“Women of the Island: Shattering Glass Ceilings” social campaign highlights 30 women breaking barriers

“Women of the Island: Shattering Glass Ceilings” social campaign highlights 30 women breaking barriers

On March 8, a group of female small-business owners on Alabama’s Gulf Coast called Women of the Island launched their inaugural “Women of the Island: Shattering Glass Ceilings” social campaign highlighting more than 30 women breaking barriers in their individual fields. The women involved don’t see each other as competitors, and instead choose to lift each other up and strengthen the community together. With almost eight hundred women owned businesses in Baldwin County, the group expects to continue to grow each year, and hopefully welcome more women entrepreneurs to Alabama’s Gulf Coast. Women of the Island, a coalition aimed at helping women grow their businesses and use their resources to help other women entrepreneurs take the leap into the business world. While physical meetings of the Women of the Island group have been limited due to COVID-19 precautions and hectic schedules, that hasn’t stopped them from building a safe space to ask questions, get advice and share resources from their phones and laptops.
As a celebration of International Women’s Day, each woman involved in the campaign shared professional video and photography to their business social media pages with tags to cross promote the businesses of the other women involved. The video called “Women of the Island: Shattering Glass Ceilings” prompts the women to share the story behind their business and their advice for other women considering starting a business of their own. Brett/Robinson Vacation Rentals graciously donated a condo where the women could stage a “Vanity Fair-style” photoshoot while respecting social distancing guidelines.
The Women of the Island and International Women’s Day marketing campaign is largely a project of Angel Bennett, who along with her mom Morgan and best friend Laine, owns Coastal Alabama’s first full-service concierge service, The Beach Moms, which launched in February 2020 just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the state. Prior to becoming a small-town business owner, Angel spent 22 years in Washington, D.C. as a marketer in the defense industry. Even then, her unorthodox ideas and fiery spirit stood out among her very traditional colleagues.
As a business model, The Beach Moms formed a network of locally owned businesses and restaurants across Gulf Shores and Orange Beach that they trust to provide the best experience for visitors. The Beach Moms regularly highlight their partners on their Facebook page where they have amassed over 6,000 loyal followers in less than a year. Many local businesses including attractions and vacation rentals took a chance on supporting The Beach Moms while they were a fledgling company, and now Angel says they are happy to return the favor and help other small businesses gain exposure through their customers.
Angel says since the inception of Women of the Island in October 2020, they have inspired new initiatives to support women in business from the local chambers of commerce and caught the attention of other organizations in the area. For more information about the Woman of the Island group and their initiatives, please contact Angel at angel@thebeachmoms.net.
(Photo By Josie Taylor – Haute Fouture)