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What do you do?

Women's ALI hosts educational events that empower female artists to become community leaders by equipping them with both leadership skills and business acumen. Every Women's ALI event is driven by its three main goals: educate, empower, and engage. Current projects include the Women's ALI Summer Leadership Intensive, informational & educational sessions in public schools and universities around their home base, Salt Lake City, UT, and a Mentor Alliance which promotes professional engagement between generations of working women. 

What inspired you to start your business?

Women are notably underrepresented in leadership roles throughout the arts industry and elsewhere and  The organization stemmed from one of the most fundamental and meaningful relationships of women-- sisterhood. Founder Stephanie Rhodes Russell, a professional conductor and pianist, recognized that the singular focus on artistic development, required to succeed in the arts, created gaps in the skillsets required to navigate the business. Combined with the notable absence of women in leadership in the arts Women's ALI formed. To create an organization, however, Stephanie needed a team and turned to her greatest resource of strength, determination, and talent: her sisters. 

 

 

What's special about your business?

Women's ALI is dedicated to helping young female artists become community leaders by equipping them with both leadership skills and business acumen.

What have been the high and low points of being a business owner?

In establishing the organization, none of us had any experience in running a business and that is why we connected with SCORE. We have experienced wonderful growth in our first year, both on our board and our team!

What influenced you to seek help from SCORE?

We had heard of SCORE from other business owners who had used SCORE as a resource before, so we decided it was worth connecting with a mentor to see if they could help us with our vision. 

How SCORE helped.

Our SCORE Mentor, Eric Marx, has been instrumental in guiding us through the logistics of building our non-profit; from business plan to board structure and everything in between

What's great about my mentor?

As we approach our Fall Benefit, an anniversary milestone, we are filled with gratitude for SCORE and the help they have provided in helping us to this point

What advice would you give to someone thinking of starting a small business?

Start with the people you already have and then don't we afraid to ask for help! 

What would you tell a fellow business owner about SCORE?

Connect with a mentor today, you won't regret it. 

What have you learned from your experiences as a business owner?

We needed to rely on external expertise, and when Artistic Director Karlie Ady discovered SCORE, we knew it was the resource we needed.

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