Happy Holidays 2025 from WPO Chicago!

©2025 WPO Chicago.  All rights reserved.

"On behalf of the Women Presidents Organization Chicago chapter members, may the gift of happiness be yours this holiday season!" – Laurel J. Delaney, WPO Chicago Chapter Chair

Rest In Peace Dear Dr. Marsha Firestone

Founder of the Women Presidents Organization, Dr. Marsha Firestone, passed away peacefully in her home on December 7, 2025.  On behalf of all WPO members, especially in Chicago, we extend our heartfelt condolences to her son Daren, daughter-in-law Nicole, her two grandkids and other extended family members.

She was a fearless leader, visionary, trailblazer, tireless worker, and passionate advocate for women business owners.  Her legacy will live on in all of us.

WPO's Women2Watch 2025 List

Congrats to all the WPO members who earned a spot on this list.  A special shout out to WPO Chicago I member, AJ Goehle, President of Luci Creative with her #33 position. We are so proud of you! Congratulations!

Beautiful Feature and Interview With New WPO Chicago I Member Roni Jackson!

©2025 Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global®.  All rights reserved.

We love this interview with new WPO Chicago I member Roni Jackson, Co-Founder, Red Flag Media and conducted by the Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global®'s wegg Showcase™ team:  Investigation Is a Learning Tool in the Classroom and In Business.  wegg® is a partner to the WPO.

Read the entire interview here.

WPO: The 50 Fastest Growing Women-Owned/Led Companies

©2025 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

"The 50 Fastest Growing Women-Owned/Led Companies list honors the remarkable accomplishments of women who are not only driving impressive revenue growth but also redefining the future of business,” said Camille Burns (second from left), CEO of the Women Presidents Organization. 

“Their leadership demonstrates the profound economic and societal impact of women at the helm. With a strong commitment to innovation, purpose, and people, these companies exemplify the essential role women-owned and led businesses play in building a more sustainable and inclusive economy. This recognition is more than a milestone—it’s a powerful affirmation of the transformative influence women have in shaping modern business.”

Read more here.  Full list of winners can be found here.

The One and Only Camille Burns, CEO, Women Presidents Organization

©2025 Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global®.  All right reserved.

Read the inspiring wegg® Showcase interview published by Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global® (a partner to WPO) with Camille Burns, CEO, Women Presidents Organization.

Jump in, Like and say a few words here in a LinkedIn post.  Many of you have met Camille and know she is a caring and fearless leader.

The Elite Women Presidents Organization (WPO)

Only 1.9 percent of women-owned businesses make it to the $1 million annual revenue mark. But why is this the case, and more importantly, how can women entrepreneurs break through this barrier?

We need to focus on empowering women with the resources, strategies, and mindset shifts to break through this threshold and increase that number. Once you breakthrough, WPO is the organization to join to keep growing. All WPO members generate more than one-million in annual revenue.  Average revenue of member companies is $15.7 million.

More women making $1 million in business means more wealth, influence, and opportunity for women to lead and inspire future generations of entrepreneurs.

APCO's Margery Kraus Offers Top Strategies for Women Founders

Margery Kraus (pictured), a globally recognized master storyteller and communications innovator, is the founder and executive chairman of APCO, a global advisory and advocacy consultancy headquartered in Washington, D.C.  She is also the former WPO Board Chair.

She has deep expertise in providing strategic counsel on issue-based communication, crisis management, market entry and corporate reputation across diverse industry groups.

Margery founded APCO in 1984 and transformed it from a company with one small Washington office to a multinational consulting firm in major cities throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Read the interview with Margery conducted by Vanessa Ogle at Medium.  Rich in detailing and incredible insights are shared.

Favorite Moments at the Women Presidents Organization Entrepreneurial Excellence Forum (EEF) in Colorado Springs 2024

Photos/videos:  ©2024 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.  Learn more about WPO.

Thought Leader Jim Collins Presents at the Women Presidents Organization Entrepreneurial Excellence Forum (EEF) in Colorado Springs

©2024 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

What a privilege to attend the Women Presidents Organization Entrepreneurial Excellence Forum (EEF) in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

I spent quality time with my Chicago members, listened to several amazing presentations, including one by thought leader Jim Collins (pictured), and connected with more than 700 women business owners who all aspire tremendous growth for their companies.

Our WPO CEO, Camille Burns, sums everything up nicely:

"As I head home from Colorado Springs, I’m reflecting on all the inspiring and extraordinary women who attended the #2024EEF. The collective energy, brilliance, and strength of these women from around the globe is truly unparalleled. Here's to the continued success and global impact of women business owners!"

Hear, hear!

Member of the Moment: Chicagoan Sandy Marsico

So thrilled to see our WPO Chicago member Sandy Marsico, Founder and CEO, Sandstorm Design, featured as the Member of the Moment at the Women Presidents Organization.

She is not only a member of WPO but serves on the WPO Board of Directors, too.  She is a rock star.  

Learn more about Sandy here.

