Evan, Keisha Montero

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