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Women in Paint is a virtual event hosted by Maggie Kuyper of Harpeth Painting and sponsored by women-owned business, Surfprep. These monthly events were conspired to unite passionate female professionals in the painting industry. The empowering sessions have grown significantly since the first event in April 2022 and have received excellent feedback in a remarkably short amount of time. Kuyper has a lot planned for the future of the monthly zoom calls with the aim of bringing a place of community to women in the industry where they can grow both professionally and personally.

How Women in Paint Got Started

Women in Paint came to fruition randomly, as six women messaging each other on Facebook were showing each other their support for their diverse businesses.

“I messaged them and said, ‘what if we got on a zoom happy hour, we can toss it out on socials, and see if anyone else is interested.’ Within two days we had about 45 people fill out the form,” said Kuyper.

The small group of women who communicated via Facebook decided to set up social pages for the monthly event, but they had specific expectations in mind. They wanted it to be more of a space to develop women business owners in the industry rather than just another Facebook group. Along with this, they also use the social pages to promote the events and have had success doing so.

Topics Discussed During the Meeting

Each monthly Women in Paint meeting consists of a 20-30 minute education session followed by break-out groups to discuss a specific topic more in depth. Kuyper has worked hard to ensure the upcoming events are informative by having guest speakers to provide valuable insights to attendees.

“We’ve had a lot of requests for navigating the industry as a woman,” said Kuyper, “Everyone also wants to hear about hiring and finding personnel.”

Kuyper expressed that the goal for the future of Women in Paint is to encourage attendees to think past the immediate needs of the businesses. It’s important to think about creating culture and really raise the question, “What am I doing to grow myself as a person?”

More specific topics for the future consist of developing leaders, unique female influence, safety, technology tips and social media.

Feedback Received

Women in Paint has received great traction since the first virtual event in April of 2022. Seeing new faces at each session, the monthly calls have become a place where women in the industry can find themselves a great support system to grow with.

“We’ve had about 20-25 people at each session, and it really hasn’t been the same 20-25 people. There’s something appealing about it not being too massive,” said Kuyper.

Kuyper wants to make sure that anyone who is interested in Women in Paint benefits the most from it. Attendees are encouraged to share their ideas and suggestions for speakers and topics so that everyone can keep learning and fostering a sense of community.

The Future of Women in Paint

With the positive response it has gotten thus far, the array of educating topics and speakers, Women in Paint has a very bright future.

Anyone interested in joining Women in Paint and attending the monthly meetings, please contact Maggie at maggie@harpethpaintingllc.com to be added to the email distribution list and receive access to the zoom links. To become even more involved, individuals interested can also join the Facebook group, Women in Paint, to join a group of women who uplift and support one the personal and professional growth of one another.

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