Our Story
"Follow your passion — and if you don’t know what it is, realize that one reason for your existence on earth is to find it.”
Oprah Winfrey
How this started?
It was rainy and cold, when we met for a coffee in September 2018. We were looking for other ways to promote our own small businesses and to meet more people despite the weather.
It’s not easy to be an entrepreneur. It’s even harder to do it in another country where a different language is spoken. Many women, including us, are full of fears about how to go on after leaving behind successful careers and their support networks in their countries.
Not every woman can continue her career in The Netherlands; That’s why, after drinking many cups of coffee, we packed our fears and started International Creative Women.
Our vision is to create a supportive and diverse community of women, to help kickstart their own independent entrepreneurial pursuits while encouraging social cohesion.
Who we are?
International Creative Women was founded by two women: Sally & Yolima. But more women have joined and are essential to the community.
Sally is a Colombian Architect, Mother, entrepreneur and jewellery designer with more than 10 years experience of successful entrepreneurship in The Netherlands. Sally also volunteers in different projects and coordinates a traditional dance group in Eindhoven.
Yolima is a Biologist and entrepreneur since always. Mother of 2 boys and owner of a functional art small business. Yolima has more than 15 years of experience creating businesses and as a small entrepreneurs consultant.
How we do it?
We do it online through social media, zoom meetings a WhatsApp group and a discord channel. We do it offline through events, coffee meetings and workshops that take place at Creative Town, our co-creation space in the heart of Eindhoven.
We want to create a safe and friendly place - online and offline – to facilitate integration for cross culture women so they can interact, learn and grow. The benefits are not only on a business level, but on an emotional level.
In about 20 months we organized 7 events, with participation of hundreds of women from so many different countries. They were able to build new relationships, reach different business opportunities, and collaborate with other entrepreneurs.
We are also connecting and collaborating with other organizations in order to maximize the impact and grow our community.
The Team
Dorangela
Giraldo
Director of Dream Fulfillment
Donna
Robins
Workflow Guru
Winnie
Yao
Computational Sorcerer
Anwesha
Dutta
Storytelling Master
Fabiola
Ordonez
Vibe Manager
Gabi
Ley
Happiness Hero
Sally
Ocana
Creative Wizard
Snehal
More
The Lens whisperer
Yolima
vd Berkmortel
Creator of Opportunities
