Lighting Up through Connections

39 of us were at the The Small Business Marketing Jam last night. 38 women in business and one lone man (our sponsor from Best Buy for Business). He said he loved the energy and idea sharing in the room and definitely wants to participate again. It also helped him get a window into how women connect and network. Very useful since the target market for Best Buy for Business is women who appreciate an enhanced sense of care for their purchases through their personal shopper program. I think he was impressed by the openess and authentic care in the idea and resource sharing which happened not only in the small groups but the open networking as well.

The contingent of repeat participants have come to expect this level of meaningful connections through our events. New participants were enthusiastic about the ideas and connections they received. One business owner shared that her tax preparer/accountant (event sponsor: Karen Peterson) had strongly recommended that she attend. But really she didn't want to come. She'd had an absolutely miserable day which wasn't made any better by being stuck in traffic on the way to the event. The gray cloud hanging over her head matched the rain outside. She expected it to be just another networking event where she'd have to fake a happy face and project an image of confidence and success that wasn't in her this day. She lit up because what she found were other women in business offering real support and resources beyond just plugging their own businesses. I even overheard her offering warm words of encouragement and motivation to another participant. When she left the gray cloud over her head had disappeared along with the rain outside.

Another sponsor, Carla Kroger (Daily Administration) drove all the way in from Owatanna. While she could have been frazzled from the long drive, instead she entered gracefully and warmly greeted and interacted with the other participants. As a Virtual Assistant, her services are a great money-saving alternative to hiring support staff for a small business. It was clear that she found the long drive to be well worthwhile.

Can you tell how much I love facilitating these types of networking sessions? It fits with who I am to offer creative, welcoming venues for others to make meaningful and useful connections to enhance their lives. It gives me a true sense of purpose.

What makes you light up? What clues does that give you about what values you hold and what gives you a sense of purpose?