Jenn Meaney Leads Women's Networking Group

August 26, 2024

Written by Samantha Kupiainen, Photography by Madeline Gray

JENN MEANEY is a middle school English teacher turned real estate broker, tackling the Wilmington housing market with Blue Coast Realty. Recently, she added networking group founder to her growing list of accomplishments.  

While Meaney was born and raised in Pennsylvania, she has lived in North Carolina for more than half of her life. When she began dabbling in real estate, she wanted to connect with local businesses and turned to local networking groups. Although she enjoyed the networking groups and meeting fellow go-getters, she felt something was missing.

“I wanted to surround myself with like-minded individuals,” Meaney says. “There is a different vibe in a room full of businesswomen, and I wanted to offer this opportunity to female business owners and entrepreneurs.”  

As a result, Meaney founded Ladies Who Mean Business in January 2023. The group aims to connect local women, business owners, and entrepreneurs. Most members are business owners, and Meaney has worked to form a tight group of intelligent, creative women who can refer companies they’ve worked with to other women.  

Meetings started at local coffee shops but have since transitioned to Elevate Coworking. Meaney was meticulous in planning the group and capped it at 25 members. She didn’t want to form too large a group, she says, because she envisioned everyone getting to know one another and really connecting.  

Members of Ladies Who Mean Business come from varying career backgrounds. The roster includes financial advisors, real estate brokers, insurance agents, and therapists. At meetings, members present on their businesses and share what they’re proud of for the month and the projects they are working on for their clients.  

Oftentimes, members use the networking group to refer other companies or businesses in the area. Because most of the women are in leadership roles, Meaney says members value their opinions and are confident in their referrals.  

“As a real estate broker, my business is relationship–based,” she says. “My clients need to know they can trust me to guide them through a major transaction with many moving parts. Through these transactions, buyers and sellers need referrals of all sorts: moving companies, painters, home-stagers. I want to know and trust the local businesses I’m referring.”  

Looking to the future, Meaney hopes to continue growing, learning, and connecting with other business owners in Wilmington.  

“You can learn something from everybody,” she says.