A Powerful community for women And Gender Diverse Entrepreneurs.

WHO WE ARE

Weak Ties/Strong Bonds is a tight-knit community of women and gender diverse entrepreneurs who are conceiving a new, non-competitive way to approach business. We support our members in creating financial freedom, building businesses they love, and connecting them with impactful resources to help them to grow and thrive.

More community. Less competition.

More money. Less scarcity.

More freedom. Less dependence.

More confidence. Less insecurity.

Weak Ties. Strong Bonds.

WHAT ARE WEAK TIES?

In 1973, Stanford sociologist Mark Granovetter released his groundbreaking paper, “The Strength of Weak Ties,” in which his research showed that a person’s weak ties – their casual connections and loose acquaintances – were more helpful than their strong ones in securing employment. 

Fifty years later, the theory holds up.

A 2022 study conducted over five years with 20 million people around the world (thanks LinkedIn!) confirmed that “the greatest job mobility comes from moderately weak ties.”

With Weak Ties/Strong Bonds, we embrace the weak ties theory that’s supported by scientific study - and that we’ve seen play out numerous times in our own businesses - to create a community that both drives revenue and provides support for women and gender diverse entrepreneurs. In doing so, we foster strong bonds that drive economic opportunity and reimagine what it means to do business.

OUR MISSION

A diverse group of women sit on stairs smiling and laughing with one another. The image portrays the community and support of the Weak Ties/Strong Bonds community of women and gender diverse entrepreneurs.

With this community, our goal is to connect the amazing women and gender diverse entrepreneurs in our networks -- those with weak ties to one another -- to create strong bonds, a supportive community, and economic power.

Our Offerings

  • Three women holding drinks talk in the background. In the foreground are cutting boards with ingredients for dinner, a charcuterie plate, and wine. The photo represents the community available to women and gender diverse entrepreneurs through WT/SB.

    Dinners

    Our intimate dinners in NYC bring together curated groups of women and gender diverse entrepreneurs to make genuine connections, get support on business challenges and roadblocks, and expand their networks in a meaningful and impactful way.

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  • Three women and gender diverse entrepreneurs sit around a table with laptops and notebooks open in front of them. They are laughing while executing work. The photo represents the fun atmosphere at Work With Weak Ties/Strong Bonds Days.

    Work With Days

    Our communal co-working days offer a fun, flexible (and free!) way to connect with other entrepreneurs who understand that launching, growing, and sustaining a business can be challenging and sometimes lonely. Bring your to do list and get sh*t done in good company!

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  • A group of four diverse women stand in a semi-circle holding drinks and chatting in front of a colorful mural. The photo hints at the types of social events that will be planned for the forthcoming Weak Ties/Strong Bonds membership.

    Membership

    The forthcoming WT/SB membership will offer exclusive events, valuable discounts, curated spaces, strategic business support, and - of course - deep connection with our dynamic, successful, supportive community of women and gender diverse entrepreneurs excited to share their network to advance your business.

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WHO SHOULD JOIN

Entrepreneur. Freelancer. Founder. If you’re like us, you have a lot of associations with these terms - some positive, some negative, some centered strongly on a 20-something white guy with $50 million of someone else’s money two years away from a high-profile fraud trial. Whether you wore the entrepreneur title proudly from the first day you incorporated that LLC or still struggle with how to list your experience working for yourself on LinkedIn, we have a community for you.

One of the central tenets of the Weak Ties theory is that weak ties are beneficial precisely because they do have experiences, ideas and connections different from you and the people you’re closest with.

To that end, whether you’re side hustling while working a full-time job, or running a company with thousands of employees, the Weak Ties/Strong Bonds community has a lot to offer if you:

✔ Are a woman and/or gender diverse person

✔ Earn at least some of your income from your own, independent goods or services

✔ Infuse your business with genuine care and excellence

✔ Are a generous soul who believes that we create abundance by empowering others as well as ourselves

A beautiful table is laid out with flowers, candles and serving platters, representing the intimate and elegant atmosphere of Weak Ties/Strong Bonds dinners.
Two women holding drinks socialize in the background. In the foreground are cutting boards with dinner ingredients and wine. The photo conveys the community and conversation available at WT/SB dinners.

Join Us For Dinner

It all started with a simple idea. We wanted to create a networking event that felt unlike any we’d been to before. We wanted to test out the Weak Ties theory in a thoughtfully curated setting. And we wanted it to feel intimate, inspiring, and (perhaps most of all) not awkward. 


So we threw a dinner party - the type of dinner party we’d want to attend. (Think great food, flowing wine, a gorgeous setting.) And it took off. Now our signature event, WT/SB dinners offer curated conversation, a delicious spread, and powerful connections to support your business growth. Pull up a chair. We can’t wait to meet you.

YOuR Hosts

A close up photo shows Weak Ties/Strong Bonds founders Lauren Karasek and Laura Maurer leaning their heads towards each other and smiling at the camera.

With almost 20 years of entrepreneurial experience between them (and even more experience braving slews of awkward networking events) your hosts are experienced facilitators who understand the importance of turning weak ties into strong bonds and know how to seamlessly create authentic and wildly impactful connections.