On Saturday evening I attended an intimate party in ‘downtown Pownal’ PEI, hosted by my client and friend Maureen Kerr, owner of Kerr Consulting. It was a very nice evening, and the focus of the event was a private Thai cooking lesson from Chef Stephen Hunter of the historic Victoria Village Inn. It was a great excuse to wear the delicious cashmere sweater I got for Christmas, and a much needed outing for a work at home mom! I was only able to stay for a couple of hours, but I really enjoyed myself….and the spring rolls were amazing.

What a fabulous marketing opportunity for Chef Stephen. He had a captive audience of women that were sipping wine and learning a ton of facts about food. Laughing and having fun. I’m sure that evening will lead to a lot of new business for his Inn.

I think it’s very important as a business owner, and especially a virtual business owner, to get out there and meet some non-virtual people once in awhile. I had a few new people to talk about my business with and introduce to the industry of virtual assistance, which is one of my favorite things to do. I also met a financial advisor, and I think everyone needs one of those. I set up an appointment to speak with her tomorrow morning to see if she can help us become debt free. Networking isn’t just about telling people what you do and attempting to drum up business for yourself. It HAS to work both ways. The best way to get a person interested in you and what you do is to be interested in them and what they do.

It’s interesting how much more confident I am now than I was a year ago when it comes to situations like these. When I walk in to a room full of business owners, I actually feel that I am among my peers rather than feeling nauseous because I do not belong. Why is that? Is it because I have a roster full of paying clients? Is it because I’ve gone to enough networking events to get the hang of it?
Hmmm…maybe it’s just the cashmere

4 Comments »