Mukilteo Chamber of Commerce

Mukilteo, WA 98275

Archives for March 10, 2019

Lynnwood Small Business Person of the Year – WINNER

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Tracey WarrenMarch 4, 2019 (Lynnwood, WA) – Tracey Warren of InSpark Coworking wins the Alignable.com Lynnwood 2018 Small Business Person of the Year Award!

“It feels amazing to be recognized in this way for doing work I love in a community where I live and own my business,” Tracey Warren, owner and self-proclaimed Chief Connection Officer and Community Creator said. InSpark Coworking (http://www.insparkcoworking.com) opened in April 2017 and is the only dedicated coworking space in Snohomish County. “Our space is about connecting amazing business owners with one another and building those businesses in community,” she said and added, “and we’re a community where everyone fits in.”

Coworking is a movement that was established over a decade ago as a workplace solution for independent workers, creative entrepreneurs, freelancers and start-ups to work collaboratively in a shared space with like minded people. There are over 14K spaces worldwide and that number is growing. It’s a great, low-cost solution for the solo practitioner who works on their own but doesn’t necessarily enjoy being alone every day.

Competition criteria focused on local small business role models, who are dedicated to helping other small businesspeople succeed. After an extended round of nominations, top nominees advanced to the finals, where local Alignable members voted for their favorite candidate.

Alignable is a social network created especially for small local businesses and serves as a place for collaboration and communication within a set region.

For more information, please contact Tracey Warren at 206-228-6757 or email tracey@insparkcoworking.com

Chamber Ambassador Karen Koenig Launches New Book

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How can we navigate male-dominated industries while retaining our femininity?

Karen Koenig is the author of Woman on Top: How to Win in a Woman’s Way.

Karen Koenig has over 30 years of experience in male dominated fields. She spent 26 years in the military, six years in aerospace and then changed careers entirely in 2015 to financial services. All these experiences–military, aerospace and financial services–have inspired Karen to write this book so women know they don’t have to take a step back to take a step forward toward success.

“I felt I had a story to tell about working in male-dominated fields that people can apply to their current situation whether they’re a woman or a man,” says Karen. “What the title intends to say is that a woman can be on top no matter what she’s doing, whether she’s in a male-dominated field, an entrepreneur or even a stay-at-home mom.”

Karen says no matter where you choose to work, ultimately you have to teach people how you wish to be treated.

“If you’re being mistreated, you can’t let it go on, because if you don’t nip it in the bud at the beginning, people will feel like they can continue to treat you that way,” says Karen. “In the ’80s, men didn’t really want women in the military in the first place, so I had to overcome that. I’m also very feminine type of girl, whereas a lot of the women in the military didn’t wear makeup or have nails. So I kind of broke the mold. I still wanted to be me even though I was in the military. I just didn’t want to compromise that.”

How a person wants to be treated is entirely dependent on each individual’s needs. You determine it for yourself and demand it of others, even your boss.

“Each person is unique,” says Karen. “I just want people to understand that you can be successful and authentic. You have to be yourself.”

Karen says the key to shifting these work-environment paradigms is for all women to come together and support each other.

“Women need to help each other,” says Karen. “I believe we will all make more of a difference in any field if we take that approach.”

For more information on Woman On Top, visit www.womanontop.biz