Is It Time For You to Rediscover the Real World?
When Denisse and I started our business in 2005 in Orlando, Florida, we decided to get the word out by joining as many networking meetings and events as possible.
Our concept was a new one so it wasn’t easy. Add the fact that we were in our 20’s and that made it almost impossible. No one took us seriously. We were determined to make it work so despite all the looks and remarks that we should still be in high school, we persevered. We met a lot of people by getting out there. We joined networking meetings at different times of the week and the day. We participated in public speaking engagements and joined in coffee house gatherings. Slowly, we gained credibility and people began to see we did have something to offer them. At that time, we presented ourselves as a mobile office service that would come to your office and organize your mess on an appointment basis. We hadn’t yet joined MySpace or Facebook, the former being the most popular at that time. We heard about those from our friends in Silicon Valley (California) but it wasn’t what it is today.
The biggest benefit we gained from that experience was the ability to have resources and others to connect to each other when peopled needed it. We were able to connect a lot of people and send lots of referrals. By helping others first, people began to respect us and want to help us too. We remained consistent with our meetings and made a lot of progress in a short time.
Our business took off from advertising later on but the great thing is that we already had references that could attest to our dedication and professionalism. We already knew lots of people from all those meetings and events so to our new prospects it looked like we had been in business for years. It’s a different world now with everything being online, but being involved in in-person events is a good way to meet people and beat the loneliness that comes with being self-employed. It will also make a huge difference in how much you offer your local clients because you will become a great resource to them by using the network you’ve built.
At the least, you’ll make some friends and have some laughs.
Will your business benefit from offline networking, meetups and other gatherings? Is it time for you to rediscover the real world?
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