Ask and Ye Shall Receive

A friend recently said to me “if you don’t ask the Universe for what you need, how will it know what to give you?” What a lovely sentiment. Six months ago I would have thought this existential tosh but since red plume has really started to take off, I’m learning that the Universe might actually be looking to help a girl out.

The wise friend in question is herself an example of the Universe doing its thang. Karen and I are Creatives and at the beginning of our venture were much more enthusiastic about getting stuck in with the writing than say, creating a business plan, or setting some goals – you know, little stuff like that. The business was starting to gather speed and we were loving life, all except for a teeny-weeny but very persistent voice in the back of our heads telling us that it was time we sit down and address the hard stuff. And it was hard. It felt like the “we need to talk” conversation of so many relationships and left me wanting to curl up in a corner and take a nap.

Then, with a sprinkle of fairy dust, into our lives walked Giselle of CherryBranch Consulting. She sat us down and with an array of brightly colored pens and intelligent questions, got us to start really thinking about what the future of red plume looks like. Don’t be fooled, that fairy dust and pleasant demeanor doesn’t mean you won't get grilled – you just won’t realize it until you’re finished and are flaked out wondering why you feel so spent. Giselle was exactly what we needed.

Another example of the Universe finding a square peg for our square hole came in the form of an SEO Queen. She started asking us strange technical questions about our website to which she received long...blank...stares. She ran a report for us and it turned out that our website, while stunning, is invisible to the Google Gods. In this instance we didn’t even know we needed help and wham! up it shows anyway. Now our website is going to be like catnip for those Google spiders, and it has even got me interested in becoming an SEO Queen myself – there’s room for plenty in this Kingdom.

What Karen and I didn’t realize was that in sucking it up and networking, which Biznik believes we should view as a community rather than a tool, we were asking the Universe for help. We were telling the world that our business was out there, and worth paying attention to; any help or advice greatly appreciated. If you have something the world should know about, but there’s something holding you back, just take a deep breath and plunge in. As long as you ask for help along the way and are receptive to it you’ll do just fine, and you’ll meet some awesome people along the way.

Networking Is a Dirty Word

That was my opinion a couple of years ago. The thought: networking is painful and awkward, stuck in a room with a bunch of strangers trying to impress one another. Smarmy sales guys in suits trying to sell you insurance. High-powered executives making big deals and not bothering to even look at you. People that just want to talk about work, when I have more interesting, personal activities to tend to.

Yes, this definition of networking is out there. Some people thrive on it. You can guess I was not one of those people. So after a few too many slimy handshakes, I abandoned networking as something not for me.

But that was a hasty conclusion. At the time, I was working in a corporate job, not thrilled with the industry nor the work, so of course, the last thing I wanted to do was talk more about it. Now that I have pursued my passion and hand-built a company, I can’t STOP talking about it. I talk about it because I love it, but also because I want to help people with this talent we have. I don’t feel like a smarmy salesperson – I feel like a real contributor to the small business world.

That shift in thought made all the difference. Once you realize you have so much to offer, a conversation becomes an exploration more than a chore. You listen. You give - work tips, a referral, or maybe just support. It has evolved from a business card exchange to a relationship.

In the end, networking is all about relationships. It’s not a contest to see how many business cards you can accumulate, or how many people you can add to your email newsletter. It’s about quality. Well, of course, it’s about business, but anyone can shake hands and give empty promises. You are not like that so don’t surround yourself with people like that. Your network will reflect the company you keep. You will only be more inspired when around motivated, smart, trustworthy people.

And when you’re not having a good networking experience, not meeting the right kinds of people or businesses, then it’s time to try different networking events. But don’t stop networking. Don’t throw up your hands and abandon it. Don’t jump to a hasty conclusion about it, as I had. Just give it time and attention and you’ll soon find you gain back what you give.