ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Next month, 10 different Western North Carolina women’s business groups will unite for a business social. The event is organized by Hive Ambition, a community hub for female entrepreneurs.
The function, “Better Together: The Inaugural WNC Women in Business Social,” will be held from 6-8 p.m., Tuesday, March 10 at The Mule at Devil’s Foot Beverage, 131 Sweeten Creek Road. “Better Together” is free and open to all women in business. Register here.
Less networking, more connecting
Ashley Sterken and Rachel Africh, founders of Hive Ambition, want to be clear: “Better Together” is not a networking event.
“It’s a very casual social event, and that’s kind of Hive, this whole thing. Our events, that’s how they all are. They’re all socials, they’re all mixers. They’re just a way for people to meet each other,” said Africh. “Because we just feel like, you know, networking–”
“–sucks,” supplied Sterken. “We’ve never called them a networking event. One of the lines I always say at the event is, you can talk about your business. You can not talk about your business. Like, I literally don’t care. This is for you. Whatever you need tonight.”
Instead, the mixer is intended to unite women working in an often lonely field.
“We’re all just so excited to bring everyone together in one place for the first time and really show all of the women doing business in Western North Carolina how much support she has available to her,” Africh said. “To hit the nail on the head, entrepreneurship is just lonely, and it’s hard, and it is so much easier if you have support and you are walking alongside others who are doing it too.”
The evening will be loose and unstructured, the Hive founders said. Following a brief introduction from each woman detailing who they are and what they do, “Better Together” will allow women to talk in a safe, free-flowing space. No pitches, no panels, no presentations.
“The rest of the night is really, truly for women to meet each other. To be able to connect,” said Sterken.
Women of the hour
In addition to the Hive team, nine other organizations will have members in attendance at “Better Together,” marking the first time all of the groups have united in one place.
The other attendees include:
- AVL Digital Nomads, a social network for remote workers
- AVL Beauty Boost, a women’s beauty and wellness community
- She Owns It, a monthly women’s meet-up
- Woman Strong, a women’s support group
- Empowerment Collective, a women’s networking and speaker series
- WomanUp of Asheville Chamber of Commerce, an Asheville Chamber networking initiative for women in business
- Ladies Lifestyle Network, a women’s lifestyle networking group
- The Unofficial Connection Hub, a casual women’s social group
- Power of Women, a women’s collective for business leaders
For more about the event, click here.
Behind Hive
The structure of “Better Together” is reflective of the mission of Hive in general. The company operates a massive, private social network for female business leaders. Hive members enjoy an app with its own social feed and group chat, regular virtual events, expert workshops and co-working sessions.
“We have a private social network where members ask questions, give advice and share the things they can’t talk about anywhere else,” Hive explained in a website FAQ. “While many of our members have gotten business or partnerships from being a part of the community, we don’t consider ourselves a ‘networking’ group. Our focus is on building real, meaningful connections with each other, not on trying to pitch and sell our services to one another.”
The network will continue to grow in 2026, with more features, events and a brand new app planned for 2026. Learn more at www.hiveambition.com.