Meet Kelly

Meet Kelly
Detroit, MI

Founderand Chief Connector at Boss Ladies Referral Crew

HOW SHE USES CHEDDAR UP

  • Events
  • Membership
  • Master Classes
  • Merchandise

FAVORITE CHEDDAR UP FEATURES

CHEDDAR UP USER SINCE

2017

NUMBER OF COLLECTIONS

254

TOTAL COLLECTED

$100,000+

It’s important to play on your strengths and that’s certainly what Kelly Hartman did when she started Boss Ladies Referral Crew. Boss Ladies, a networking community for female entrepreneurs, is all about bringing females together so they can support, inspire and refer one another. Since its beginning, Cheddar Up has been a core piece of Boss Ladies’ tech stack, handling its memberships and event registration with ease.

We love Boss Ladies’ mission! What made you start it?

I started Boss Ladies back in 2017 and I created it, in part, because I’d come to realize just how important networking had been for my career up until that point. In my previous professional endeavors, it was important for people to know, like and trust me. Networking was always my answer to that. And while it came naturally for me, I knew it wasn’t easy for everyone. I was also driven to help other female entrepreneurs, in particular, and to create an environment where networking was the core mission.

What’s something that stands out about the early days of starting your business?

There’s always so much more to do than you anticipate. One thing that stands out for me is our first networking meeting—what we call a “Connect”. The first Connect was at my condo. And while I had a master plan of how the event would go and how I would get people to interact—down to the very last detail!—the women just started connecting. It was working almost instantly. Women were trading experiences and backgrounds and making connections. It brought tears to my eyes because I knew it was just the beginning.

What makes Boss Ladies unique?

While there are other networking companies out there, Boss Ladies is for women to empower other women. One of our taglines is “collaboration over competition”. We work every month to build a community of comradery between women entrepreneurs.

“Early on, I knew I needed a web presence and an easy online way for people to get involved and transact. I now use Cheddar Up exclusively for Boss Ladies’ memberships, events, master classes…even to sell our merch!”

How were you introduced to Cheddar Up and how do you use it?

Shortly after starting my business, it became clear that there were even more technical needs than I’d anticipated. Early on, I knew I needed a web presence and an easy online way for people to get involved and transact! I leaned on advice from my savvy, technical friends (my network!). A former co-worker highly recommended Cheddar Up and honestly, the rest is history. I now use Cheddar Up exclusively for Boss Ladies’ memberships, events, master classes…even to sell our merch! It’s become a platform that my business relies on. Like many businesses, in March 2020, our networking events went virtual. Having our payments online already kept things streamlined and were seamless when we added more classes to our offerings.

Did you consider any other platforms when looking at Cheddar Up?

I believe I initially looked at some of the usual suspects—PayPal, Venmo, Eventbrite… But the recommendation of Cheddar Up from a reliable friend meant a lot. I also really liked the wide feature set of Cheddar Up. And I liked that the platform allowed me to create my own payment pages with tons of flexibility. The ability to collect information along with payment has also been a gamechanger. It turns out I need to do a lot more than just collect payments! Like collect member name, preferences, etc. And Cheddar Up allows me to do that.

“I looked at some of the usual suspects—PayPal, Venmo, Eventbrite… But the recommendation of Cheddar Up from a friend meant a lot and I liked that the platform allowed me to create my own payment pages with tons of flexibility. The ability to collect information along with payment has also been a gamechanger.”

Are there any features that you’ve found particularly helpful?

As I mentioned, I love the ability to collect information alongside payments. I also really like the option to collect recurring payments. This allows a member to sign up to pay on a schedule and the rest of the payments happen automatically behind the scenes. It’s very convenient! This has come in handy for some of our membership options. I also love discount codes! It’s nice to have the flexibility to offer long-time members occasional discounts. And it’s so easy to create and share them!

Any features you’re looking forward to Cheddar Up launching in the future?

Yes, indeed. I hear they are working on a Zapier integration. That’s exactly what I need. It takes a fair amount of tech to make the Boss Ladies’ business run smoothly. And if I can connect some of those platforms and workflows, it will run even smoother. I can’t wait for this!

What’s next for Boss Ladies?

I’m glad you asked! Covid was a time of self-reflection for me personally as well as for my business. While we stayed busy hosting virtual networking events, it afforded me some extra time to map out new growth strategies. One thing I’m excited about is our goal of expanding to other metro areas outside of Michigan. This is, in fact, one reason why I’m excited about Cheddar Up’s Zapier integration, because with new geographies will come more complexity. Thus, streamlining everywhere is our goal. I’m excited to expand Boss Ladies’ reach and help more female entrepreneurs.

Anything else we should know?

Just that I’m a big fan of Cheddar Up. I like what it does for my business and I love that it’s also founded by women! I refer it to other businesses and groups every chance I get.

Collect for FREE

Whether you’re collecting dues and fees, fundraising, managing an event, creating a sign up, or selling something online or in-person, you can do it with a Cheddar Up collection.

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