**Forbes**

Women-owned businesses pack a powerful economic footprint, generating **$2.7 trillion** in annual revenue and employing almost 12.2 million people.

Last year, I attended the Women’s Business Council Raffelpalooza lunch as a guest. I was wide-eyed, hopeful, and just two weeks into the start of my business. I remember feeling grateful just to be in the room, listening, absorbing, and trying to imagine what it might feel like to one day call myself a “seasoned business owner.”

This year, I walked into that same lunch with a very different energy. Still curious. Still learning. But grounded in lived experience, growth, and a deeper sense of self-trust that only comes from building something day by day. Returning to Raffelpalooza felt like a full-circle moment, and a powerful reminder of just how special the women entrepreneur ecosystem is here in the Champaign-Urbana community.

The women-led initiatives and networks in this area are truly impressive. And honestly, it’s not surprising. What’s happening locally mirrors a much larger movement happening across the country.

Women are stepping into entrepreneurship at record-breaking rates. In recent years, women have been starting nearly one out of every two new businesses in America, the highest rate ever recorded. Even more telling, women-owned businesses are growing at almost double the rate of male-owned businesses. We’re also seeing women leave traditional corporate roles in unprecedented numbers, choosing instead to write their own rules for what success looks like (Forbes).

There’s a massive transference-of-wealth opportunity ahead, yes, but more importantly, there’s a redefinition of wealth itself happening right now. Being in a room full of women business owners, changemakers, and lifelong learners at the WBC lunch made that crystal clear.

As I looked around the room, three things stood out to me.

1. Personal Values Now Define Success

The pursuit of financial stability and getting our needs met is no longer primarily aligned with just making money.

What I witnessed at WBC Raffelpalooza was something deeper: women supporting themselves and their communities through purpose, passion, and faith that wealth will follow when work is aligned. We are not about chasing a number. Instead, women are seeking to design a life and business that reflects our values, needs, and desires.

This aligns beautifully with Dimensional Wealth’s mission of helping others build wealth with wellness. Wealth is not something reserved for a select few. It’s something we all hold the capability to design intentionally, when we’re willing to define it on our own terms.

2. Women Want Mission-Driven Work

Our identities go far beyond mother, caretaker, or even hard worker.

Women are creatives. Innovators. Leaders. We bring our unique talents, lived experiences, and even our peculiar interests into the businesses we build. What stood out to me was how many women are creating work that serves the true needs of their community, while also honoring their own well-being.

There is nothing wrong with building a business that also serves you.

Purpose-driven work doesn’t mean self-sacrifice. It means integration. It means letting your work support your life, not compete with it.

3. We Go Further Together

I’ve heard too many stereotypes about women being catty or operating with a hidden agenda. The women business owners at WBC are certainly not that.

I’ve never been in a room filled with so much warmth, openness, and genuine curiosity about what’s possible. Not just for oneself, but for each other.

After all, collaboration is currency.

When women share resources, insight, encouragement, and referrals, we all rise. The energy in that room reaffirmed something I deeply believe: community is not a bonus, it’s a business strategy.

A Little Extra Meaning in the Raffle Gift

One small but meaningful moment from Raffelpalooza that I want to share was the raffle gift I contributed because it reflected everything I believe about wealth and self care.

The Dimensional Wealth package included:

A copy of Generational Wealth Begins with Generational Knowledge byDr. Joaquin Wallace, an Amazon bestselling author and respected leader in our field. Highly recommended read.
Dimensional Wealth coupons offering 20% off your first three sessions. As a thank-you to anyone reading this blog, you’re also welcome to use code BEGIN20 for that same 20% off your first three sessions. Simply book your consultation to get started.
And a touch of premium lip and hand care, for these cold winter months.

A Gentle Invitation

If you’re a fellow woman business owner, or a woman who’s curious about becoming someone who truly trusts herself with money, I’d love to connect.

At Dimensional Wealth, I work with individuals who want to redefine their relationship with money so it becomes an asset that supports them, rather than something that overwhelms them. If you’re ready to build wealth with wellness at the center, I invite you to visit my website and book a consultation.