About HBN - The Homebased Businesswomen's Network

HBN is a nonprofit group with members from Boston's North Shore and beyond who share business information, exchange ideas, and provide networking opportunities for people interested in starting or presently running a business from home. Members include bookkeepers, artists, marketers and editors, interior designers, crafters, coaches, financial and health professionals, and web site designers. Whether they offer products or services, HBN members all have in common the desire to share practical, how-to experience and inspirational success stories. 

HBN was founded in 1981 by career counselor and Salem State College instructor Paula Wall. "She placed an invitation in the newspaper for homebased businesswomen to meet in her home to form a group that would meet monthly to discuss isolation, business contacts, customer relationships, and money-making versus a hobby," recalls Elaine Abramo, former HBN president and owner of Abramo's Business Consulting in Salem, MA.

"At first, six to eight people met in each other's living rooms, and occasionally served as panelists in discussion groups in Paula's classes," adds artist J.P. Goodwin, a former HBN Board Member. As the group grew, meetings moved to a variety of public spaces, providing a place for entrepreneurs to seek solutions to the problems of operating a business from home. 

In HBN's early years, many members were crafters and hobbyists, and HBN held craft shows and conferences attended by people from all over New England. Nancy Black of Organization Plus in Beverly, MA, recalls that in the early 1980s, "there were no other support or networking groups around for homebased businesswomen." 

Early Challenges for HBN and Members

For HBN, the biggest challenge at first was finding people who felt isolated in their homebased businesses, according to Black, who launched her business in 1983. "Many women who started businesses at that time were not as self-confident as women are today. Many people thought if someone had a homebased business then they weren't really in business. My own biggest challenge was educating people about what a professional organizer was." 

"For me, getting clients was the challenge in those days," says Abramo, who started her business in 1981. "Advertising did not work for me, but I soon found out about networking. Being on a committee, giving a talk, chairing an event, or teaching a course were all ways to become visible, credible and known, which in turn gave me clients."

Abramo's experience is echoed by many other HBN members. Goodwin started her business in 1978 to support three children in the absence of a father while staying home to raise them. She remembers the challenge of "getting prospective clients, friends, neighbors, and suppliers to believe we were actually working to earn an income, not supporting a hobby. It was also a challenge to get new members to remember to put on a professional face at home."

HBN Today

Homebased business are more common now, as are business networking groups, and although HBN has changed over the years, the group's basic goals remain the same. For those just starting out, HBN provides valuable information that can steer them to successful beginnings. Established business owners find new opportunities to promote and expand, as they share ideas on everything from basic accounting to time management. 

HBN's current membership reflects a broad range of business interests. Professionals offer such services as consulting, coaching, marketing, editing, landscape and interior design, bookkeeping, and web site design. Other HBN members also offer products ranging from fine arts and crafts to health and personal care products.

Some HBN members became entrepreneurs after leaving the corporate world through downsizing or retirement, while others decided to start a homebased business once they reached certain life or career turning points. What all HBN members have in common is the desire to share practical experience and inspirational success stories. 

What HBN Can Do

"I personally feel connected to HBN, because I joined the same time I started my business," says Abramo. "As HBN grew, so did I. I made lots of friends along the way, and gained a few good clients too. HBN has given me a platform to express myself, develop as a business leader, and to give of myself in terms of time, support, action, and ideas. I've also seen other people grow, develop international clients, and sell their businesses for a profit."

"HBN provides encouragement, support, and education to women with homebased businesses," adds Black. "I remember that Paula Wall encouraged me to teach my first class in the Endicott College Continuing Education Program. I had never taught before, but the experience taught me the value of stretching beyond my comfort level and being open to new possibilities. It has had a profound effect on my personal growth, enabling me to be a successful businesswoman. Being involved in HBN leadership positions and speaking at HBN events has enhanced my credibility in the North Shore business community."

Goodwin describes HBN as a "close-knit, nurturing business forum providing mentoring, support, and friendship. It's an endless resource of critical information in a broad array of areas, as well as a source of sympathetic ears for discussing common dilemmas."