We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sumer Rose-Nolen. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sumer below.

Hi Sumer, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I’ve sat on many boards and been a member of many organizations. In 2017, I noticed I was coaching a lot of my female clients through end of year evaluations, negotiating for more money and growing their businesses. In 2019, I approached my now business partner, Marci Dickerson, with a concept to create an organization tailored to female professionals and business owners. We saw a gap in the professional organization realm for women. There was no group in our community creating a space for women to talk about the unique challenges we face in business. But more importantly, there was nowhere for these women to celebrate each other either. Our goal was to create a place for women to be more- be more in leadership, be more at work, be more in business and be more in their lives. The Association was born from this concept. Fast forward three years, we now have four co-founders, including Sylvia Washington, the President & CEO of Tresco, Inc, and owner of SW Gets Social and Jennifer Blazer, the owner of Top Shelf Services, a bookkeeping company. The four of us work as a team to produce all that The Association has to offer.

In Las Cruces, we host four events monthly: Expert Power Hour, where an industry expert shares updates and information pertinent to women; Fempreneur Breakfast Club, where a female entrepreneur shares her story; Leader’s Luncheon Panel, where 2-4 women discuss topics about female professionals or entrepreneurs; & Strong Coffee with Strong Women, which is our open event for women who are interested in joining us. We also host a Fall Keynote Speaker and in 2024 we have changed our annual Kick Off Workshop to the inaugural Her Impact Conference (to be held on January 16, 2024). March 2024, will also be our 2nd Annual Girls Leveling Up conference where we partner with Las Cruces Public Schools. They bus some 400 high school females to our conference where we discuss leadership, healthy relationships, and professional and business topics.

We launched our Alamogordo chapter in March 2023, with Trisha Roberts, owner of the Trisha Roberts Insurance Agency, as the Director. She is an amazing community influence through both her business and as representing our organization.

Our Mission:
The Association is a women’s professional development group, dedicated to helping women reach their full potential in all aspects of their lives. Our organization focuses on providing opportunities for women to learn & grow in their careers & businesses. We host events & workshops on a variety of topics, such as leadership, entrepreneurship, career advancement and work-life integration.

What sets us apart is our commitment to creating a supportive community where women can connect, collaborate & empower each other. We believe that by lifting each other up, we can bring about positive change, not just in our individual lives, but in our communities as well.

Sumer, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

After ten years in the traditional financial industry as a financial professional, I sold my practice to run The Association full time and launch She Talks Money, a Holistic Financial LifeStyle Planning company.

As the CEO of The Association, along with my co-founders, we brainstorm, plan, organize, coordinate and execute valuable content for female professionals. We each bring different experiences and viewpoints to the table and we represent a diverse group. My experience of running SRN Financial Services for ten years gave me the knowledge and confidence to step into this role.

What many women don’t know about The Association initially is how supportive we are. There is a stereotype about women that we’re “catty,” that is not the case at all. Women have risen above that mindset and realized that we are more powerful together. Gone are the days of cutting each other down, we now know that when we collaborate, more amazing things happen. The vibe of this group is so warm and encouraging. We want to celebrate your wins with you and toot your horn!

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

These women are my livelihood! I seriously couldn’t do this business, or anything really, without them. They are my listeners, the people that see me, my cheerleaders, my “you can do anything” encouragers. I only hope they feel the same way about me because I love them with all of my heart.

Marci: I’ve known Marci for many years. She was my wedding planner and executor and funny story, we didn’t like each other very much in 2011. She was stuffy and I was a bridal basket case. But when I launched SRN Financial Services in 2014, she was my go-to to get my brand out. We bonded quickly over connecting with people and our love of martinis. And have pretty much been inseparable since. My husband calls her his second wife, lol. Our goal is to run as many businesses together as possible so we have reasons to spend time together while making money!

Sylvia: Syl was referred to me form a mutual friend and became a client first. She approached me about helping with The Associations social media about six months later, noticing that I was a bit burnt out from it. She volunteered her services for the first two years while we were building the business. We became fast friends and I remember telling Marci that I’d met this incredible woman who she just had to meet too. Then Syl started doing the social media for Marci’s restaurants, again, always finding a “work” reason to hang out.

Jennifer: I asked Blazer (we call her that instead of Jennifer) to speak about Quickbooks to our group after so many people said she was the best at what she does- and she is! She also knew of Marci from when she studying HRTM at NMSU and was a bit fan-girl about her at first. We still joke about that. she just fit the group, like you know when you meet a person and just know they were supposed to be in your life? That’s Blazer. She was the perfect fit. That, and we were really terrible at billing so she’s the reason our business has doubled year over year.

When the four of us did an in-town retreat in 2022 for our 2023 planning, that’s really when we all clicked. Marci had just had a double mastectomy due to breast cancer (fully recovered as of April 2023), and we rented a house to work from. That weekend was the foundation for this incredible relationship of very talented and ambitious women. And we want to share what we’ve learned and gained from each other with other women. You need women in your life who fill your cup and lift you up when everything else- motherhood, relationships, business, etc- are knocking you down. We became a tribe and we want to include as many women who are looking for the same thing as we can.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

My childhood was chaotic and unstable. Without going into too much detail, I went to 15 schools in five cities, in two states from kindergarten to my senior year of high school. While many people would have taken those experiences and declared themselves a victim of circumstances, I chose to utilize what I learned to create a world for my family that is as stable as can be. I’m very outgoing thanks to being the new girl, sometimes twice in a school year. I’m also extremely resilient and adaptable. I never look at a situation and think, “Why is this happening to me?” I instead think, “What is this supposed to teach me?” and I take the lesson for what it is and apply it to future instances and opportunities.

Life isn’t easy and everyone has a story about their journey. What happens before age 18 is a reality you live within, what happens after 18 is the reality you create. You are always in control, it just depends on how you’re navigating.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.theassociationwomensgroup.com
• Instagram: @theassociationlc; @theassociationalamo; @she_talks_money
• Facebook: @theassociaitonlc; @theassociationalamo; @shetalksmoney
• Other: sumer@theassociationlc.com

Image Credits
Photography by PlayOnLight Photography, Adrienne Acosta