LOS ANGELES — There’s food, fire, and friends. Well, not friends per say, and that’s a good thing. 

“Your closets girlfriends are fantastic, but they’re going to be your cheerleaders and at the end of the day you want an honest opinion from like-minded women,” Corey Spiegel said. 

Speigel left a 20-plus year career in digital advertising and marketing to create her own business, Light House. She wanted a community for like-minded women to share, advise, and inspire.

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“In my career, I always reported to a board of directors, so when I was deciding to start this, I thought 'I wish I had a board of directors to weigh in on this decision.' I had two kids. Instead of talking to family, I wanted to talk to other women who had been through this before. And I thought, 'Why can’t I have a board of directors for my personal life?'” she said. 

Indeed, it’s warranted, because women starting businesses is serious business. A women-owned businesses report, commissioned by American Express, says the number of women-owned businesses has increased around 3,000 percent in the last nearly 50 years.

Spiegel believes the best way she can grow as a businesswoman is to bounce ideas off other businesswomen and get real authentic honest feedback—like it or not.

She created roundtables of entrepreneurs and business owners to share strategies, ask questions, and learn all angles and aspects of the business world—all from the comfort of couches in her home.

At one meeting, celebrity skincare expert Nurse Jamie shared her story of creating and growing her business into what is now a global brand. 

Spiegel moderates the roundtables with topics ranging from making smart financial choices to caring for your aging parents. 

“You’re getting an unbiased opinion from thought leaders, intelligent women that have paved the way before you,” she said. 

After weeks and weeks of classes together, these women may leave friends, but first, it's all business. That's what they came for.