Nicole Wehner: Transforming Bucks County Business Networking Through Community Connection
When Nicole Wehner felt out of place at traditional networking events, she didn't just find a new group—she created an entirely new model for how women support each other in business.
Nicole Wehner, Founder and CEO of the Bucks County Business Women’s Network (BCBWN), has spent the past two years redefining what professional networking looks like for women across our region. What started as a personal quest for authentic connection has evolved into a thriving community of business owners who gather not just to exchange business cards, but to genuinely lift each other up. Through her integrated approach of networking events, confidence coaching, and innovative programming like Net-Walking, Nicole has created something rare: a business community that actually feels like a community.
Nicole Wehner is a 2025 Bucks County Parent Women of Influence Award Winner
Bucks County Parent’s Women of Influence Network and Awards celebrate exceptional women making significant impacts in our community. Nicole was nominated and selected based on her achievements and dedication to creating positive change in her community. Each Women of Influence Award Winner has committed to support Family Focus Media’s core values. Together, we are committed to foster a sense of belonging and empowerment for all for all families. All backgrounds, races, genders, and sexual orientations are welcome and safe with us.
Beyond the awards, our Women of Influence Luncheons and Speed Networking Night attendees come together as our Women of Influence Network, a community fostering connections, collaboration, and mutual support.
The Spark That Started It All
Nicole’s journey began during her time running Fashion Gem Apparel, her brick-and-mortar women’s boutique. Seeking to expand her network, she attended several traditional networking groups but consistently felt like an outsider. “I just was not feeling that warm and fuzzy feeling. It seemed a little bit cliquey,” she recalls. “I was different because I’m coming in all dressed—here I was like a fashion stylist and everybody else is kind of just traditional business attire. I think I was viewed as someone like ‘oh, who’s that,’ you know?”
Rather than conform or give up, Nicole saw an opportunity. “I thought, you know what? I want to create something of my own where people are accepted no matter what, whether they’re dressed to the nines or they’re wearing a uniform or a logo tee that they wear for work.” This vision of unwavering acceptance became the foundation for everything that followed.
From Five to Forty: Growing with Intention
When BCBWN held its first meeting at the Temperance House in Newtown in 2023, twelve women showed up—a promising start for a brand-new group. “We had some meetings where we only had five people in the beginning, and you know, that was okay,” Nicole reflects. Today, BCBWN has grown to over 2,100 members and stands among the largest women’s networking groups in Bucks County. Her events regularly draw 30 to 40 attendees, but she measures success differently than most business leaders.
“I don’t really judge it based on that because it’s always a great meeting, a great vibe, and no matter how many of us are there we’re all connecting and uplifting each other,” she explains. “A lot of times with those more intimate meetings, you can get a little more out of it. Some people don’t work well in large environments, so it may be better for them and easier for them to connect when they don’t feel overwhelmed.”
The Power of Unexpected Collaboration
One of Nicole’s proudest observations involves watching potential competitors become collaborators. Within BCBWN’s wellness community, she’s witnessed something remarkable: instead of viewing each other as competition, practitioners have formed their own collaborative events and groups. “They see me and I’m very supportive of others who are doing the same thing that I’m doing,” Nicole notes. “I really try to set the example of ‘let’s all support each other, collaborate and help each other.'”
This collaborative spirit has led to studio owners bringing in complementary practitioners, yoga instructors partnering with wellness product vendors, and professionals finding ways to support rather than compete with each other. “They found some areas where ‘okay, you offer this and I don’t, so maybe we can collaborate there and I can help you and you can help me bring more people into my studio.'”
Coaching Confidence Into Action
Nicole’s background as a young performer—she danced, sang, and appeared in plays and musicals—gave her early experience with public speaking. Still, she went through a period where anxiety crept in when addressing professional peers. “There was a point in my career where I suffered some anxiety and was shaken when I was getting up to speak in front of my peers,” she shares. Working through that challenge taught her how to help others do the same.
