San Jose, Calif. — June 26, 2026 — Today, the National Association of Women Business Owners-Silicon Valley (NAWBO-SV) announces the installation of the new board on June 30th, 2026, at 5:30 pm. The event will be hosted at the Silicon Valley Station/Ding Ding TV, 3350 Scott Blvd Building 54, Santa Clara, CA 95054 in Santa Clara, California, and the Silicon Valley Central Chamber of Commerce offices.

The new Board will be Heather Durham as President of the NAWBO-SV Chapter, Griselda Quezada-Chavez, Corporate Partners & International Affairs Director, Maxine Goulding, Communications Director, Robin Fisher, Secretary, Wendy Roberts, Treasurer, and Maryam Kh. Mardkhe Membership Director.

We also have several members being inducted at the event who have joined: Melissa Chairez, Carol Cunningham, Maria Dominick, Cindy Fairfield, Jyoti Gill, Elizabeth Greenfield, Lynnea Hagen, Ari Mirabedi, Herminia Ojeda, and Aneetha Vijay.

Also, at the June meeting, speaking on the topic of “Innovation Meets Wisdom” will be Brian Weisfeld of The Startup Squad. Innovate Like a Child, Deliver Like an Expert, reminds us that the boldest business breakthroughs often come when we blend imaginative thinking with expert execution. For women leaders navigating an ever-changing landscape, that mindset is everything.

Fortino Vineyard will be hosting a wine tasting at the event. Their Sales VP, Bertha Valenzula, will be on hand to talk about their delicious wine. A buffet will be available for those who want to eat at this evening’s event, and this venue has plenty of parking spaces.

“Women of Influence happened this past week by the Silicon Valley Business Journal, and our Maryam Kh. Mardkhe, who has been heading up membership for NAWBO-SV, was honored at the event,” said Heather Durham, and “I just took a tour of her lab, Stirbar Lab in Mountain View. It’s incredible- you can go and make your own natural cosmetics or fragrance for a reasonable fee. We are planning on hosting a mixer there at the end of August… Details on our year-round programs to come soon, but we can share that we are talking with some interesting AI companies for programs and are looking at a women’s business expo as part of our offerings in the next year!

Educational events helping women with their businesses are key for our NAWBO-SV Chapter, so annually in October, we have an event hosted at the Bank of America’s Corporate offices near Santa Row. Last year’s event had two panels with Venture Capitalists, AI technologists, and a variety of other women business owners talking about their business successes and how they got there. Check the events page soon for more details on this annual event.
Our Vision & Mission: The National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) propels women entrepreneurs into economic, social, and political spheres of power worldwide by: Strengthening the wealth-creating capacity of our members and promoting economic development within the entrepreneurial community; Creating innovative and effective change in the business culture; Building strategic alliances, coalitions, and affiliations; Transforming public policy and influencing opinion makers

Registration for the Tuesday event is still open, so please come check out more information here: https://www.nawbo-sv.org/event/2026-27-board-installation/

For media inquiries or more information, please contact:
Heather Durham NAWBO2026@svtags.org 408-673-8401
Or Maxine Goulding, info@nawbo-sv.org 408-657-7190

PO Box 2696
Santa Clara, CA 95055-2696

Important Links:
https://www.nawbo-sv.org/
https://www.thestartupsquad.com/
https://fortinowinery.com/
https://stirbarlab.com/about/
http://www.dingdingtv.com/

Stage 3 — Refusal of the Call

Entrepreneurship is often framed as a decisive leap, but many overlook the stage that comes before action: hesitation. In The Entrepreneur’s Hero’s Journey: Stage 3 — Refusal of the Call, Dr. MJ Yang explores the moment when fear, doubt, and the desire for stability begin to surface after the initial spark of possibility. Drawing from the Hero’s Journey framework and a Jungian psychological lens, this stage is reframed not as avoidance, but as a meaningful pause. Resistance often reflects a confrontation with the unknown aspects of the self and the real cost of transformation. For entrepreneurs—especially those who are highly reflective and capable—this stage invites deeper awareness. Rather than rushing forward, it encourages thoughtful reflection, helping individuals move from uncertainty toward more intentional and aligned decisions in their professional path.

