Anne Stone did not always dream of starting a networking group for women who work from home…..In fact that was the furthest thing from her mind. Born in Charlottetown PEI, she had a sense of what it was like to live in a small town where everyone knew everyone else. This could be good and it could be bad! The younger of 4 brothers, she enjoyed showing horses as a teenager and sailing every weekend on the Atlantic Ocean(when not showing horses). After getting a B.Sc. in Animal Science from the University of Guelph and an MBA from St. Mary's University in Halifax, N.S. she landed in the big city of Toronto and began working for Kodak Canada in marketing. Far from her agricultural roots, she learned that animal psychology and human psychology were closely aligned! She discovered that she loved organizing events. She jokes that herding people and herding animals is very similar but not meant to insult! After several years with Kodak and a 2 year stint in franchise marketing, she started a family with husband Doug. Going back to work in the corporate world did not seem very appealing anymore. She chose to work for Kodak on contract from a home office….a very scary new world.
She recalls feeling guilty for the first 2 years….guilty about not being stressed out at the end of the day, guilty about spending time in the office, guilty about spending time with the kids, guilty about enjoying a home office. Co-workers back at the office were jealous, too, especially when Anne would say (at 2pm in the afternoon) "Hurry, I have to get home to watch Oprah"(a joke, of course).
When her oldest son Tim started school, she discovered other Mom's doing the same thing. Problem was, they did not know each other. After incubating the idea for a whole year to see if it still would be a good idea, Anne decided to do something about it. She placed an ad in the local paper for Women in a Home Office and the rest is history. She ran the 1 chapter for 3 years part-time before leaping to full-time in 2003. Today, Women in a Home Office has over 2000 subscribers and many chapters across Canada. The organization consists of monthly meetings, workshops and telemeeting. Anne has been interviewed many, many times by the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Canadian Living Magazine and TV, CBC Radio, Global's MoneyWise, Business Edge, CFRN to name just a few.
In summer 2004, Anne moved with her husband, 2 children, a dog, a cat and tropical fish to Calgary from Toronto. She hopes to be able to enjoy her 'Aggie' roots more now that she is "out on the range". Currently expansion plans are in the works for several areas of Canada.
With over 800,000 women entrepreneurs in Canada and continual growth expected, Stone plans to "be there" for those in a home-based businesses and those seeking the dream of self-employment.
“As a business owner and entrepreneur, I attend many networking functions and seminars, but I was sincerely astounded at the energy, the spirit of the women, and the environment of Women in a Home Office. I can honestly say that you felt that even though you were amongst a room full of talented women, you had a voice ! The environment was contagiously optimistic and motivating. I would highly suggest that female entrepreneurs attend just even one function, to witness for themselves the professional, positive and energy-heightening experience of WHO.”
- Amy Ewart Secretarial Solutions
"This group has surprised me beyond my wildest dreams. I could never have predicted how positive the energy would be in this group and how productive it has been in driving everyone's home-based business. It has made me realize how powerful women can be in supportive each other in business"
- Anne Stone
What I Have Learned So Far:
1) Trust you intuition or "gut feeling".
2) Never underestimate where you are going to meeting the people you need in your life.
3) Adapt a spirit of giving, not getting.
4) Make a business and life commitment to honesty, integrity and ethics.
5) All of us are here for reason. It is a privilege to be here...go out and make a difference for future generations.