Jennifer Chavez founded Babes in Business, a networking group for women entrepreneurs, after starting a web design and branding firm called Helpful Rabbit out of her home in Bradley Beach. That experience – starting her first business – demonstrated a need to improve networking opportunities for women like her.

Chavez went to all the usual events, with not much to show for it. “Nothing out there was hitting the mark for me,” she said. The events offered too little variety and she wasn’t making any connections or getting any business.

“So, I accidentally decided that since I was good at all these things,” Chavez recalled. “I was going to start Babes in Business. Within a week, I created a logo, a Facebook page, a one-page website and I hosted an event. I put out 30 chairs. I thought maybe a few people would show up. It was pouring rain. I was not expecting what happened, which was 70 women showed up. I was so overwhelmed I couldn’t even speak. My glasses fogged up. Right there, from that moment, I knew I had something.”

Chavez recently spoke with NJBIZ about the creation of Babes and Business and how she has expanded beyond New Jersey. What follows is an abridged version of that discussion. The questions and answers have been edited for length and clarity. A video of the full interview is available at NJBIZ.com/njbizconversations.

NJBIZ: So how does it work? There are other kinds of networking opportunities for women available. How is how is this different?

Jennifer Chavez: I like to call it a networking party for female entrepreneurs. So, it’s not your typical event. We have tons of immersive photo moments, icebreaker activities that are fun. We have local vendors there that you can shop. We also have a panel of inspiring speakers, so you can see women sitting before you who have done it before.

And I think that this event is different, because I have seen people — they become like family. They go to each other’s weddings. They support each other, and they’ve gone from little pop-ups to now, storefronts, because they’re all supporting each other and growing together. I’ve gone to these other networking events. That’s not what I experience when I go there.

Q: That initial enthusiasm, the 70 folks that you had — obviously, it’s carried forward. As I understand it, there are now franchises around the country, in other states. Is that right?

A: You’re correct. After the pandemic, I moved everything online. And I realized that if I could get through this I can get through anything. And I talked to a franchise lawyer and he let me know if I wanted to continue opening them, I had to franchise it. So, I did that very big hurdle and I have a franchise now in St. Louis, and I’m about to have one in Boston. So, it’s something that translates across the country.

Q: What is the most common complaint you hear from women who come to these events, who are interested in getting to know Babes in Business and starting a business?

A: It’s so funny. There’s a common thread, and I don’t think that any of them actually realize it unless I tell them. Everyone feels like they have imposter syndrome, that they’re not good enough, that they don’t belong, that they can’t have this. And then, when they come to this event, they have this Aha! moment that all these people are staring you in the face and telling you you’re amazing. You can do this. And not only are you going to do it, but you’re going to take it even further than you think.

Q: One of the things that I hear a lot when talking to women who have already started a business or are trying to, is about the lack of access to capital. And part of that does come from not having a network — an Old Boys Club, to use the archaic term. First, do you hear that? And second, is there anything that that Babes in Business does to alleviate that situation?

A: I do hear that. And I think that by putting all these women together we’re able to tap into each other’s resources. So, it has become wildly helpful.

I’ll use myself as an example. It was way more expensive than I thought to start a franchise — I think it was like around 50K. And I didn’t have those funds right off the bat. So, having all these women to tap into and find where you can get grants and money is super helpful.

Q: What kind of success rate do you think you have? Those 70 people who show up, the people who come to your events. Do most of them stick it out?

A: I think a large percentage of them, I would say about 80% are trying or already working on it, and have established businesses. And the other 20 that come are looking for that spark, and they find it. And they keep coming. I call them OG, basic businesses. They just keep coming to the events.