I’ve often heard it said that we all need a tribe.

Many women business owners are connected to critically important business organizations that provide tools, resources and a sense of community—from the Women Presidents’ Organization to the National Association of Women Business Owners, the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, Women Impacting Public Policy, and more.

Enterprising Women formed its own “tribe” more than 17 years ago—just a couple years after the magazine was launched under the ownership of our publishing company. Our tribe is a strong national and international Advisory Board that guides our mission, provides valuable content for the magazine, and connects us with our shared business interests and bonds of friendship.

Our Board members come from a cross section of all of the organizations I mentioned above, plus many others. Dozens of our Board members have previously won the Enterprising Women of the Year Award or have been recommended by leaders of the various women’s business organizations.

Over the past 17 years, we have never dedicated a large section of the magazine to introducing our Board. That changes with this issue. We thought it was time we introduced our Board members to our entire readership in the pages of the magazine. We hope our readers enjoy meeting these amazing women (and men) who are sustaining the magazine and helping make possible the good work we collectively do to support the women’s business community.

We ask each Board member to tell us what it is that has made her successful and to agree to share those “best practices” with our readers. If you read the author credits at the end of many of our articles you will see how much of the magazine content comes from these amazing women. Each supports us in whatever way is best for her, but all make a difference.

We consider Enterprising Women to be a family—much more than a magazine. We know that we need to lean on each other for support, encouragement and advice. It can be lonely out there, and a sense of community is vital for our success (not to mention our mental health).

We are fortunate to have many Board members who have been with us since the very beginning, and some who have sold businesses or had business challenges that required them to rotate off the Board. With each new class of award honorees, a handful join the Board and stay actively engaged with our community. We appreciate each and every one of them.

Enjoy this issue!