Our story began in 2007 when Sylvia Scott moved from Boston, Massachusetts to southern California. One of her best friends Rieva Lesonsky, Founder, and CEO of GrowBiz® Media had watched Sylvia make money for others while helping them accomplish their visions. She encouraged Sylvia to do something big with her creativity and talents to accomplish her own visions. Sylvia’s “sweet spot,” as Rieva called it, was entrepreneurship and equipping teenage girls with the knowledge and drive to start businesses while in high school. The seed for the Realizing a Vision conference was planted.
Launch of The Realizing A Vision Conference
In 2008, Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, California held the 1st Annual Realizing a Vision conference. It was evident from the attendees’ responses there was a need for the Girls’ C.E.O. Connection™ (Girls Creating Enterprising Organizations). The 2nd Annual Realizing a Vision conference was in Long Beach, California. Attendees had the opportunity for one-on-one conversations with the speakers. The Stanford University’s Alpha Kappa Psi business fraternity sponsored the 3rd Annual Realizing a Vision conference in 2010.
The Young Women’s Advisory Team
Members of the newly formed Young Women’s Advisory Team decided to make the Realizing a Vision conferences a place to meet like-minded girls with an entrepreneurial spirit. Sylvia and the team decided to videotape interviews of conference speakers and make the interviews available through social media and the Girls’ C.E.O. Connection™ blog. In 2011, the team decided to interview young female entrepreneurs who started businesses in high school or college. These interviews inspired and motivated high school girls across country to start businesses. The Young Women’s Advisory Team became Young Women Ambassadors in 2016. The ambassadors were in Colorado and Illinois. In 2021 the ambassadors are from Colorado as the Illinois crew are now in colleges across the U.S.
By 2015 interest in the organization had increased. Sylvia decided it was time to restructure Girls’ C.E.O. Connection.™ A new website included the blog and video interviews. Enterprising Young Females Podcast launched.
What’s in Store for 2023-2024
Opportunities will increase to expand avenues for interaction with successful female entrepreneurs who mentor, motivate and represent the global community. This includes both mentor and coaching programs. The blog, video interviews and podcasts will expand to show female members of Generation Z in high school entrepreneurial pathways and how to expand their potential. The Girls’ C.E.O. Connection™ will continue to provide a culture of support for those young women to apply their creativity and innovation to reach their potentials through entrepreneurship.
– Testimonial –
“Girls’ C.E.O. Connection taught me valuable, lifelong skills that I gained from interviewing amazing women and meeting girls from all across Southern California. It helped me to grow from a young freshman entering high school to now a thriving college student. Being part of Girls’ C.E.O. Connection is an experience I cherish and enjoy each day.”
