There are many keys to success. This year make networking one of your most important keys.  We have a fresh calendar in front of us. Now is the time to make plans for your business this year. In addition to marketing efforts or hiring quality staff, having a strong network is important to the success of your business. here is some of my advice for networking this year:
Set Goals
Setting goals is incredibly important for any aspect of your life that you want to be successful in. Networking is no exception.  What are your networking goals? Join a professional network or …read more

The power of networking is located right past the fear of talking to strangers and a little to the left of figuring out your elevator speech.
The power of networking – the true power – is in your goal.
Networking can get you a husband or wife as easily as it can get you a job. It can bring you more clients just as easily as it can bring you more friends.
But if you don’t have a clear goal – it’s like going into a single’s club, standing on the stage and yelling “PICK ME!”
Sure you’ll get picked, …read more

I decided to take my own advice over the weekend and talk to a stranger.
After going to Caribou Coffee to get some work done with a friend of mine we heard this guy in a chair close-by start to laugh out loud. I asked my friend (via IM, we’re subtle like that) what he was reading. She replied that it was a book on physics of some kind.
He stood up and started talking to this kid about physics and I boldly eavesdropped on the conversation. Then I interrupted and asked, “What book are you reading?” To which he …read more

You probably read the title of this post and think that a speaking engagement is a “thing” – like a bus pass or a lawn mower. But let’s look at it a little differently.
Engagement is the word I’m questioning. To engage is obviously to get someone involved. To have a speaking engagement is not to just be engaged by an organization to speak for them, it is also to engage your audience by speaking.
We’re going to be doing a series this week on how to engage your audience and turn a speaking engagement into a networking extravaganza!
Ask questions
While …read more

Branding does not live in a bubble. It does not live in the batcave under your office. When you create a brand it is a living, breathing thing…so why are you not sharing it with other living, breathing things (like people)?
I don’t mean show up at a networking event and say things like, “My brand is….” or “Our branding is such that…”
That would be like talking about someone in the third person when they’re standing right next to you. Think of your brand as your Networking Buddy and bring it with you wherever you go. Introduce people to your …read more

Is it that networking is so easy a kid can do it? No…kid on kid hate is too common in the school system for networking to be a salvation. Don’t get me wrong, I think networking skills can be very helpful for kids, but what we’re talking about today is kids and adults and how children break down barriers.
When I take my kids to the store they may notice the toys, the towels, or whatever else we’re passing as they hang out in the cart…but what really gets their attention is the other people. Everyone we pass they …read more

With all this economy talk (I know I’m sick of hearing the economic r-word, are you? So here at b5media, for our Fun Friday, we’re all doing a check and taking stock of where our stuff comes from. Are we supporting our local economy or someone else’s?
If I were a family blog, I might take stock of where my dishrags and vacuum came from. If I were a tech blog maybe I’d tell you where my processors and hard drives originate.
As it is, since we’re networking junkies here, we’re going to sort through the things we use to …read more