Women Supporting Women Will Be Significant Moving Forward

“While we may be fixing things at the top, the issue of gender parity is still pervasive. There’s no better time than now for us to push ourselves forward as advocates for one another,” said Ng Lai Yee, managing partner and country leader of IBM Consulting, Singapore. “I think women supporting women will be significant moving forward.”  Similar to how WPO operates.

Women today are breaking through the glass ceiling. More women are entering the boardroom and joining the C-suite. But these hard-won achievements may not last without a healthy pipeline of mid-level leadership, according to a Women in Leadership report by the IBM Institute for Business Value.

The Road to the Top for Camille Burns, CEO, the Women Presidents Organization

WPO CEO Camille Burns (pictured above) spoke with SUCCESS about the road that led her to the top of the Women Presidents Organization and her hopes for the future of all women entrepreneurs.

Her answer to the last question:

With all the demands on a woman president’s time, something has to give. And when you join a group like WPO, you’re committed to showing up. That’s an opportunity for women to get out for a few hours and escape everyone needing them. It’s healthy to be around peers you can learn from. Other women will have workaround solutions for extremely busy lives, because women still have more of the burden outside the office and in their personal lives. Juggling all of that is challenging, but you still have to do things for you. 

Read the entire interview here.

Thoughts, Prayers and Love to Our WPO Sisters in Turkey

We are reposting the LinkedIn post our WPO CEO wrote about the horrific event that happened in Turkey.  

From Chicago to Peru to South Africa – no matter where the WPO chapter is located – we are with our Turkey WPO sister in spirit, love and support.

If you want to help support Turkey, our WPO chapter chair, Gaye Goker, has suggested two trusted organizations:

1. https://lnkd.in/exA4kyrD
2. https://lnkd.in/edvBvqrN

Read CEO Camille Burn's entire post here.

New Pattern of Self-Empowerment Among Women Business Owners

Women business owners and top executives of small and mid-size majority-women-owned businesses have an optimistic outlook about the near-term future of their businesses, according to a recent survey.

The PNC Bank [PNC is a long-stand WPO national sponsor] survey found that women business owner (WBO) expectations for their own companies remain strong, with 41% feeling highly optimistic -- up from 29% in the fall of 2020 but down from 67% in the fall of 2021 – while the share of those feeling pessimistic has held constant at just 1%.

“We are seeing a new pattern of self-empowerment among women business owners that are very encouraging,” said Beth Marcello, director of PNC Women’s Business Development. “Their own hard work to survive the pandemic is the source of their confidence and optimism today.”

The survey suggests that women have a take-charge, can-do attitude. 

Read more here.

What Common Traits Are Essential for Business Ownership Success?

There's a reason why successful female business owners like WPO members are, well, successful.  They are able to overcome the many challenges facing them in order to start their own companies. 

But how? As the article says, no two women are alike—they all have their own stories, but these are some of the common traits found among successful women who started their own businesses.

5 Business Owners Share Their Tips on Thriving During COVID-19

The five businesses highlighted in the article below for GoDaddy (Open We Stand unit) have been thriving through COVID-19 and we can all learn important lessons from them during this time. They reexamined their strategies, got creative, and made tough decisions on how to adapt and sustain long-term growth for their businesses.

Here are five key tips we can learn from these small business owners that can impact our own strategies going forward into the future.  Two of the business owners featured are former and current WPO members.

Read more:  What we can learn from these 5 small businesses thriving through COVID-19

How WPO and PNC Empowers Female Entrepreneurs

To support the continued trajectory of women-owned companies and the financial health of the women who own them, PNC Wealth Management is a corporate sponsor of the Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO), an international peer-to-peer mentoring model for women who own and run high revenue-generating businesses.

Across its consumer footprint, PNC supports approximately 45 WPO chapters and has been instrumental in founding several chapters in communities where women presidents lacked a peer network.

Read more about PNC, WPO, and the in-depth conversation Beth Marcello (left), director of women’s business development at PNC had with WPO Executive Board member and Xtreme Solutions, Inc. president, CEO and founder Phyllis Newhouse (right).

Happy Holidays From WPO Chicago!

©2019 Laurel J. Delaney.  All rights reserved.

Mia Allen Moves the World and Helps Others

Rose Pallets Vice president and co-owner Mia Allen (pictured) joined the Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO Chicago) and the International Association of Women (IAW) because she felt a need to connect with growth-oriented women execs and business owners. Through her involvement, she is able to share business expertise and learn from fellow women business leaders.

She recently sat down with Guy Gruenberg to discuss her participation in these organizations and how it has benefited the company, her employees, and her customers.

Read the interview:  How Women Executives Move the World and Each Other

Fav program through WPO Chicago?

"I really enjoyed the Women Presidents’ Organization Chicago Summit last fall at Radio Flyer’s home office on Chicago’s west side. The program was focused on building a great company culture. All of the women in attendance were there with the same purpose—to learn from each other and gain ideas to foster employee happiness for better company performance.  And, I must admit, it was pretty cool to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the making of one of childhood’s most beloved icons—the Little Red Wagon."