Nearly 350 women business owners from four states are set to converge on Franklin on Friday, October 23, for Women Connect Live 2026, a full-day conference built around the theme “Extraordinary” that pairs a marketplace of women-owned brands with a main stage lineup including a five-time Olympic gold medalist and a Hollywood stuntwoman.
The flagship event, held annually since 2021, will take place at Liberty Hall at The Factory at Franklin, according to News Channel 5 Nashville. The venue itself carries its own history: Liberty Hall offers a 14,400-square-foot space inside a converted 1920s stove manufacturing plant that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as noted by FranklinIs. Ticket prices for the day range from $250 to $350, per Visit Franklin.
From a Franklin Living Room to a Four-State Network
Women Connect began as a single local gathering, founded in January 2020 by Franklin resident Lucy Miller, per the station's report. What started as Franklin Women Connect rebranded to TN Women Connect in 2021 before expanding into Alabama, Kentucky, and Georgia, according to Nashville Voyager. Today the organization hosts monthly connection events open to members and non-members alike, with no industry restrictions, built around connection, collaboration, education, and fun, the same report notes.
This year's conference will bring together about 350 women business owners and professionals from four states and beyond for a day of speakers, a marketplace showcasing women-owned products and services, and networking, according to News Channel 5 Nashville. The main stage lineup includes Missy Franklin Johnson, Mignon Francois, Carla Pierson, Mary Ford, Hannah Betts, Saba Chishti, and Michelle Taylor, the outlet reports.
An Olympian, a Stuntwoman, and a Cupcake Entrepreneur Take the Stage
Johnson, a five-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer, is set to deliver a keynote presenting what organizers describe as an “Olympic-level framework for achieving extraordinary goals,” according to a Women Connect Facebook post. Betts, described by the same report as a professional stuntwoman, brings a background as a former UK police officer and world-champion skydiver who performed in films including Jurassic World and Ant-Man, according to The Stuntwomen's Association. Betts will teach attendees how to transform fear into fuel, the group says.
Mignon Francois launched The Cupcake Collection in Germantown in 2008 with $5.
New This Year: Content Creation and AI Workshops
For 2026, the conference expands into a three-part experience, beginning the day before with Create LIVE, a hands-on content creation workshop, followed by a VIP evening featuring an AI Masterclass focused on lead generation and AI search optimization, according to Visit Franklin. That VIP evening takes place the night before Women Connect Live itself, News Channel 5 Nashville reports.
The expansion lands amid a broader statewide entrepreneurial boom. Small businesses account for more than 99% of all Tennessee firms and nearly half of the state's workforce, with Tennessee ranking first in the Southeast and fourth nationally for job growth among micro-businesses with fewer than 10 employees between 2021 and 2024, according to the Tennessee Business Enterprise Resource Office.
Women own 42% of U.S. businesses generating $1.9 trillion in revenue. Tickets and full event details for Women Connect Live 2026 are available at wearewomenconnect.com, per News Channel 5 Nashville.
