Lauree Ostrofsky has a theory about entrepreneurs: they’re often lifelong A students, people who continually try to do everything “right,” sometimes to their own detriment. She explains, “Most of us found third grade really comfortable; we knew exactly what was expected of us to get an A or a gold star. That structure is less clear as an adult. We’re looking around at what everyone else is doing and comparing ourselves to them, or seeking approval. Looking out instead of looking in can get in the way of trusting ourselves and running our business.”

This lack of clarity is one of the reasons she founded Hudson Valley Women in Business (HVWiB). Made up of female business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs, HVWIB members meet both in person and online to engage in conversation, share information, and offer support, all with the goal of moving their businesses—and those of the women around them—forward.

Ostrofsky, a former New York City marketer, was diagnosed with a brain tumor at age 28. Following a trio of surgeries, she realized that while she didn’t have control over external circumstances, she did have power over her thoughts and feelings. “They were creating the reality I was experiencing in my hospital bed, and they had the biggest impact,” she says.

After making the conscious choice to let go of her fear and anger, Ostrofksy found herself on the road to recovery. Shortly after, she founded Simply Leap business coaching, based in Kingston, which celebrated its twelfth anniversary this year. She’s also the author of Simply Leap: Seven Lessons on Facing Fear and Enjoying the Crap out of Your Life.

Though she loved her new career, Ostrofsky realized that the independent contractor life was isolating, so she invited four local business owners out for drinks. The group clicked instantly. When one woman suggested they get together again, Ostrofsky piped up, “What about the same time next month?”

Hudson Valley Women in Business, a Simply Leap community, sprang organically from these roots, and now boasts an active community of about 2,100 women around the region, from Westchester County to Albany. Most are in their 40s and up and have established businesses, with a growing contingent of 35-and-under entrepreneurs. The majority are service providers, though some create and sell products.

HVWiB’s free Facebook group has become a hub of activity. Ostrofsky posts daily prompts to help women think strategically about their businesses, and members are encouraged to post questions or requests for referrals. “It’s for women business owners to lean on and learn from one another, wherever they are in the Hudson Valley,” Ostrofsky says.

Informal monthly coffee meetings, based on the original model, are run by women business owners in Beacon, New Paltz, Newburgh, Tuxedo, Poughkeepsie, Hudson, and Albany. The meetings cover topics from when it’s time to scale up to how to build and e-mail list, and even uncomfortable subjects like money—and how asking for fair rates benefits everyone in the business community.

In addition, Ostrofsky holds once-a-month meetings that are open to all members; these are usually hosted by a woman-owned business and feature a speaker or panel. She also hosts monthly Powerhouse Masterminds, in-depth conversation-based workshops for more established business owners. Full-day retreats on specific topics happen three times a year.

Ostrofsky acknowledges the skepticism that sometimes surrounds groups like Hudson Valley Women in Business. “There’s always a backlash to women-only things,” she notes. “As women, for many years, we’ve ignored or forgiven bad behavior—advances, bad language, put-downs—in favor of getting stuff done. The conversation goes differently when it’s just women in the room.”

She adds, “It’s very powerful to notice how we, no matter our gender, do business differently.”

How do women approach business differently? According to Ostrofsky, women are more intuitive, often taking the pulse of room and making suggestions based on opportunities that present themselves. They’re also natural collaborators, looking for ways to complement, rather than compete with, one another. And women are instinctive connectors. “As soon as we meet someone, we’re thinking, ‘Oh, you should know so-and-so,’” she says. Women tend to be each other’s champions, as well, and are more likely to express admiration for a job well done, or offer emotional support for a colleague who needs a boost.

Identifying our unique ways of doing business, Ostrofsky believes, makes us more effective as business owners, and more open to new approaches that can improve the way we work. To that end, she has developed a series of fall events cohosted by area businesses with expertise on different topics. The goal is to help female entrepreneurs turn the dial, to expand their business networks, increase their income, and take on major leadership roles within the region, and perhaps even beyond. It’s the grown-up version of a gold star, earned by recognizing our own value and abilities, and how those skills can, at the most immediate level, fulfill a customer’s needs—and how they may just effect positive change in the business world.

This article originally appeared in the November issue of Berkshire HomeStyle. Learn more about Hudson Valley Women in Business here.