A Year in the Life of a New WBN Member

By Meghan Moloney

I joined the Women’s Business Network of Peterborough in April 2015, several months after beginning to freelance as a communications consultant and writer-for-hire. At that point, I was new to self-employment and wasn’t yet thinking of myself as an entrepreneur, much less a business-owner. I had been hearing and reading about the WBN since before I moved to Peterborough (shout out to our amazing local Twitter community!) but I had never felt like I “qualified” to become a full member.

I’m just someone who can provide services to lots of different organizations, businesses, individuals or groups – I don’t “own” anything beyond my own experience, I thought. And I know I’m not alone in feeling some of that imposter syndrome at the beginning of a new venture.

But then I asked myself: What makes my situation different from any other entrepreneur?

I realized that if I was going to succeed as a freelancer and consultant, I would have to do what every successful entrepreneur does: position myself as a member of the business community, and truly become part of that community by joining a professional association.

And that’s exactly what I did, by becoming a member of the WBN. Continue reading →