My first networking group I attended was the New Haven Chamber of Commerce networking group which was run by Randall Brubaker and Doug Burgess in 2005. We met at noon every other Monday and later it was increased to a weekly meeting. That first meeting had around 30 people and it was held at the Marine Corps Lodge behind McDonalds on Lincoln Highway. Later it moved to New Haven Tanning and Millies restaurant. The people made such a good impression on me that I promised myself I would attend every meeting they held. I also joined the New Haven Chamber and helped them with their computer issues. I think the group lasted about three years and it really helped my business and I continued to attend other networking groups. Eleven years, many meetings and many people later, I’m still at it and believe this is the best way to advertise my business. In March this year I gave a talk on networking groups for the New Haven Chamber’s Lunch and Learn along with Vic Sockrider. As a result, the audience asked to start a group and Vic and I agreed to help. We’ve started a Thursday noon networking group at Rack and Helens Bar and Grill. We meet upstairs in the conference room. It’s open to everyone including non-chamber members. Help us spread the word about the group and come out and share your business with us. We’re keeping the formal meeting to an hour from noon to 1PM so people can get back to work if needed. My goal is to keep all the unnecessary things like door prizes, featured speakers, long introductions out of this meeting. Most people don’t want to spend two hours at a network meeting. They may attend a long networking group once, but they don’t return. All the attendees will have up to two minutes to talk about their business and then the next person starts. This group will focus on giving everyone equal time to speak and then encouraging us to talk to each other after the formal meeting. Remember, every Thursday at 12:00 PM at Rack and Helen’s Bar and Grill in New Haven, IN. Bring business cards and other hand-outs and meet other business people.
