The Confidence to Network

Networking with other entrepreneurs, business owners and extraordinary individuals at Utah Valley Leads Connection. I enjoy sitting at a table and talking to people seated next to me. This gathering attracts people from many different occupations. I asked Jaden Paxton, a high school entrepreneur about ordering some T-shirts from Tribal Chant Tees. I talked to Tami who is a Realtor with Mountainland Realty and Dawn who is a Marketing Director for Gunnerson Dental. Tami mentioned that she enjoys photography. Did you know that Nikon switched from using a monkey to Ashton Kutcher to advertise how easy it is to use their cameras? She joked that she still prefers her Canon; click here to watch the video.

Today's presenters were given by Ian Lorenzana and Bren Pool. Ian is an Economic Development Specialist with Small Business Administration (SBA). Did you know that a "small business" is generally classified by anyone that hires up to 500 employees and annual receipts up to 37 million dollars? In our meeting there were only 2 people that didn't identify being a member of a small business. Ian focused on three things the SBA offers to help small business: capital, counseling, and contracting. He also provided a helpful magazine publication that explained what he briefly introduced within the 5 minutes he had to present.

Brent is a financial advisor with Morgan Stanley. His presentation was focused on planning for financial security. He made an interesting comparison to skiing and investing. He talked about the importance of mitigating risk with a skiing metaphor. He held up a helmet and goggles and then a specialized body armor worn underneath the clothing. This gear makes a big difference when things get rough. He talked about the importance of managing your money in a way that will give the best return with a reasonable risk.

After the meeting, I talked to Dawn about confidence. It takes self confidence to talk to people and develop relationships of trust. Networking meeting provide an opportunity to talk for 30 seconds and follow-up with one-on-one meetings with people that spark your interest. Here is what I learned about Dawn. Dawn is a mother of 4 boys and used the power of networking to lose 112 lbs in 9 months. Wow, that is quite an accomplishment! She connected with a health coach, mentor with Take Shape for Life. She started drinking water instead of soda, passed up eating high calorie foods such as pizza, donuts, and even said no thank you to a piece of birthday cake. Her will power has been an inspiration to her husband and family. She spoke highly of Gunnerson Dental. Her office has sponsored such events as Relay for Life on August 29th and holds a free walk in clinic in the Spring. She mentioned that the office is looking for an associate doctor to join the team. Be sure to like Gunnerson Dental's Facebook page to have a chance to nominate someone for a "Smile make over" coming in November (a 30k value!). Dawn is in the business of helping people have confidence in their smile and appearance and is also a health coach.