On April 2nd the US Embassy Public Affairs Office organized a digital videoconference on "Women in Business: Taking a Step Forward” with Ms. Hedy Ratner, Co-Founder and Co-President of the Women's Business Development Center (Chicago).

The audience included a group of Russian-speaking, veteran Israeli business women, who are members of Israeli NGO "Supportive Community."
This program was part of the Women's History month activities.

Ms. Ratner focused on the importance of advocacy and effective work with the government and politicians to develop special micro-loan programs for women. She drew from the experience of the American SBA’s (Small Business Administration) business assistance centers for women.

She also emphasized the role of technology in modern marketing and recommended that the DVC attendees build a joint website to promote their products. This would help expand their outreach into broader markets, including connections with the US.
Ms. Ratner agreed to assist Israeli women as they develope a pilot marketing project in Chicago, in cooperation with Supportive Community’s Women's Business Development Center.

Ms. Ratner also explained the importance of positioning and presenting one's product, including the psychological and cultural aspects of buying, and provided advice on how to develop and maintain a market. The program was particularly successful in correcting misconceptions regarding consignment sales. Ms. Ratner described how she assisted women designers in promoting their products through a major American department store chain, without having to rely on the consignment model.