1. Why networking was on our to-do list
It was the one thing that we had been avoiding and the one thing we knew we had to do if we were going to get the name AJS Virtual Assistant known in Tewkesbury and the local area.
Since starting the business on 1st September, we had a million things to think about – bank accounts, social media, partnership agreements. All of it important, all of it placing demands on our time.
And all completely pointless if nobody knows about you.
We had made the decision to concentrate on Facebook and networking as our main avenues to make connections. We also knew, from the marketing plan, that we needed to focus on showing what we do and who we are. Selling can come later.
So, with some trepidation, I signed us up for a Top Club networking event. Top Club operate in the Gloucestershire and Worcestershire areas. It cost £36 for the two of us, but that included breakfast! I chose Top Club because the event was only a 5-minute drive from our town, and because they had several groups throughout the county.
In the Glos/Worcs area? Check out the TOP Networking website HERE
I can’t tell you what my expectation was, as I had nothing to base an expectation on, although I did think it would be quite formal, and that everyone would be talking ‘business-speak” – you know, ‘blue sky thinking’ ‘overarching’, ‘underpinning’ etc etc.
Dean and I are both hopeless at that kind of stuff and always feel like complete imposters when faced with it.
2. Walking through the door
Neither of us slept the night before. Dean messaged me at 6.30 am saying he was really stressed and couldn’t get his prosthetic leg on. We both had a million questions. What to wear? What to say? Should we take anything with us?
We bought polo shirts with our logo on, but they felt too casual for our first time. Since I retired, I had got rid of most of my smart clothes, thinking I wouldn’t have to wear them again, so the choice was small. In the end, I wore a dress. Dean wore jeans and a jumper. We must have looked a bit mismatched when we walked in, but our difference is part of our USP, so it didn’t bother us.
The organiser I had spoken to a couple of days before wasn’t there, so it was a sea of new faces. We needn’t have worried. The co-chairs, Jay and Lenny, bounded up to us, all smiles, and welcomed us in. There was a lot of energy in the group, and we both immediately fell into conversations.
The group was about 14 strong, a mix of women and men and all were animated and chatty, especially for 7.30 in the morning. We were in the restaurant of a beautiful riverside pub – nothing formal, very relaxed.
Once everyone arrived, Lenny took charge and invited everyone around the table to give a 60-second talk about their business. Some had prepared speeches; others just winged it. I had come up with something in the car on the way there but immediately forgot it all when the nerves kicked in. I introduced us as networking ‘virgins’ (a name that stuck for the rest of the meeting 😊), and everyone encouraged me on by nodding and smiling.
3. What we discovered
The meeting format was an educational slot, followed by breakfast, a 10-minute presentation about an attendee’s business, and then updates from everyone on the networking success they’d had since the last meeting 2 weeks earlier.
A man who runs a successful travel consultancy gave an educational talk about networking, including tips on how to give a successful 60-second presentation. I wrote a page of notes; that’s how useful his talk was.
After a delicious breakfast, we then had a presentation about a member’s digital marketing agency. He talked a lot about websites, and as the person who built AJS’s website, I learned so much that I implemented several changes as soon as I got home.
As it was only our first meeting, we weren’t sure that people really understood our business, though they had advertised for a VA to join the group, so they must know something about the industry.
Still, we knew that the important thing was for people to get to know US. We could talk more about the nuts and bolts later. It’s personalities that people remember. Dean had made a couple of jokes during the meeting that had everyone in stitches, and we certainly weren’t shrinking violets, despite us both being staunch introverts.
4. What we learned about networking
Networking isn’t simply about finding someone who needs a virtual assistant immediately. It’s about building relationships, becoming familiar to people, learning about the local business community and finding ways to help one another.
At the end of the meetings, you can arrange 1:1s with other members to get to know their business. This helps you understand their operation so you can confidently refer people to them and they to you.
Like many networking groups, they only have one person from each business sector in the group. If Dean and I both wanted to join, one of us would have to join one of the other Top Clubs, but only if they had a vacancy for a VA. I can see the thinking behind this. It eliminates any feeling of competition.
There was a lady there who does something similar to us but more complex. She offers business delivery rather than just support. However, there is some overlap, and I was hoping to arrange a 1:1 with her. Before I had the chance, though, she sought us out to do the same. To have secured a 1:1 on our very first visit definitely exceeded our expectations.
5. What’s next for AJS VA?
We can certainly see the benefits to joining this networking group. The membership costs just under £600 a year, which is a significant investment. One of the members told us that he gets half of his business through the networking group, so it can definitely bring rewards. We have been invited back for another visit, and then we will need to make a decision.
6. Would we recommend networking?
On the basis of this visit, I would say yes. It was enjoyable, sociable, educational, and it is much easier to think of yourself as a business person when you are surrounded by other business owners. Dean would not mind me saying that he has sometimes struggled thinking like a business owner rather than an employee. Being in the networking environment can only help with that.
We were incredibly nervous when we walked through the door. Now, we’re just excited to see where it can take us.
I found the event on the Eventbrite website and recommend that as a starting place to find networking events in your area.
Click HERE to go to the Eventbrite website
Be prepared that there will be some costs involved, depending on the group. It is for you to decide whether the benefits outweigh the costs for your business. I will let you know what we decide.
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