Ivy Hartman: Vision to Venture kicked off their five city tour here in St. Louis. Now this is a chance for woman entrepreneurs to learn from top small business experts as well as network with one another, making it the event for women entrepreneurs.

Michael Schultz: We’re super excited to be able to come into local communities, talk to women entrepreneurs, other folks that already have a business that started or a dreaming about starting a business.

Women on businesses is the fastest growing segment in small business but what we’re learning is that they are still needing help to get started. They don’t know what it really takes to be successful whether it’s, you know a mind set or within the technology that they need. We’re trying to really go out and make it easy and simple for women entrepreneurs to get everything they need to take their business online.

Ivy Hartman: What are these women are getting ready to start a business or are eager to take their existing business to the next level; they all share a common interest; how technology can help their business.

Casey Petty: Specifically the website is my main thing that you know, I live in a small town but the area that I cover is pretty large and so you know, I basically want to get my business out there and maybe get a website so that’s where people can find me without me running in circles trying to get my name out there.

Pamela Pope: The importance to being connected on the internet, the media, the world has changed now and having the presence on the web, it’s so very important; blogging, CEO’s, search engines and their ranking and all that stuff was really important.

Renee Schofield: We started our website about two years ago. We hadn’t had a presence prior to that. The website changed the way we do business and we’re very proud of it and we’re looking forward to updating and doing more with it because I think truly if you, if you don’t have your website presence, you need to do that soon.

Ivy Hartman: Not to worry. The women attending Vision to Venture had the opportunity to get one on one help in launching their online presence. Many of them took advantage of creating their own website for free with Microsoft Office Live.

Karen Dayan: The Microsoft Office Live Small Business is a new service from Microsoft to help small businesses take, promote and manage their business online easily and affordably. It includes the website, hosting your website, all the tools you need and it’s all free.

Ivy Hartman: The events sponsored by Microsoft Office Live Small Business, Toshiba and PixelFish features well know small business experts.

Rich Sloan: I said to myself, I’m not going to count on anyone else for my livelihood going forward in life.

Michael Schultz: We thought long and hard about what was the right information to go bring to women entrepreneurs and so you know, through our great relationship with SBTV and StartupNation and Duct tape marketing with John Jantsch, Rich Sloan, Susan Solovic, we just felt we have the absolute right line up with people to be able to build a great agenda around and really make sure the people left with the how to’s in the real world experiences and ides that they could had taken to action.

John Jantsch: I personally believe in working with small business owners that there are inherent differences in the way that women approach business and running a business and partnering and growing a business but in terms of the marketing message, I don’t think it’s that different.

Ivy Hartman: This one day event focus on women entrepreneurs, features these well know small business experts and it also included the panel of women. It has different kinds of businesses sharing their experiences.

Rebecca Kousky: And knowing how to limit that growth and you know build roots in certain communities rather than spread myself to thin and how to balance, giving money and loans and keeping money to build our brands and reach new donors and reach new cities.

Ivy Hartman: Over all attendees let the feeling inspired and educated on what they need to do in order to make their business dreams become a reality.

Susan Solovic: Now I want you to walk away today focused on your greatness.

Female 1: A lot of inspiration. It’s easy to get complacent when you’re starting a business and I think getting tips and ideas and resources and essentially the take away message was to be proactive and to do something everyday.

Female 2: Being a woman in business, it can be hard and yet listening to the speaker, you found out that everyone is kind of in the same boat and we can do it, we just got to work at it.

Ivy Hartman: I’m Ivy Hartman reporting for SBTV.com where small business is our only business.