Women from around the area will meet in East Lansing today to work on achieving their professional goals. The purpose of the Horizon Conference is to give women the tools they need to pursue their career goals.

Shelley Davis Mielock, co-founder of the event, believes women have the power to move Michigan forward, but that means equipping them with the skill sets necessary to succeed in today's workforce.

"When i decided to start my own business, so many people said to me, no one is going to pay for that, but what you really want to do is focus on people who believe in you, your core values, you vision," said Mielock.

And Mielock's vision did become a reality. She started Mieshel Image Consulting, working either with businesses or clients one-on-one.

"I do leadership development, communications, networking - all those things because companies realize they're in a really competive work environment and to be sure you're getting the most you can business-wise, your employees have to be top notch," said Mielock.

Now she wants to help others become those top notch businesswomen through the Horizon Conference.

"We've put together an education opportunity for women of all walks of life to come and not just hear great things to make them feel wonderful, but to learn things to take with them to help move their career forward and as a by product move our state forward," Mielock explained.

Mielock says it's important to equip women with the right tools to succeed. The conference will focus on skills like networking, business etiquette, leadership, and appearance. The number one thing Mielock sees holding women back in business is a lack of confidence.

"When you don't feel confident it shows to everyone," said Mielock. "If you don't feel confident, people won't treat you like a successful person, but if you seem confident, and behave confidently, that's what people see. It's really important to fake it before you make it if you have to."

Mielock says women have to figure out who they are to find that confidence, and to follow their dreams.

"The idea of doing things is easy," Mielock said. "It's actually doing it that's hard. I hope women take the information today and work hard towards it, and then we'll see some changes in Michigan."

The Horizon Conference will have different educational tracks for entrepreneurs, recent graduates, women re-entering the workforce, and women looking to move up the corporate ladder. It's a day-long conference with a featured key note speaker.

The conference is almost at capacity, but if you are interested in going the best thing to do is just show up this morning at the Kellogg Center. The conference starts at 8:30 a.m.

For more information, just go to www.horizonmichigan.com.