Q: Do I have to use the Women's Source web site exclusively or can I have a web site of my own?

A: You may have a web site of your own - any expense would be your responsibility.  Each Community Showcase will have a section on the main Women's Source site regardless of whether they have another site or not.  You may use the Women's Source site as your main source of information for members and other women in your community.  You can submit content to be added to your section of the site at any time.  Any additional sites must be approved by Women's Source before use so we can be sure the integrity of our organization stays in tact.

Q: Do I have to keep the name "Your State"  or "Your Community" Women's Source or can I choose a different name?

A: Your showcase will need to retain the name "Your State" or "Your Community" Women's Source - a Women's Source Community Showcase.  We are trying to promote uniformity and make our name recognizable.

Q: Can I set my own prices for membership to my showcase.

A: No.  All member fee pricing is set by Women's Source and can not be adjusted by showcase facilitators.  Any changes in the fee structure will come from Women's Source and you will be notified immediately.

Q: Can I set my own prices for expo events and other events my showcase promotes?

A: Yes.  Although we set a guideline for pricing, we fully expect that prices will differ due to the difference in operating costs in each region.

Q: Can I set the topics for my networking meetings?

A: Yes.  You can choose topics of your own or you may use the topics we have already set forth for a given year.

Q: Can I use my own training materials, workbooks, worksheets and other resources during meetings and other educational functions sponsored by my showcase.

A: Yes.  You can use materials you have written, materials you have come across that are useful to your particular event or materials members or other involved parties have written.  You may also use the materials we have available.  We ask that you please submit any materials you are using before use so we can be sure the integrity of our organization stays in tact.

Q: Is Women's Source a registered business?

A: We have registered with the Secretary of State in Minnesota and have a D&B (Dunn and Bradstreet) registration.  We are not a registered non-profit or at this time a registered LLC.  We are currently filing for LLC status.  We hope to have this process completed by the end of summer 2008.

Q: Is there a facilitator's site that I can go to for information and ongoing support online?

A: We are in the process of building a facilitator's site that will include all the information you will need to smoothly run your showcase.  We are always here online or offline for ongoing support.

Q: Do I have to hold an expo event as part of my showcase?

A: Yes.  Our expos are the corner stone of our organization.  You may choose to hold one or two in a year.  The size is up to you and the availability of venues.  You can choose to hold one big event and a few smaller events, just one big event, two big events or several smaller events in a year.

Q: Will I have the freedom to run my showcase the way I want?

A: Yes.  We have set forth guideline for all facilitators to follow.  The guidelines were set forth solely to maintain the integrity of our organization.  You are free to run your showcase how you want within the guidelines we have set.  We hope that Women's Source will become a recognizable name in future years and want to keep some uniformity but also want to allow our facilitators flexibility to run their showcase the way they want.

Q: Are Women's Source Community Showcases considered franchises?

A: NO.  Community Showcases are not considered franchises in any sense of the definition.  Community Showcases are simply extensions of Women's Source and the facilitators are just that, not owners of their own showcase.

Q: Are facilitators considered employees of Women's Source?

A: No. Facilitators are not employees of Women's Source.  They are facilitators of a networking group.  Any compensation, taxes and other business expenses are the responsibility of the showcase facilitator. 

Q: Is being a Women's Source facilitator a full time job?

A: You can make being a Women's Source facilitator whatever you want!  It has the potential to be a full time job with great compensation or it can easily  be a part time job that you can fit into the schedule you already have. The amount of time you choose to give your showcase is up to you.  The compensation obviously increases with more time put into it.

Q: What if I decide a few months into being a facilitator I don't want to do it anymore?

A: You may find another facilitator in your area to take over your showcase.  No refund of any type will be given to facilitators who leave - by that time Women's Source has already invested the time, training and materials into the showcase.  The confidentiality agreement MUST be followed when leaving as a facilitator.  Showcases may not be sold for monetary compensation, they may only be transferred to a new facilitator.

Please feel free to submit your questions here.