Abandon the isolation that can be part of owning your own business. Here is your call to action to leave your office and connect with other business people to see what magic you can manifest for your business, your customers, and the marketplace. Now more than ever is the time to make authentic, winning connections with others. The good news is that in the Seattle area, several great opportunities to do exactly that are upcoming.
I'll be among the panelists who are contributing to the Thriving in Challenging Economic Times event taking place on Sunday, March 22. I give the Sammamish Chamber props for making every panelist look like a rock star on their website. Why not make plans now to attend, benefit from the lessons to be learned, and connect with some fabulous people? Below are the convenient links, the dates, and the admission fees. Choose the event that works best for your schedule, needs, and budget.
- Thriving in Challenging Economic Times, Sunday, March 22, 2009, Sammamish Chamber of Commerce, Celebrating Women in Business, $25
- TOTAL Networking, Friday, March 27, Qwest Field Event Center Concourse, $44
- 2009 Women in Business, Thursday, March 12, Hilton, Bellevue, $95 for members, $125 for non-members
In related news, on Monday night, about 60 great folks came to The Village Bellevue to learn a few tips about social networking, DIY publicity, sales, and managing money. Betsy Talbot, the Women in Business Blogger for Examiner.com, posted a good summary of the event highlights, and you can read it here. Just for 
grins, my 11 1/2 year old son gets a shout out in Betsy's blog post. He actually solved his Rubik's Cube puzzle during the event. As someone who has never figured out how to do that in my lifetime, I would consider that an “alert the media” moment for sure. Kyle credits the how-to video he found on YouTube for showing him the way. Isn't that something?
When I attend these events, I don't think first about what I can sell. I think about what I can give to others to support their success. I met some pretty remarkable people, and I've already made some powerful introductions to help them connect with the right people with whom they can do business and add value.
As for my own “wins” so far, I am pretty pleased. Since Monday night's contribution at The Village Bellevue, I've received fan mail about my 15-minute do-it-yourself publicity talk. One person posted a public compliment to LinkedIn, and another posted a public compliment at BizNik. I received dozens of new ezine subscriptions, a new invitation to speak to a group, and four new event registrations for upcoming Publici-Tea™ Workshops. Those are fabulous results for showing up and taking an interest in others.
If you could use results like these, make plans now to attend the events noted above. Great connections and other great things await. I'll be at the Thriving in Challenging Economic Times event, sponsored by the Sammamish Chamber of Commerce. I hope to meet you there.
