Day 5 - Joining a Networking Group

Relationships are the catalyst for success.
People do business with those they like and trust.
Serve as a resource, help others succeed. 

 

While I've been more than happy to stay holed up in my little studio, wearing comfy sweats, and making jewelry all day, I realize the importance of meeting new people in order to grow my business in new ways. I've done a decent job growing my business by learning about Etsy, taking good pictures, and word of mouth. But there's a whole big world out there and I want them to know about me!

Networking is about making connections and building enduring, mutually beneficial relationships. Plus it's fun, especially after a few long days only conversing with my dog!

Networking is inexpensive. It’s full of like-minded individuals that you can work with or learn from in some way. Also, face-to-face networking events create lasting impressions in the minds of people you meet.

Today, I officially joined Wink, Women Inkorporated, a women's business networking group based out of San Diego. The good news is that they are going national and chapters will be opening up all over the U.S. Not only am I meeting other women business owners, I am learning so much because they have fantastic guest speakers at each meeting. Examples of some of the speaking events I've attended are:

• Facebook Ads and Boosted Posts
• The 30-60-90 Day Plan for Your 2014 Sales
• The Entrepreneur Mindset Panel 
• Leverage: The Secret Weapon of Successful Solopreneur's

I found Wink at Meetup.com. Meetup is a great site where you can find a wide range of groups for every interest imaginable. While there are many business networking groups in every city, it's just a matter of finding the one that suits you. For me, Wink was the perfect match.

Here is their website for more information on Wink:
http://womeninkorporated.com/
If you are interested in starting a chapter in your city, please e-mail me for more information.

I look forward to sharing the information that I learn from attending these meetings. In fact, I've already made one contact that is offering me a new type of opportunity I would never have thought to pursue on my own. More about that on Thursday!

 

July 1 - Halfway Through 2013 - Half Year Resolutions!

I’ve really been looking forward to today – July 1st. It’s been a crazy first half to 2013 and I’m ready to settle into a simpler, less hectic lifestyle. The first half of the year involved a lot of travel – two trips to Europe and one trip to Hawaii. While it’s been an exciting ‘yolo’ time (to quote my daughter), it’s also involved more planning than I had anticipated and disruptions to my business and home life. That’s why I’ve decided to start my ‘Half-Year’ Resolutions. Instead of the usual New Year’s Resolutions, I’m committing myself to major changes in 3 areas of my life starting NOW:


1. Business/Career

2. Lifestyle/Health

3. Spirituality/Relationships

My goal is to chronicle my journey and, hopefully, meet like-minded women who share the same passions and goals as I do.

Today’s post will discuss the changes I will be making to my business/career in the coming months. Over the last 2 years, whenever I’ve mentioned my growing jewelry business to other people, I increasingly encounter more and more women who are very intrigued with the idea of getting out of the corporate world and are very interested in hearing more about how to run their own businesses. I’ve had an amazing 5 years with this business and I am looking forward to taking it to the next level. Also, by documenting it in this blog, I’m really committing myself to making some major changes. I will be moving out of my comfort zone and there is no turning back now!

My goals for the next 6 months involve:

1. Quitting my day job. Anyone who knows me well knows that I’ve talked about this for the last few years. If they are reading this, they are probably thinking “I’ll believe it when I see it.” Well, the time is now. I have a good savings account built up, so I can weather through this time with a nice cushion and hopefully avoid too many sleepless nights. By the end of summer, I will finally move out of the corporate world.

2. I will make and list 5 new pieces of jewelry per week. I will also improve my photography skills and continue to work on making my Etsy shop better and better.

3. I will blog 3 times a week. Initially I was worried about what I could possible blog about that often, but between my Etsy business, lifestyle changes I’m making, and my spiritual journey, I feel there are plenty of topics. Whether any one reads this or not, is another matter. However, maintaining this blog is my way to ensure that I continue to be committed to a new way of life.

4. Facebook/Pinterest – I’m very interested in growing my social media presence and am looking forward to learning more and more about this new way of doing business. It’s a challenge that I welcome and I will definitely blog about what is working for me and what isn’t.

I sincerely hope that my blog inspires other women out there to make the leap from the corporate world to business owner. I am meeting more and more people these days who are doing just that – I welcome all comments and hope we can have some great discussions!