Go

Are you a joiner? I am. I’m in a number of networking groups like BNI that have taught me the importance of “givers gain,” and not selling to the room. I’ve been a member of my local Chamber of Commerce off and on (mostly off) since 2004. Yesterday, we had a mixer at our local Wine of the Month Club. I don’t even drink wine or any other adult beverage, but here’s the thing about networking groups. They don’t work if you don’t go. So I grabbed my Q2 Monochrom, and I went. I saw old friends like Brenda from the Wonder Dog Ranch. Chamber staff like Bill, who asked what he could do to help me grow my business. Jeanette, “The Color Whisperer,” who understands the sublime art of interior design that makes our homes feel like home. Wes, a mortgage broker who used to be an IT guy AND a photographer. Maybe he knows something I don’t. Alex, a programmer, who I might be able to use on an upcoming project. Martha is focused on building a community of women over 50 who’ll be there for each other. Leticia is a sign maker, and when Michal, the merchant services guy, asked what her biggest sign was, I just had to blurt out, “you know the one on the side of the mountain that says ‘Hollywood?’ Now you know how I capture some of my best candid shots.

We all have groups we can connect with in our towns, where we can build relationships with kindred spirits, where we can advance a good cause or help somebody attract the right kind of customers or referral partners. We all have something to give, and to gain, but the only way for the magic to work is for us to go, to ask questions, to learn about these interesting people who run businesses in our communities. And to follow up. And to open up. Maybe we’re really great at running a gym, but we suck at accounting. We hate accounting, and we’re ashamed of what a mess our books are! But the accountant we meet at a Chamber mixer, recommended by other members, puts us at ease and lets us know there’s no shame in how we feel. It’s okay to suck at something and bring in an expert to help. I know in my own adventures, I run into successful businesses who never had the time to get a proper system in place for their IT. And they feel bad about the fact they have no backups, or they’re using personal Gmail for their business, or their router came from Best Buy. Each of us, as business owners, have many of these stories to share. If we’re fortunate, we get the opportunity to help our clients out of some sort of a bind, without judgement on what came before. That, to me, is what these networking groups foster, by bringing together people who show up and want to serve each other and the wider community.