I'm told it was more like 75 young women in the room, but the potential and energy I felt there was certainly much much more. I was brought in to speak to Broads2Be, a group of women undergraduates interested in financial services. It's sort of the college bootcamp of the parent organization, 85 Broads, which is an absolutely amazing organization and a perfect example of what can happen if you take Chapter 27 of Never Eat Alone to heart -- "Build it and they will come."

Janet Hanson originally founded 85 Broads as a network for current and former women employees of Goldman Sachs. That was 1999, and now only 7 years later, there are 14,000 members.

There was a need for camaraderie not being met, an opportunity to connect people with like minds, like problems, like aspirations -- and more important, like willingness to help each other succeed. So just like you can do, Janet took an idea, enlisted others in her vision, and created something that has offers great value to a lot of people.

Now they're even doing things like Broads2Be, the program I spoke to, helping women as young as rising college sophomores -- who may never be Goldman Sachs employees -- start taking control of their careers, building relationships for success, enaging mentors and assembling personal boards of advisors to help them achieve great things.

You know, if I were them, I think one of my aspirations would be to be the next Janet Hanson. What she -- with a lot of help, of course -- has done with 85 Broads is truly wonderful. I'm proud I got to contribute to the cause this summer.

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	I'm told it was more like 75 young women in the room, but the potential and energy I felt there was certainly much much more.

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