Anything is Possible If You Network

I always talk about the year 2007 as the year things changed for me.  I was at the tail end of my career at Staples and living the life that revolved around my corporate job.   I received an email from Northeastern about an Alumni Networking Event and how it attracts a mixed group of entrepreneurs, corporate professionals and forever students.   I was like, hmm, entrepreneurs.   Entrepreneurism was something you really didn't hear about in the walls of Staples Corporate.

So I went to an event, and then went to another one.  Eventually, I was going every month to Northeastern and meeting alumni in all phases of their career.   I also noticed something.  The entrepreneurs always were positive, always smiled, and was interesting to talk to.    I started connecting to "non-corporate" professionals on Linkedin, studied their profiles and was intrigued with the their professional life.

Ironically, at one of the Northeastern networking events, I was introduced to a business opportunity in internet marketing.  It was a foreign world to me.  Residual income, leveraged time, a Plan B?  Plan B to what?  So I started my business franchise with Market America, because heck, what did I have to lose and the products were damn good.   I started making different friends and started removing myself from the negative energy of the corporate world.   There was a distinct difference in energy between an entrepreneur. avid networking and the 9-to-5 corporate professional and I was engulfing in the world of business networking.

I also started going to other networking events over the next few years, expanded my business into the world of social media marketing, and became the positive energy that influenced me.   There were days I could not wait till the end of the work day, so I can go to an event and meet another 20-25 people.  Eventually, I started my own networking group and had my own events, since it was a great way to build business relationship and expose my business opportunity.

Along the way, I met a couple of entrepreneurs that were starting an internet content platform that focused on entrepreneurs and small business ownership.   They asked me if I like to do my own radio show on social media and business networking.  Wait a minute, in 2007, I was that introverted IT guy at Staples, and now in 2014, I am a radio guy entrenched into the world of social media marketing, how is that possible?   IT guys and marketing don't mix.  Well, actually  they do.   IT is all about innovation and ideas and you need to be an extrovert and know how to market your product or service.

Looking back,it made me think anything is possible if you get out there and network.  Living the life of going to work, then going home to watch TV, doesn't cut it anymore.  Anything is Possible if you network.  An IT guy becoming a radio personality?  An IT Guy that knows marketing?   It is possible, if you network and connect with the right people.   Give it a try.

Networking Tips From Yours Truly - In My Own Words

Ever since I had an epiphany back in 2007 that my professional world is changing and that I will need to always keep my options open for success, I have networked with other professionals.   It started at my alma mater, Northeastern University, going to the Alumni networking events and meeting entrepreneurs for the first time along side corporate professionals.  It was a whole new world, that led me to become an entrepreneur myself and start various businesses alongside my primary career in IT.  Over time, I went to more networking events managed by various organizations in Greater Boston and then eventually I started my own group called Mass Professional Networking.     So, I have had some experience including meeting people from all walks of life and with different motives for going to networking events.

What I like to do now is share some observations and tips on how to conduct yourself and be prepared when going to a business networking event.

First, it is a business networking event, not a place to find a date.   Recently I have met younger female entrepreneurs that were really green (no business cards - I will get to that later) when it comes to networking that seem to put their guard up when a male tries to introduce themselves.  Um, you are at a business networking event, it is not a social "pick you up" event.   My tip here if you are married or in a relationship, mention your significant other in conversation and focus on questions about their profession and why they are at the event.   And guys, look at the ladies in the eyes, not "below the eyes".  Show respect and you will get their respect.

Second, a networking event is not a place to get buzzed on booze.  Yes, you may need a drink to loosen up and build confidence, but I have seen people get kicked out of an event or say inappropriate things after having a few too many.  Think, would you get drunk at work?   Going to a networking event is for work, so take it easy on the alcohol.

Third,  have a game plan before you go to a networking event.  What is the reason you are going? What are you focusing on if you have multiple businesses/ professions.   If you meet me, one of the first questions I ask is what are your goals at the event, so I will be able to add value and help that person out.   An example, if you are a realtor, you may want to meet a real estate lawyer or a mortgage broker.

Fourth, bring business cards!  I was at an event last Wednesday and met about 20 people and only 5 had business cards.   The whole goal of a networking event is to meet other business professionals and follow-up with any contact that you may want to do business with.  How can that happen if you don't have your business card with you?

Fifth, mingle.   You didn't go to a networking event to stay in a close circle talking to your friends.  You go to networking events to focus on people that you don't know and expand your network.  You never know who you will meet.   When chatting with someone else, stand in a V format so that another person can come over and join the conversation.   If you don't want to talk to anyone, then you shouldn't be at the event.

Sixth tip, don't be shy and stand by yourself.    Everyone is normally at a networking event for the same reason and want to meet you.  The best places to mingle is by the food or near the front of the event.   Walk around and observe people and I bet someone will reach out and shake your hand and start a conversation with you.

Seventh, don't be a salesman.    I have met countless people where the first ten minutes they blurt out their scripted sales pitch and why their product or service is best and I find myself looking at my watch, my phone or the food, hoping they would stop.   Only give your thirty second elevator pitch when asked.  I will say it again, when asked.    Introduce each other and ask why they are at the networking event and bring up another topic like sports or weather.  Make the conversation natural, not one-sided.

My final tip is go to an event with the intention to help others.  Whether you have a product or service to help someone or know someone that can help, chances are that something will come out of every relationship you build through an introduction at a networking event.

I hope I was able to shed some light on what to do at a business networking event.   I have been out there for a while now and have seen it all.    I now have a radio show called DeSocial Strategies where I have guests on and we chat a lot about business networking.   I learn from my guests all the time.  It is what make this time in our lives so exciting.   Happy Networking!

My Love For Boston

There is no city in the world that means more to me than Boston.   It all started at Northeastern University back in the early 1990s.   I was only one of two people in my high school class at Cranston High School  East in Rhode Island that made the move to that big city 50 miles to the north to begin my journey into the world of college and eventually the professional world.  I remembered my first week in Boston, meeting new people, walking around my new city and attending orientation when Northeastern President Ryder mentioned "Look to Your Left, then Look to Your Right speech" where chances are, the people you are next to, may not make the vigorous life of college.   His statement held true considering that none of my roommates in my first semester graduated college with me.   However, what I remembered most, was those walks around this great city.

Boston is one of the most walkable cities in America, but for a former Rhode Islander, it is an overwhelming place with the hustle and bustle, the subway, the diversity, and the taxicabs all over the place.  Now that I have lived here for over 20 years I realize that it is a small city.  Take me anywhere in Boston, and I cannot get lost, unless it is in the maze of the financial district.    Don't get me wrong, some of the larger cities I have been to like New York, Chicago, LA and overseas in London, Paris and Munich are great cities with similar qualities of Boston, but I would not live in any of these cities since they do not have the charm or skills of its sports teams.

This past winter really tested my willingness to stay in Boston.  With my sudden career change, the brutal winter weather and a trip to sunny Florida, I was almost convinced to pack it up and head south.   I thought about it for a while and then came to my senses.   After the tragedy of the Marathon Bombing and seeing how this city came together.  After the Red Sox came from nowhere and won the World Series.  Most of all, after all the new people I have met and the great friends I have, I could never leave this city.  The weather is still a little shaky but think about it, if everyone moved to that perfect weather place, San Diego would be the biggest city in America.   Of course it is expensive to live here, but again think about it, there is a reason.  Of course, you can buy a house in Cleveland or Detroit for under $100k, but would you want to live there?

I'll take Boston any day.   Sports, history, diversity, smart people, pubs, scenery and my friends.    I am not going anywhere.