In 2004, Cynthia de Lorenzi had an “ah ha” moment when she realized that traditional business networking events were not fostering the type of connections and relationships that went beyond a sales call. At the time, she was working as a CEO in a male-dominated information technology industry that left her feeling “girlfriend bankrupt.” She wanted to find connections and friendships with likeminded women who felt the same vacuum. Shortly after, Success in the City (SITC) was born.

How do you measure success?
Of course traditional measurements are important (i.e. member enrollment and renewals, event registrations, etc.). For us, though, real success is the joy, laughter and happiness we hear from our members when they attend and participate in an event. And even greater are members who say that SITC has changed their lives, their business, their focus and the incredible deals they have conducted by first forming friendships with other exemplary women.

What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
The outpouring of support from a broad community of men and women leaders who recognize the value of establishing meaningful relationships with others and celebrating success and achievement together.

What ignited the spark in you to start your business?
In Texas, we have a saying: “We howdied, but we ain’t shook yet.” That means just because we have met and exchanged business cards does not mean we are going to do business together. I wanted to put some fun back into my life. I had a second “ah ha” moment in 2008 when I took a leap of faith and started Success in the City as a member organization. Calls and emails from around the world came from women who asked us if they could start Success in the City chapters in their communities. I wasn’t sure what we were doing that was so compelling that these women wanted to use our exact organizational model. Then, a friend shared a study on women and stress, which revealed that a woman’s unique hormonal structure and emotional makeup often leaves her feeling disconnected in traditional networking models. Everything we do is aimed at helping women lower their stress levels, enhance their sense of wellbeing, and connect them with other extraordinary women in a meaningful way.


What three pieces of advice would you give to college students who want to become entrepreneurs?
Have passion for what you do! It will sustain you as you face the challenges of launching and growing your business! Secondly, accept that there will be failures and mistakes! Those are a natural part of the process of launching and growing your business. Deposit those in your personal life experience bank account and call on those learning experiences to side-step future pit-falls in your business. Thirdly, believe in yourself! Don’t let others dissuade you from living your dreams and do not worry about what others think of you because that is none of their business.

What is the best part of owning your own business?
The freedom to be creative, seize opportunities that we could not have anticipated, serve as a thought leader and inspire others to see the world through a different lens never before imagined!

How do you go about marketing your business?
Social media has been the backbone in growing our business. It is the community sharing conversations, thoughts, opinions, recommendations and suggestions by creating an environment of open dialogue that has driven our growth. We reflect what our members want and do so by sharing and inviting everyone who is interested to the table. There is an inside joke in our organization that if you share a great idea with me you will be in charge of making it happen.

What has been one of your biggest challenges?
Establishing the organizational process for developing SITC chapters that capture the essence of such a unique organization, from the humor, fun and sassiness to the importance and subtlety of the work we do. This work is creating a cultural awareness of the unique value and quality of women leaders in our world today. At SITC, we are shifting perceptual norms to a new reality of the value, power and influence that women actually bring to the world today.