ABWA names Leslie Fishlock Woman Entrepreneur of the Year
As part of its mission to recognize the special contributions women bring to the business table, the American Business Women’s Association of Cape Cod has collaborated with Cape Business to honor the Woman Entrepreneur of the Year. This is the inaugural year for the award, which was bestowed on Leslie Fishlock of Genevate Corporation at a special ABWA ceremony held August 8 at the Radisson Inn.
During the past year, selected nominees were profiled in Cape Business, and the ABWA board of directors selected Fishlock as the winner. The criteria used by the board in determining the winner, said Teri Whelan, ABWA-Cape Cod vice president, include a woman who:
• Promotes the professional endeavors of people through education and community participation;
• Supports the advancement of people in their workplace and community, encouraging flexibility, creativity and freedom;
• Supports professional development and growth through networking;
• Demonstrates true leadership, building team spirit, enthusiasm and community visibility and participation; and
• Demonstrates the ability and willingness to help others, and who gives and shows compassion so that others can live in harmony with work and family.
Paula Hersey, president of ABWA-Cape Cod, noted that the number and variety of nominations for the award made the decision difficult for the board. “As I started to ponder the nominations for Woman Entrepreneur of the Year award, it was apparent that every nomination was a worthwhile consideration. It was amazing to see so many different professions being represented by women in business and the effort that they put into running a business and supporting their community – they all truly deserve recognition.”
In reviewing the nominees, Hersey said, “one nomination started to stand out – Leslie Fishlock of Genevate. Nomination after nomination stated so many characteristics of the award criteria, and the outpouring support of her business peers was evident in the number of nominations that she had received.”
Fishlock is president/CEO and co-founder with Chris Corriveau of Genevate Corporation. “Also, the CGE – Chief Genevate Evangelist,” said Fishlock.
Genevate, which has been in business four years, is a professional Web design and Web development firm, specializing in customized Web sites and Web applications using Web standards, accessibility guidelines and W3C compliancy.
When asked why the ABWA decided to create this award to honor women entrepreneurs, Whelan said, “ABWA’s mission statement reads, ‘The mission of the American Business Women’s Association is to bring together businesswomen of diverse occupations and to provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, networking support and national recognition.’ With that in mind, the importance of recognition is one of ABWA’s founding principles.”
“All of us who live and work on Cape Cod know we are fortunate to have many natural, cultural, educational, business and community resources,” said Whelan. “One such additional resource is entrepreneurship. Given ABWA’s mission, why not recognize and promote this valuable resource to our community. The Woman Entrepreneur of the Year award is the vehicle we can utilize to recognize a woman for such outstanding entrepreneurial qualities. We feel it is an honor and a privilege to recognize such women and we want the Cape Cod community to recognize this valuable human resource as well.”
Fishlock noted that one of Genevate’s keys to success is the value they provide clients. “In any business, everyone tries to set themselves apart by being the least expensive, the most expensive, the longest in business or the most widgets sold,” she said. “I think what sets us apart is the exceptional value, among many other reasons.”
On a customer service level, she said, “I would add that we get complimented all the time about my fanaticism to answer our phone on the first ring and to return calls promptly. It drives me crazy if a company makes me wait or never calls back; bad customer service is a death knell for any business.”
Fishlock believes that there are many different ways to market her company. “We are zealots in self-promotion. We write lots of press releases. We advertise carefully. Our biggest advantage is that we sell without selling – that’s all about marketing, creating relationships. No hard sell, never pushy, that’s just not our style.”
The challenges faced by women in business are clearly important to Fishlock. “I believe the term ‘businesswoman’ is less of an anomaly these days, but it does conjure up [that women face] a bit more of a struggle to get there then men. It’s a fact women take more time from work for family and kids, and that can be a struggle for some women.”
“It may be biased, but I do smile wider when I see a woman start a business and become successful. I think, in a way, it reminds me of myself years ago.”
One tool that women are utilizing is networking, as the growing membership of ABWA confirms.
“I believe that building relationships with people is very important, and networking is a great buzzword, but only the beginning,” said Fishlock. “Building relationships is the next step after networking; this is when you actively work to create bonds with other businesspeople. And some of these relationships may not directly yield fruit, but they are the catalyst for trust, and for you to refer business and for you to get business. Some referrals might be secondary, or tertiary, but they derive from that one relationship.”
Those relationship-building skills have clearly had an impact on the business community, as demonstrated by the many nominations supporting Fishlock for Woman Entrepreneur of the Year.
Fishlock also credits partner and co-founder Corriveau for the success of Genevate. “Chris made it possible for me to win this award and be successful.”
In conferring the award, ABWA president Hersey said, “It truly was a pleasure to choose Leslie Fishlock for this first Woman Entrepreneur of the Year award, and it is wonderful to see women such as Leslie as a part of our community.”
To read our interview with Leslie Fishlock, please click here.
Originally published in the Sept./Oct. 2006 issue of Cape Business.
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