Business Opportunities Weblog

July 29, 2008 by Rich Whittle | 2 Comments

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

In Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward, women entrepreneurs like Deanna Inniss are awakening to the power of networking.

Inniss, 38, is the owner of freckle face, a high-end children’s clothing boutique at 244 N. Broadway, which offers apparel, footwear, bedding, classic children’s books and other specialty gifts for children from birth to 7 years old.

She is part of a crop of women entrepreneurs in the Third Ward who are seeking support and guidance from other successful women business owners, rather than operate in isolation.

“Women are finding that (networking) makes sense for our businesses,” said Inniss, a former children’s buyer for Kohl’s Corp. and Gap. “We’re always talking to each other to say, ‘How did that work for you?’ ”

Inniss, who opened freckle face in 2005 after moving here from New York, teamed up with Christine Plamann, a children’s photographer from Bay View, to expand her store to a bigger location at the corner of N. Broadway and E. Buffalo St. The expansion was financed by Legacy Bank, a woman-owned bank in the central city. Last week, Inniss moved into her new 2,000-square-foot store, which is double the size of her previous location about a block away.

Plamann, 30, who previously ran her 2-year-old business Christine Plamann Photography, out of her home, is subletting space above Inniss’ store. The women now refer business to each other and are leveraging their friendship, similar business philosophies and complementary businesses.

“I get to brainstorm and talk to someone who understands that it’s not always fun and glamorous,” said Plamann, speaking of Inniss “It’s sharing what you know. I wouldn’t be able to do it without this kind of support.”

Read more.

Photo by MaryJo Walicki.

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Tags: Small Biz, Success, Women