SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — An event designed to encourage women entrepreneurs and business owners took place Thursday morning in Sioux Falls.

Queen City Bakery is a popular destination for working professionals.

It’s also home to Coffee ‘n Connections.

“I have a referral group I go to, I have other groups that I attend but this one is the one where I come to get the camaraderie and to truly get the collaboration from other women,” Insurance Agent Amber Johnson said.

Amber Johnson is an insurance agent in Parker. She says the size of the group varies from week to week, but it’s always supportive.

“There are so many businesses in this area, which is amazing, but so many of them are trying to target the same audience so sometimes you have to try and find something that helps you find your niche and this group helped me find mine,” Johnson said.

“They’re not selling or pushing anything, it’s just a welcoming environment,” Teddy Bear Den Community Health Worker Toni Connors said.

Coffee ‘n Connections got its start in October 2018. Toni Connors works at The Teddy Bear Den in Sioux Falls and is new to the group.

“It’s just a supportive place for women to meet and build each other up and applaud at our successes and that’s what drew me to this group,” Connors said.

Coffee ‘n Connections isn’t all business, it’s also an opportunity to talk life.

“Parenting stuff or being a mom, being a women, all that. It’s just a great group to connect with other like-minded people,” Carrie Thompson said.

Carrie Thompson owns Butterfly Boutique Collective in Sioux Falls.

“It’s just fun to come and talk and not have to worry about things of life and just be in the moment with these other women,” Thompson said.

And the relationships extend beyond the walls of the bakery.

“Because everybody in business just has days where they want to give up, where they just don’t know if they’re headed in the right direction anymore and these are the women that I call,” Johnson said.

Coffee ‘n Connections meets every other Thursday between 8:00 and 9:30 a.m. at Queen City Bakery in downtown Sioux Falls.