Read More ➤

 

Meng-Ju(MJ) Yang, Founder and Licensed Psychologist
Inner Journey Psychology, Inc.
Email: mjyangpsyd@gmail.com
Website: drmjyang.com

A Confidential Information Memorandum (CIM) is a detailed document prepared during the sale of a company to present prospective buyers with a comprehensive understanding of the business. It typically includes financial statements, operational details, market positioning, customer data, growth opportunities, and risk factors. The CIM serves as a central resource that allows buyers to evaluate whether the company aligns with their strategic or financial goals, and it helps streamline the due diligence process by presenting information in a structured, transparent format.

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Wendy Roberts
CPA, CEO of NorthStar Strategic Partners, Inc.
Email: wendy@northstar-sp.com
Website: https://northstar-sp.com/

What if the biggest thing holding your business back is your lifetime of experience and the way you’ve been trained to think? Children are often more creative and innovative than adults because they ask more questions, take more risks, and are less afraid of failure. The good news is that adults can reclaim those same skills. By learning to “innovate like a child and deliver like an expert,” business owners can break stale routines, generate stronger ideas, experiment more effectively, and resist the urge to blend into sameness. If your business feels stuck, overly cautious, or too similar to everyone else in your industry, thinking a little more like a 10-year-old may be exactly what you need.

Read More ➤

 

Brian Weisfeld, Founder
The Startup Squad
brian@brianweisfeld.com
https://www.brianweisfeld.com/

On April 23rd, we proudly brought back the NAWBO Silicon Valley Corporate Partner Luncheon to recognize the corporate partners and community leaders helping us expand our impact and elevate women-owned businesses.

We were honored to welcome Fiona Ma as our keynote speaker. As California State Treasurer, she manages more than $3 trillion for the State of California and shared valuable insights on:

• Economic impact and growth
• The role small businesses play in helping California thrive
• Resources available to help businesses scale and succeed

Her message was inspiring and aligned deeply with NAWBO’s mission to support women entrepreneurs through leadership development, certification education, and strategic partnerships.

Mission-driven organizations are doing important, meaningful work that creates real impact in their communities. But impact alone doesn’t always translate to clarity. Without clear and thoughtful design, even the most powerful work can be overlooked or misunderstood. Strong design helps organizations communicate their mission in a way that builds understanding, trust, and connection with the people they want to reach. In this article, we explore three reasons why mission-driven organizations still need strong design. From improving clarity to capturing attention and helping audiences emotionally connect with the work being done, design plays a critical role in how organizations share their impact. When visuals and messaging work together, organizations can more effectively engage supporters, communicate their value, and inspire people to listen, participate, and support their mission.

Read More ➤

 

 

 

Angela Laines
angela@silveiradesigns.com
Founder & CEO
Silveira Designs
https://www.silveiradesigns.com/

Forecasting your business’s future starts with disciplined measurement and a repeatable framework: track the right metrics, stress-test scenarios, and align your team around a clear strategy. Financial forecasting isn’t crystal-ball work; it’s disciplined preparation. Below are six practical ways to predict financial success and shape a resilient future for your company.

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Wendy Roberts
CPA, CEO of NorthStar Strategic Partners, Inc.
Email: wendy@northstar-sp.com
Website: https://northstar-sp.com/

Government contracting represents one of the largest economic opportunities available to small businesses, yet many entrepreneurs still find the system difficult to navigate. Ensuring that procurement processes are transparent, competitive, and accessible is essential to unlocking those opportunities for California’s business owners. As Chair of the Procurement Process Committee for the California Department of General Services Small Business Advisory Council (SBAC), Leslie Murdock is working alongside state leaders and the small business community to strengthen California’s procurement ecosystem. In this article, she shares insights on why expanding access to government contracting matters and how thoughtful policy improvements can create more opportunities for entrepreneurs across the state.

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Leslie Murdock
Founder and CEO DeZigning Digital
Email: info@designingdigital.com
Website: designingdigital.com

Stage 2 — Call to Adventure

Entrepreneurship is often described as a strategic or financial decision, but it can also be understood as a profound inner journey. In The Entrepreneur’s Hero’s Journey: Stage 2 — Call to Adventure, Dr. MJ Yang explores the moment when an individual begins to sense the pull toward entrepreneurship. Inspired by the Hero’s Journey framework and viewed through a Jungian psychological lens, this stage represents the awakening of curiosity, possibility, and the desire for a different path.

