Anne Stone knew she was on to something special when she called to a close the first-ever meeting of her Women in a Home Office support organization. No one wanted to leave.

Twenty-five women - all of whom worked out of their homes - had been invited to the two-hour meeting that autumn night in the Beaches area of Toronto. Twenty-three showed up.

"When I suggested that we meet maybe four times a year, they said 'No,' " Stone recalls. "They wanted to meet at least once a month. The energy was amazing.

"That was a good indication they were hungry for this type of organization."

Mike Dempster, Business Edge
Women in a Home Office founder Anne Stone is creating a national organization to establish a better sense of community.

Since that inaugural meeting in November 2000, Stone has formed seven more chapters in an organization that includes 800 women ranging in age from 33 to 73.

While its base grew organically in word-of-mouth fashion in Ontario, Stone is now focused on creating a significant national organization.

She made the business her full-time job in 2003. Last year, after moving with her family to Calgary, she created a local chapter with plans to expand in Alberta and British Columbia.

Her philosophy is simple: Open chapters in locations where people enjoy - or can re-establish - a sense of community; and educate, inform and inspire women who work in their homes.

The Beaches chapter, for example, was created out of a need that Stone saw for herself.

Raised in Charlottetown, Stone had earned an agriculture degree and her masters in business, and had enjoyed a successful and fulfilling corporate career. But in the late 1990s when she began raising a family and was working at home on contract, something was lacking.

It was in the local park in the Beaches where the idea for a local women's support organization germinated. Stone saw women just like her - moms pushing swings and wiping dirty noses - who when they left the park were returning to work at home.

"There were accountants, lawyers, interior designers, what have you," she says. "I began wondering what would happen if we put a group together."

After extensive research (she couldn't find a similar organization to join), Stone placed an ad in the local paper to see if there was interest. She was thrilled by the response.

Today, she follows a similar approach. She seeks out potential chapter leaders - each of whom pays a franchise fee - to create a local organization.

All chapters follow a model that includes holding monthly meetings with female and male guest speakers. Additionally there are two or three monthly tele-meetings (conference calls) with guest speakers, an interactive website and a quarterly newsletter written by members. Memberships range from $89 to $199, with the more expensive rate offering access to a benefits package.

Why do women join?

"Isolation gets to people," Stone says. "It's probably No. 1 on the list of reasons to join.

"I think it fulfils a basic need for people of being around others of like mind. We're recreating the water cooler for them that they don't get anymore now that they are out of corporate (community)."

At monthly meetings members socialize, network and find new clients, referrals and resources to help their own businesses.

They also promote themselves on the website, are listed in the directory and are encouraged to write for the newsletter.

Christine Raffan, a certified general accountant, joined the Beaches chapter a year ago. She's sold on it.

A mother of three young boys, Raffan says the chapter includes other accountants whom she talks with about their approach to business.

"Operating on my own, it gives me an opportunity to get out and socialize, which is important," she says. "But the meetings also provide a mentoring aspect.

"It's not a typical one-on-one mentor situation, but it does give me a chance to use others as a sounding board."

Jill Crossland takes a slightly different approach. A member for two years and a professional business and life-skills coach for women, she lives in rural Strathmore east of Calgary, where there is no local chapter.

As a virtual member, Crossland "attends" nearly every tele-meeting the organization holds. These conference calls provide speakers on topics such as home marketing, privacy regulations, and decluttering an office. They also give people a chance to introduce themselves to other members during the call.

"I've learned a lot," Crossland says. "Just sitting in my office, I get to interact with people who I wouldn't normally be able to across the country. It's very useful from a business perspective."

Crossland has advertised through the website, written for the newsletter and recruited writers for her own online magazine.

Stone says women who make an effort do increase their business. However, those who don't attend meetings and just have their names on the website can't expect anything.

"It's all about getting your face in front of people. That's how they get known. That's how they get business."

For that reason, she and other chapter leaders promote the importance of the monthly meetings.

"One thing that we find about these meetings is how people become energized," she says. "We've had women come and say, 'I was pretty much ready to give up, I'd hit a brick wall in my business.

"I came to the meeting today and it pulled me out of it.' " Putting people together in a room is a powerful thing, she explains. And women, in particular, just seem to work well.

"What we are finding is that it's very comfortable for women. People may come to meetings with non-business-related issues. It might be health related and they find people who may help them with that. They are connecting on so many levels. They are connecting as a gender as well."

Stone's immediate goal is to establish two more chapters in Calgary. She also has plans for Edmonton and Lethbridge as well as bedroom communities. In B.C., she's focusing on Interior towns such as Nelson, Trail and Castlegar, as well as Vancouver and Kelowna.

Finding the right communities and chapter leaders is a crucial element for success.

"Sense of community is real important to this organization. I grew up in a small-town atmosphere and believe at a basic level that everyone wants to be part of something that is safe, secure and provides a sense of socialization."

Stone acknowledges that since that first meeting in the Beaches more than four years ago, she has gained professionally and personally.

"I had a career that I loved," she says. "But I didn't know what it was like to be passionate about business until I started this. It's incredibly fulfilling to help people. I really feel like I'm giving back."

Web watch: www.womeninahomeoffice.com

(Mike Dempster can be reached at miked@businessedge.ca)