In 2023, Sophia Kanavos and her mom put the Women’s Power Series conference on for the first time.
“We get invited to a lot of business conferences, a lot of stuff in Las Vegas, Orlando,” says the 28-year-old, who works in acquisitions and development at her family’s real estate company, Flag Luxury Group. “Those are upwards of $2,500 for a two-day event where probably 85% of the speakers and attendees are men.”
Instead, “we wanted to create a half-day conference for women in business, by women,” she says. It would have various price points so women of different means could attend, and 100% of the proceeds would go to nonprofit Women of Tomorrow. Kanavos and her mom reached out to their network of businesswomen to find speakers and used a space co-owned by their company, which her mom co-founded, to stage the event.
The Women’s Power Series has since put on six events, including both half-day conferences and one-off panels. They’ve had 61 speakers and more than 1,350 attendees, says Kanavos, who’s responsible for curating panel topics, selecting speakers, securing sponsorships and fundraising.
Kanavos has learned a lot from hearing successful women talk about their careers at their various talks. The biggest lesson she’s learned thus far: stay authentic.
It’s about ‘showing up as yourself’
In 2024, one of the series’ speakers was Lydia Fenet, an auctioneer, author and speaker.
“She spoke a lot on this concept of authenticity” and how it helps build trust and credibility, says Kanavos. “It was something that really resonated with me, showing up as yourself not the person that you think others want you to be.”
That’s advice that’s relevant to their conferences. “You go with the goal to listen and to learn,” she says, “not just collect business cards. You follow up with the people that you genuinely connect with. You send them thoughtful messages.”
All of that falls under the category of authenticity, she says.
‘I need support in different areas’
The idea of being authentic speaks to her on a personal level, too.
Working in a family business, “I feel like I need to replicate exactly what my parents are able to do in the exact manner that they’re able to do it,” says Kanavos, “when in reality, my strengths come from my individual personality.”
That means she needs to remember that her ability to connect easily with people, for example, has value, and that when she doesn’t know something or needs help, she asks for it. “I need support in different areas,” she says, “and I need a team that’s able to fill the gaps and be aware of the places where I might need assistance.”
“There’s no day that goes by” the she doesn’t think about this key lesson, she says.
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