Her coaching philosophy centers on rewiring negative self-talk. “I would just give them another target word to focus on when they’re thinking ‘I’m afraid’—change that verbiage to ‘I’m strong. I’m brave. I can do this.’ We’re not going to say ‘I can’t’ anymore. We’re not going to say ‘I’m afraid.’ We’re going to change that and rewire our brains.”
Innovation in Networking
Nicole’s creativity shines through in her programming innovations. Beyond traditional lunch meetings, she’s introduced “networking” walks, or “Net-Walking”, that combine fitness, nature, and business conversations. These walks often include educational components—her recent B-roll workshops taught participants how to capture professional video content while walking through scenic locations.
“We caught some great footage on the Net-Walk with a lot of greenery, leaves on the trees, the water and how the light dances between the trees,” she describes. “I gave them a treasure hunt of things that they had to capture, photographing themselves walking forward on the path from different angles.”
The group also hosts murder mystery events at the historic Manor House in Newtown Crossing—a pre-revolutionary mansion that provides the perfect backdrop for these community-building gatherings. These events, which regularly draw about 40 participants, also serve a charitable purpose, raising funds for Main Street Doylestown through raffles.
The Business Behind the Mission
While passion drives Nicole’s work, she’s also built a sustainable business model. BCBWN offers tiered memberships, from basic Facebook group access to elite memberships ($49 annually), to spotlight memberships that include coaching support and enhanced visibility opportunities. “I really try to appeal to all different members no matter what their budget is so that they can be included,” she explains.
Her coaching business integrates seamlessly with the networking group, offering everything from confidence coaching to business launch support. For spotlight members, she develops 10-12 custom engaging questions specific to their industry and niche, designed to attract their ideal audience and start meaningful conversations within the group.
Behind the Curtain
Nicole calls herself “the connection queen” and jokes that she’s “kind of like the Wizard of Oz behind the curtain pulling all the strings to make it all happen.” The time investment is significant—more than most people would consider worthwhile from a purely financial standpoint. “I don’t do it for the money,” she emphasizes. “For a long time it was no compensation whatsoever and just a passion project.”
What keeps her going are the testimonials and transformations she witnesses. “The feedback really always just kind of makes me blush or warms my heart,” she says. “Whether it’s a member or a coaching client who just is getting something out of whatever it is that I’m doing or teaching, or maybe even some collaboration that they had with another member—all of those things really warm my heart and make me feel like ‘okay, this is why I’m doing this.'”
Looking Forward
Nicole’s vision for growth is both ambitious and grounded. Currently operating as a one-person business while managing coaching clients and group programming, she recognizes her capacity limits. “As it is right now, my focus is really on growth in the group and growth in the memberships. And once that gets to a certain point, I’ll bring on some individuals to help out so that it’s not just me running everything.”
Her long-term vision includes potential franchising opportunities in other counties, but always with the same core values of acceptance, support, and authentic connection.
Advice for Changemakers
For women looking to create change in their communities, Nicole’s advice is practical and heartfelt: “Talk to me,” she says with a laugh, before offering deeper wisdom. “Having somebody as a mentor, whether it’s a coach or maybe it’s a family member that gives good advice who’s also supportive—you just have to find that person who’s more of your cheerleader instead of the devil’s advocate.”
She emphasizes the importance of choosing your advisors wisely, especially in the early stages of pursuing change. “When you’re in that space of ‘okay, I want to explore,’ then starting out with the devil’s advocate is not the go-to. You want to go to the person who’s really going to embrace what it is that you’re looking to do.”
A Legacy of Connection
Nicole Wehner’s impact extends far beyond business networking. She has created a model that proves professional relationships can be both profitable and profoundly meaningful. By meeting people where they are, celebrating differences, and fostering genuine support, she’s transformed how women in Bucks County experience professional community.
As she reflects on her journey from feeling like an outsider to creating a space where no one has to feel that way, Nicole truly embodies the change she wanted to see. In a world where networking often feels transactional, she’s built something transformational—and our entire business community is stronger because of it.
