Women's Initiative Graduate Spotlight: Karine Brighten (SFVS discount provider)

[Guest guest]

SFVS Board Member & Discount Provider Karine Brighten is featured in this

month's Women's Initiative Graduate Spotlight!

Karine Brighten

Karine Brighten Events

In the few months since graduating in December 2009 from Women's Initiative's

Simple Steps course, Karine Brighten has kept busy with one business success

after another. In January, Karine was elected to the San Francisco Vegetarian

Society's Board of Directors and her event planning business helped launch the

grand opening of Nature's Express, the vegan fast food restaurant in Berkeley.

In February, Karine Brighten Events became a Certified Bay Area Green Business.

Karine planned the Valentine's Day benefit dance for Vegan Outreach at

Berkeley's greenest building, the David Brower Center. Karine's success is

impressive when you consider that she's relatively new to the SF Bay Area.

 

Karine and her husband were married two summers ago while they both worked as

interns in the SF Bay Area. Their wedding photographer was Genevieve Shiffrar, a

2007 Women's Initiative graduate. Back in her native Canada, Karine worked for

Montreal's largest event planning company. In August 2009, Karine and her

husband relocated to the SF Bay Area and while waiting 3 months for her work

visa, Karine enrolled in Women's Initiative training based on Genevieve's

referral. In October, Karine organized Farm Sanctuary's Walk For Farm Animals

fundraiser in San Francisco. In November, while still taking the Women's

Initiative course, Karine started her own business specializing in eco-friendly

events that are kind to animals and the planet.

 

In addition to her high-profile corporate and non-profit fundraiser events,

Karine does weddings and other social gatherings. Karine's work in coordinating

the silent auction, sponsors, speakers, performers and volunteers at the Walk

For Farm Animals event impressed one bride-to-be so much that she asked Karine

to plan her June wedding!

 

Karine credits Women's Initiative for teaching her the financial skills to run a

business. " It was most inspiring to be surrounded by other women going through

the same ideas in starting a business, " says Karine. " Without Women's

Initiative, I would still have done the business, but without the tools,

confidence and support. " Karine also appreciates the ongoing support through

SuccessLink, noting one workshop on building a portfolio particularly helpful

and added to her website.

 

True to her eco-conservation values, Karine puts into practice the permaculture

principle of turning problems into solutions. This allows her to keep business

costs low so her clients can benefit from affordable, eco-friendly events. For

example, instead of taking on debt with a start-up business loan, Karine found

ways to minimize both her expenses and her carbon footprint like working out of

her home. At the same time, she says she enjoys working from her home, where she

cares for her two dogs, and setting her own hours. Since she no longer enjoys

Canada's universal health care benefits, she's adjusted by taking better care of

herself such as eating well on her vegetarian diet while establishing herself as

the East Bay's only vegan event planner.

 

Karine gives back to the community by organizing events for the Sustainable

Business Alliance and doing business with other local WI graduates such as Four

Winds Catering and Bake Shop (formerly Nathanial's Naturals). For more

information about Karine's business, go to www.kbrightenevents.com

 

Women Entrepreneurs Showcase

Graduate Karine Brighten of Karin Brighten Events is hosting A Women

Entrepreneurs Showcase Event on Sunday, May 2nd from 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at

David Brower Center, 2150 Allston Way, Berkeley.

 

Come show your support for local, women-owned businesses of all types and buy

unique Mother's Day gifts or something special for yourself. Other Women's

Initiative graduates participating in the event include Bridget Jeffrey of Siam

Silks, Nate Stanis of Nathanial's Naturals, and Eveline Wu of Move & Feel

Better. For more information, contact. For more information, contact

karine.

Check out Women's Initiative Orange Pages directory & support graduates like

Karine at http://www.womensinitiative.org/bizdirectory/index.php

 

SFVS members receive the following discount:

Karine Brighten

Event Planner, Berkeley , 510-725-7252 (www.kbrightenevents.com or email

karine ) 15% discount on services Karine Brighten Events is

a full service event-planning firm based in the San Francisco Bay Area,

specializing in affordable eco-friendly events that are kind to animals and the

planet.

http://www.sfvs.org/discounts.php