The Story

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away… Just Kidding… it was Carlsbad, CA, four women sat down over a soon-to-be-disclosed-in-the-GOGStory-book amount of wine to discuss the state of business networking.

It wasn’t a “bitch session” per se, but they did talk about what they liked and didn’t like about their current options. One said, “I’m not a fan of expensive dues”. Another said, “I shouldn’t be penalized for not showing up because I got business from the group and was working! Isn’t getting business what it’s about? We’re all busy businesswomen, right?” “I love having lunch with the groups, just wish there were better choices or any choice at all,” another chimed in. “Do we like ‘co-ed’ networking? Or are female-focused organizations better?” The group agreed that the vibe was different when it was just gals. Felt more “safe” and “supportive”.

Then one wise and pensive woman, after quietly listening to the others said, “Think about how the guys do business… they’ll go crack around a little white ball, get to know each other a bit, maybe chat about business while they PLAY and then they go back to the 19th hole, socialize and shake on a deal they just made.” The others listened intently nodding.

“They build the relationship and the business just naturally comes. Why can’t WE GALS do that?!” And that’s when collectively their internal lightbulbs went off… “If it’s good enough for that ‘Good Ol’ Boys club’, it’s good enough for us… and we can do it BETTER, of course!” They all laughed as the server brought another round.

And that’s how the group got it’s name, Good Ol’ Gals Business Connections… our answer to the “Good Ol’ Boys” network.

The next hour or so involved laying out the groundwork. Female-focused. CHECK. Inclusivity. CHECK. No dues. CHECK. Menu options. CHECK. No penalties for not showing up once in a while. CHECK. No restrictions or limits. CHECK. No rules. CHECK. (Well, ok, ONE rule that covers it all… play nice in the sandbox.) A date was set and the first meeting of the Good Ol’ Gals was held in December of 2007.