About BizBestie Walk
BizBestie Walk is an in-person community for women business owners in New Jersey, designed to make connecting feel easy — without the pressure of traditional networking.
Our meetups are welcoming, inclusive, and intentionally small. No big stage energy. No getting lost in the crowd. Just real conversation and genuine connection.
We bring women entrepreneurs together to build genuine relationships, spark new opportunities, and support the small businesses that make our downtowns feel special.
Sharon’s Story
I founded my first business in 2016, and for over seven years I built a community for my studio families.
But I never made time to build one for myself. Owning a business often felt lonely.
In 2024, I launched a web design and SEO studio, and I spent that first year behind a screen almost every day.
I wanted to connect in person with women who were brave enough to build something of their own, just like I was, so I explored networking for the first time.
For five months, I tried all the things: happy hours, NYC events, packed rooms, expensive communities, Zoom networking, and more than my share of virtual coffee chats.
But as an introvert, big events often left me drained and open networking felt like the wild west.
Delivering the “perfect intro” in front of a room full of strangers felt overwhelming, especially while building a new business and battling imposter syndrome.
And virtual networking never did it for me either. Being dropped into Zoom breakout rooms with no idea who you’d meet always left me feeling frazzled.
What I really wanted was a networking event my nervous system didn’t have to recover from — one that actually made room for real conversation.
-Sharon Calle
So I created BizBestie Walk, a more natural way to grow your business through real conversation and real connection.
For years, I thought my introversion was something I needed to overcome. Now, I’m embracing who I am, and building the kind of community I always wished existed.
If that means skipping events that overload my nervous system and choosing something calmer instead, I’m all for it.
Follow along as we grow BizBestie Walk into a community where every woman has the chance to build her business, feel supported, and feel included, without the overwhelm.
The Inspiration Behind BizBestie Walk
My journey as a business owner began about a decade ago, when I left my teaching career to launch a mobile art studio in Morris County, NJ. That chapter included two years operating a thriving creative studio in a Main Street storefront, just before the pandemic.
Even before COVID, I watched neighboring small businesses struggle with inconsistent foot traffic, and some even closed their doors. Many relied on busy weekends, while weekdays were often quiet.
I often heard locals say, “I wish I knew that place existed.”
That stayed with me.
For many brick-and-mortar businesses, the challenge isn’t just competition — it’s visibility and steady customer flow throughout the week.
That perspective is a big part of why BizBestie Walk is designed the way it is. Our meetups intentionally bring groups into local shops and cafés on weekdays, when many businesses need traffic the most.
BizBestie Walk is also inspired by my daily walks and my travels in Italy, where wandering through picturesque towns with my camera and stopping at a local café became my favorite way to explore.
