After just one year, Jodi Low and Renee Dee, owners of Scottsdale-based Girlfriend University, have turned heads and gained nods from business professionals. Despite the business’ seemingly light-hearted name, its goal is a serious one — to help empower women to be inspirational leaders.

“We named the business Girlfriend University because the name completely indicates our style,” Low says. “A sassy approach to serious business.”

According to Low, women do business differently, collaborating, sharing, connecting and supporting one another in a manner unique to women. This is why Low and Dee decided to market their business specifically toward women who are striving to succeed, whether that means opening their own business, maintaining it or to simply gaining the confidence to achieve their goals.

“We work with and empower women to build wildly successful enterprises with real, bottom line, measurable tools that create results,” Low says. “We provide anything and everything an entrepreneur or executive could possibly want or need … all under one roof.”

From business coaching to marketing to leadership development, GU offers an entire spectrum of classes and training for any Girlfriend University, Scottsdale, Ariz. - AZ Business Magazine July/August 2011woman. What makes its classes unique is Low and Dee’s desire to transform their students, both personally and professionally, to be their absolute best selves.

Nikal Conti, owner of Phoenix Architecture, attended Girlfriend University’s social media classes and the impact was immediate. Conti walked away with a solid social media strategy, as well as hundreds of potential clients following the business online, she says.

However, it was the Leadership 101 classes — comprised of two days of training — that really left an impression on Conti and her confidence as a leader and owner of Phoenix Architecture.

“With the expert and very challenging instruction, you actually push far past your normal comfort zone, revealing your true leadership potential,” Conti says. “You also see how a group of individuals can become a team; that is powerful. I know that I am a better leader because of it.”

Another popular class is Entrepreneur in U — Business Coaching. The class has an intense and honest approach to consulting and brainstorming has sometimes helped a client completely re-brand her business.

“Our half-day business intensives are wildly popular because our clients love having Renee and me sit down with them for a solid three hours and just create an entire brand, look, marketing strategy and plan with them,” Low says. “It’s an amazing process that is uniquely our own.”

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Girlfriend University

15279 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite B-240
Scottsdale AZ, 85254
(480) 278-7200
www.girlfrienduniversity.com

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Arizona Business Magazine July/August 2011