The “Call to Adventure” may appear as a new idea, a growing dissatisfaction with the status quo, or an opportunity that invites change. At this stage, comfort and dissatisfaction often coexist, creating a tension that signals the potential for meaningful transformation. Rather than rushing to act, this moment invites reflection: What is calling you toward something new, and what might it reveal about your evolving professional identity?

Read More ➤

 

Meng-Ju(MJ) Yang, Founder and Licensed Psychologist
Inner Journey Psychology, Inc.
Email: mjyangpsyd@gmail.com
Website: drmjyang.com

Six ways to keep your customers’ happiness as your core strategy

In today’s competitive landscape, customer satisfaction isn’t just a goal — it’s a strategic imperative. Businesses that consistently delight their customers do so not by accident, but by embedding operational excellence into their core strategy. At NorthStar Strategic Partners, we strongly advocate that chaotic operations can significantly erode a company’s profitability and customer trust. Our 4 Points of Focus^® framework — especially the Operational Excellence pillar — offers a roadmap for aligning internal business processes with customer-centric outcomes.

Here are six actionable ways to keep your customers happy by integrating operational excellence into your business strategy.

1) Standardize Processes to Deliver Consistency

Customers crave reliability. Whether it’s product quality, delivery timelines, or service interactions, consistency builds trust. At NorthStar, we emphasize that when processes are disorganized and lack clear structure, inefficiencies multiply, leading to poor quality control and customer dissatisfaction. By standardizing workflows and documenting key procedures, businesses can ensure that every customer receives the same high-quality experience — every time. Operational excellence means reducing variability and embedding best practices into daily operations. This not only improves internal efficiency but also creates a predictable and satisfying customer journey.

2) Use Metrics to Monitor and Improve Customer Touchpoints

Operational excellence thrives on measurement. NorthStar’s approach encourages leaders to define and analyze the most important metrics to drive sustainable growth. For customer satisfaction, this means tracking KPIs like Net Promoter Score (NPS), customer retention rates, and service resolution times. By aligning these metrics with operational goals, businesses can identify bottlenecks, improve response times, and proactively address issues before they escalate. Metrics turn customer feedback into actionable insights, enabling continuous improvement.

3) Empower Teams to Solve Problems Quickly

Frontline employees are often the first to encounter customer issues. Operational excellence includes equipping teams with the tools, authority, and training to resolve problems efficiently. NorthStar’s People & Team Building Focus complements this by using proprietary assessments to ensure teams are capable and aligned with strategic goals. Empowered teams reduce friction, increase responsiveness, and create positive customer experiences. When employees are confident and supported, customers feel heard and valued — a key driver of loyalty.

4) Align Technology with Customer Needs

Technology should enhance — not complicate — the customer experience. NorthStar’s Operational Excellence pillar encourages businesses to optimize processes and leverage tools that support scalability and sustainability. This includes CRM systems, automated workflows, and customer service platforms that streamline interactions. When technology is aligned with operational strategy, it reduces errors, accelerates service delivery, and provides customers with seamless, personalized experiences. The result? Higher satisfaction and lower churn.

5) Build Feedback Loops into Your Operations

Operational excellence isn’t static — it’s iterative. NorthStar advocates for continuous improvement, which includes listening to customers and adapting accordingly. By embedding feedback loops into operations (e.g., post-purchase surveys, support follow-ups), businesses can capture real-time insights and adjust processes to better meet customer expectations. This proactive approach shows customers that their opinions matter and that the business is committed to evolving with their needs. It’s a powerful way to deepen relationships and foster long-term loyalty.

6) Integrate Customer-Centric Goals into Strategic Planning

Finally, operational excellence must be tied to strategic intent. NorthStar’s 4 Points of Focus® — Operational Excellence, Financial Structure & Growth, Marketing Strategies, and People & Team Building — work together to ensure that customer satisfaction is not just a departmental concern but a company-wide priority. By integrating customer-centric goals into strategic planning, businesses align every function — from finance to marketing to HR — around delivering value to the customer. This holistic approach creates a culture of excellence that permeates every touchpoint.

Wendy Roberts
CPA, CEO of NorthStar Strategic Partners, Inc.
Email: wendy@northstar-sp.com
Website: https://northstar-sp.com/