I was delighted to return to my undergraduate alma mater on September 17 to participate in an inspiring conference bringing alumni and current students together.

During the Alumni Business Conference at Eastern Michigan University, I gave a presentation about my entrepreneurship and also led the panel discussion “Making it from the Classroom to the Corner Office.”

In the 17 years since I founded Russian Pointe, I’ve learned so much, from leading the company throughout its growth and development, from my advanced business studies at Harvard, and from networking with other entrepreneurs. 

It is very satisfying to be able to pass some of that knowledge on to the next generation of businesspeople. On Thursday, July 16, I had that opportunity during a visit from 40 German students studying for their master’s degrees.

I enjoyed a wonderful afternoon with young dancers of Master Ballet Academy, the school of Phoenix Ballet, on Wednesday, July 1 in Scottsdale, Arizona. I was invited to speak to these dancers about my career as the founder of Russian Pointe, which was inspired by my passion for dance and exists to support the performance of dancers worldwide. Speaking to young people is one of my favorite things to do, because I believe that if we teach valuable skills to the next generation they will have more fulfilling, accomplished and meaningful lives. 

It was my very great pleasure to welcome 16 Retail Affiliates to our corporate headquarters on Sunday, July 12, for our first Russian Pointe seminar in several years. RAs traveled to Chicago from states including Louisiana, Georgia, California, Ohio and Illinois for a full day of professional development, networking and camaraderie. We received wonderful feedback on our presentations and new products, and, as always, we enjoyed meeting with the amazing people who work so hard to bring Russian Pointe products to dancers throughout North America.

On Tuesday, June 9, I was one of four presenters at “Cultivating a Brand Tribe,” an event offered by Brand Activation Association.

In my presentation, I spoke about my business development strategies for Russian Pointe. I shared how my company and I have continually differentiated Russian Pointe from other products within our market niche, through innovation in products and services, and constant attention to the evolving needs of our clientele.

Recently, I enjoyed a very special visit from a group of five dynamic girls and young women, ranging in age from 8 to 19. They are all granddaughters of Lori Brown, a managing director at Patina Solutions and my fellow member of International Women's Forum.

Lori organized the visit to Russian Pointe as a “career day” to give her granddaughters – most of them dancers – an opportunity to learn about running a business, particularly one oriented strongly around the arts.

After the visit, each wrote about what they learned. I was glad to see that they had been inspired by the business, and also by my personal entrepreneurial story. I hope that they all find careers that they love as much as I love mine!

Here’s what they had to say:

On May 10, I had the privilege of being asked to take part in a panel discussion about crowdfunding at the University of Illinois’s Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership.

Held at the Illini Center in Chicago, the panel discussion featured entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, investors and attorneys who spoke about the benefits and drawbacks of crowdfunding.

On March 31, I had the pleasure of reading The Peter and the Wolf Symphony by Aleksandra, one of the books in the new Music Series collection from Growing Through Arts, to a group of budding musicians at the Betty Haag Academy of Music.

On Thursday, Jan. 19, I had the honor of speaking to students at DePaul University as part of an International Business Etiquette Panel.

The discussion was organized by two student groups, Future Global Executives and Ascend, and was designed to give students an insight into the do’s and don’ts of conducting business in different parts of the world.