Homebound in Manhattan while battling a serious ailment, the former model occupied her time by crafting stylish pillows and quilts for friends' pets. Then, her creations caught the eye of InStyle magazine and other national media, and a business was born.

Today, Perkins-Rawle runs her growing pet products company, Harry Barker, from Charleston. Her advice for success: "You can't do it alone."

Perkins-Rawle is one of three local business women who'll be featured Wednesday at a networking event aimed at women entrepreneurs, though men are welcome. Also speaking are Kathryn Peters, CEO of women's clothing business Putamayo, and Rita O'Neill, general manager of WCSC-TV. The women will share their strategies for business growth.

The Center for Women and The Citadel School of Business Administration are the main sponsors of the event. Based in Charleston, the Center for Women is a nonprofit group aimed at helping women achieve personal and professional success. The organization offers educational programs, a referral service, counseling and peer support groups. Next year, the center plans to establish a clinic to help women navigate business-related legal issues.

This is the center's second networking event for entrepreneurs. The first one, held in April, drew more than 200 attendees.

"Women are the fastest-growing segment for small-business growth," said Jennet Robinson Alterman, the center's executive director. Wednesday's networking event will give budding entrepreneurs or business owners the chance to ask questions and share ideas about starting or building a business, she said.

Experts say business women can profit from networking.

"Networks are important at all stages of career development and growth," said Dorothy Perrin Moore, distinguished professor of entrepreneurship at The Citadel's business school. That's because today's working world is highly competitive and business people need to be connected to resources and information, she said.

But there are personal reasons to network, as well. "For professional women and entrepreneurs, successful networks provide a combination of information, a sanity check and a release," Moore said.

John Clarkin, director of the Tate Center for Entrepreneurship at the College of Charleston, notes that there's a strong "good ol' girls" support network in Charleston. "They (business women) need to get plugged into that," he said.

Women in business often face different challenges from men, including acting as a family's primary caregiver or taking on most household chores, research shows. But that hasn't stopped many women from taking the plunge into entrepreneurship.

"Across the country, there's a huge wave of women-owned businesses starting," Clarkin said.

But Perkins-Rawle, 46, said she had a lot of learning to do along the way.

After her products got national exposure in the mid-1990s, business got so busy she couldn't keep up. So she put the endeavor on hold to write a business plan and plot her strategy. She researched the pet industry, made business contacts, and learned about everything from manufacturing to packaging. She also sought support and advice from friends and mentors.

In 2000, she opened a store in Savannah, Ga. She moved her business to Charleston last year after marrying local marketing executive David Rawle.

Today, her company, Harry Barker, is part of the fast-growing, $31 billion pet industry. The company employs five people and sells everything from pet futons to pet sweaters through wholesalers and retailers, and through its Web site, harrybarker.com. Sales this year are expected to reach $1 million.

Women entrepreneurs shouldn't be afraid to ask for help and should seek out resources like the Center for Women, Perkins-Rawle said. "We've got to keep growing and learning."

GROWING FAST

-- The number of women-owned businesses is growing at twice the rate of all U.S. firms, and these businesses are increasing in economic clout.

-- There are about 10.6 million private U.S. businesses in which a woman or women owned at least 50 percent.

-- Between 1997 and 2004, the number of privately held U.S. companies that were equally- or majority-owned by women grew 17 percent, compared to 9 percent among all private companies.

-- South Carolina is home to an estimated 128,447 privately held companies that are equally- or majority-owned by women. These businesses made up almost 42 percent of all privately held companies in the state, and generated more than $29 billion in sales.

-- South Carolina ranks 8th in the nation in growth in the number of such businesses between 1997 and 2004.

WANT TO GO?

The Charleston-based Center for Women and The Citadel School of Business Administration are sponsoring an entrepreneurs networking event from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday in Mark Clark Hall auditorium at The Citadel.

The event will include presentations from three local business women, a question-and-answer period and small-group networking.

Registration is required and there is a $10 charge. For more information, visit c4women.org or call 763-7333.

Caroline Fossi covers retailing. Contact her at 937-5524 or cfossi@postandcourier.com.