Janet Lewis

f you own a business, I know this is happening to you too…

You wake up to emails from complete strangers offering to “help grow your business” — and within 3 seconds you can tell it’s a templated message they’ve sent to 500 other people.

The ironic part? Many of these people have never built a long-term business themselves… yet they’re offering to coach entrepreneurs who have been operating for 20+ years.

And when you politely unsubscribe or ask to be removed?

They come back with:
👉 “Can you tell me why?”
👉 “I’d love your feedback.”
👉 “I guess growing your business isn’t important to you.”

No.

What’s not important to me is spending my time replying to spam disguised as relationship building.

Here’s the truth:
You are not entitled to someone’s inbox, time, attention, or expertise because you found their email online.

And honestly? The constant misuse of email has made business communication worse, not better.

Relationships are built through trust, relevance, and actual connection — not mass outreach and guilt trips.

Sometimes the best business strategy is respecting people’s “no” the first time.

✨ 2025 — A Year of Growth (and Growth Isn’t Always Easy) ✨

This year, East End Connected hosted 12 events.

Over 100 women showed up, with an average of 21 women at each gathering.

We are continuing to grow…
and as that happens, the journey evolves.

In 2024 (Year 1), we were in the forming stage.

Everything was new, exciting, and full of possibility. It was fun, easy, and full of momentum.

In 2025 (Year 2), we entered storming.

And if you’ve ever built anything meaningful — you know this phase.

It’s where:

• challenges show up
• expectations get tested
• not everyone aligns
• and you’re pushed to get clear on what this really is

Growth brings opportunity — but it also brings noise.

And in those moments, the most important thing you can do is pause… and come back to your original intention.

When I started East End Connected, I didn’t care if 5 women showed up.

It was about:

💛 getting to know other women in business
💛 connecting and collaborating
💛 supporting local, female-owned businesses

That hasn’t changed.

And that’s what I come back to — every time.

What I’ve also learned?

Building a community requires:

• consistency
• boundaries
• and the ability to keep showing up — even on the hard days

There is an emotional side to building something like this that people don’t always see.

But it’s also what makes it meaningful.

What started as a simple idea… became something real.

And that only happens because women chose to show up.

✨ 2025 Community Stars ✨

I want to recognize three incredible women who continue to show up for themseleves and for others:

⭐ Danielle Ellis — 9 events
⭐ Lyndsey Thomas — 9 events
⭐ Zubeida Razakazi — 9 events

Thank you for your consistency and your energy. You are a big part of what makes this community work 💛

To every woman who attended even one event this year — thank you.

I created these gatherings to fit into the lives of busy business owners.

To be simple.
To be meaningful.
To work.

And this year proved something important:

👉 There is a need
👉 It does work
👉 And connection matters — now more than ever

As we move into 2026, we step into the next phase:

✨ Norming → Performing ✨

More clarity.
Stronger connections.
Deeper trust.

Let’s keep going.

Let’s continue to:

💛 support local
💛 build trust
💛 work together
💛 and help each other rise

Because when women show up for each other — incredible things happen.

✨ Here’s to 2026 ✨