In an effort to promote girls' interest in business, West Valley Community College hosted its second annual "An Income of Her Own—Girls Going Places Teen Entrepreneurship Conference," co-sponsored by Integrated Financial and Insurance Services, Guardian Life Insurance and the Silicon Valley chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners.

The conference, which is offered throughout the country, targets at-risk teen girls and those with financial acumen that could benefit from real-world advice.

Guardian Life Insurance explains that the purpose of the conference is to "encourage girls to take control of their financial future at an early age by broadening their understanding of the business world, creating an awareness of career options in nontraditional fields and highlighting the advantages of financial independence."

More than 10 Santa Clara County schools participated, with nearly 90 girls between 12 and 18 in attendance. Twenty-two local businesswomen were on hand to act as facilitators, providing guidance through group activities and answering relevant questions about their businesses and job experience in small group interviews. Facilitators came from a variety of disciplines, including advertising, law, accounting and beauty, with a large percentage owning their own businesses.

"I think this conference is definitely successful, particularly because these girls have the opportunity to learn directly from businesswomen," said Lucy Pizano, a co-organizer of the conference and marketing project director for Integrated Financial and Insurance Services. "We have a great group of women here who are very experienced professionals."

When West Valley Community College President Marchelle Fox discovered the conference two years ago, she knew it was important to bring it to the Silicon Valley. "The conference is a fantastic opportunity to reach at-risk young women and start helping them build skills to become businesswomen," Fox said. "I don't think there is a better thing to do. The conference points out to the students that they need more than just a high school education. It is absolutely great."

After several talks on economic power and women conquering sexism in the business industry, as well as a speech by America's 2002 Junior Miss, Amy Kerr, the girls teamed up with facilitators to work on "Product-in-a-Box." Participants were split into groups of four and five to sort through random materials provided in boxes to create a sellable product. Facilitators helped the girls define their target audience, marketing plan and budget.

A group of Oak Grove High School students worked together to create their product, which was a car carryall for the "woman on the go," which included a coffee holder, cellular phone holder, jewelry rack and medicine compartment.

"This is great, it's been really fun," said Oak Grove's Christine Barlaan, 18, who plans to attend San Francisco State University and major in business marketing. "We've heard a lot of good speakers with helpful advice."

Barlaan's team members agreed. "It was good to hear these businesswomen sharing their stories of how they got where they are and giving advice on how to be successful," said Yung Hoang, 18, who plans to attend UC-Davis, major in biology and eventually become a dentist.

Overlooking their project was Susan Rutherford, the founder of the Campbell-based advertising and design firm Rutherford Bolen Group. Rutherford heard about the opportunity to participate through her membership with the San Jose chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners. "It has just been a blast," she said. "These girls are really receptive to learning about the entrepreneurial spirit and business markets."

Robin Nielsen, a past president of the National Association of Women Business Owners, participated as a facilitator for the second year in a row. Nielsen is the president of the Sunnyvale printing company RW Nielsen Associates and thinks business education is imperative for young women.

"I so believe in this conference. It is a wonderful, valuable experience for the girls and the facilitators," Nielsen said. During the conference, Nielsen focused on "sharing what I do, the ups and downs of business and what it takes to be a business owner." Despite all other information, Nielsen said, her key piece of advice was that "no matter what your passion is and what you choose to do, understand the financial aspect of your business."