If you ever met i2n board member Carly Meyer Bentley, one of the first things you’d likely ask is, “Where’d you get the business name The Freckled Strawberry?” What you should be asking is, “How do you effectively provide financial literacy and networking for women?”
Featured in The Top 100 Magazine, Carly worked in the finance industry for over 20 years before launching The Freckled Strawberry in December 2021.
The nonprofit organization is dedicated to empowering independence in women through individual development, career advancement, entrepreneurship and financial intelligence. Based in Philadelphia, The Freckled Strawberry helps women worldwide to gain a comprehensive knowledge of finance through a suite of resources, including an impressive cooperative of female professionals and entrepreneurs. All at no cost to the women participants.
“I’m the silent partner for trailblazers, lady bastons and high performers,” Carly says. ” “I call myself ‘consigliere’ because I am someone who gives it to you straight and will take your secrets to the grave. Because of that, people open their hearts to me.”
Carly has been instrumental in supporting and guiding i2n entrepreneurs and their startups, including Talonda Rogers, a nurse educator, healthcare practitioner and founder of the LISTEN App, which is being developed to address high rates of mortality and health complications for expectant mothers.
“Meeting and working with Carly could not have come at a better time for me and my business,” says Rogers. “It’s so refreshing to have Carly by my side because she understands my unique needs as a new woman business owner. What’s really great is that she is not only concerned with the financial health of my business, but is also concerned with guiding me in my personal finances as well.”
So how did Carly get the name “The Freckled Strawberry”?
Carly explains, “People think I chose the name because of my red hair and freckles. While this may be partially true, the strawberry plant resonates with me because it is a female plant. The main plant is referred to as ‘the mother,’ and vines that grow from that are fondly referred to as ‘the daughter plant.’ All life comes from the mother plant, who feeds the daughter from her vines. Our collaboration as women reflects the way women can nurture each other.”
Carly is past president of the Princeton Merchants Association, holds a bachelor’s degree from Northern Illinois University, completed the Robert Morris RMA Commercial Lending Program, is a Registered Investment Advisor with FINRA, and holds her Series 7 and 66 securities licenses.
Meet the i2n Network: Carly Meyer Bentley
CEO, Founder, and Empresaria
The Freckled Strawberry, Inc.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreckledStrawberry
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreckledstrawberry/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carly-meyer-bentley-99405119/