Business Networking International

Through my mentor, I was introduced to BNI Santana Row. Last week I attended my first meeting and met some fellow entrepreneurs. As soon as I walked in, I was handed a huge stack of member's business cards and encouraged to leave a stack of my own business cards for members to have themselves. Who likes a networking event where you gain contact information without actual contact? Me. Me.

The group has a family feel and the premise of the organization is to get to genuinely know people in the group so you can refer them to clients and friends. In turn, you gain referrals from other members. There are some quirky sayings like, "givers gain" and slips to show that you have been meeting face to face with members and making referrals. Overall, I thought it is pretty organized.

I'm not sure I will be joining this particular group because they have someone that has a similar business to mine already in the group. To preserve the integrity of the group, only one person in each field can join. I was assured that another group probably has room for me.

The community has been nice in the virtual world as well. My LinkedIn has blown up with added contacts. 

Startup Grind: Chrys Bader-Wechseler

Last night was my first Startup Grind in Redwood City. I networked with a handful of people before the speaker, Chrys Bader-Wechseler came on. Networking is still awkward, especially in a crowd of techies. Chrys spoke of his new social media site, Secret. It's only available on iPhone right now so it was a bit of a let down to hear about something I couldn't use immediately. They are working on the android app.

Derek Andersen and Chrys Bader-Wechseler at Nest GSV

My favorite quote from Chrys is:
"I like to make things simple--distill them down so you can just pick it up."

This is my goal in my writing business. In a world of endless choices, people just want to pick something up and know what to do with it.

Networking and Confidence

Whenever I go to a networking event, I have a mantra that I say, "People come here to meet people." This gentle reminder helps me to come alive a little more. Knowing that everyone feels a bit awkward about going up to a stranger, talking for a few minutes, and handing them a card with your business information is somewhat reassuring as well.

The card itself is a bit of a conversation starter. The printer notice the embossing, the English major notice the witty use of "wordsmith", and the engineer liked the use of my initials in my company name. It was all great fun.

I even met some people who were actually interested in my business and some potential clients. This boost to my ego was worth the minutes of uneasiness when transitioning between new people. It also gave me ideas as to what I needed to be better at articulating about my business and services. 

Business Paperwork

Feds, State, and City All Up in my Business

Today I received my state paperwork for the LLC. In it, they conveniently placed my $800 tax bill. Yay! As if the form filing and publication fees weren't enough. Nothing like spending money to make money. 

The amazing thing about all this is that since it's so complex, there is no good resource for all the information needed to open your own business. You send off paperwork and hope for the best. Well, at least that's what I'm doing. The idea of faking it before making it just took on new meaning. 

Tomorrow is my first networking event representing my company and brand. I'm curious to how it will be received and what kind of questions will be asked. I'll keep you in the loop.

4.1.2014