Women's Networking Group

Using our time judiciously

eva — Tue, 27 May 2008 13:15:20 -0700

Given all of the things business owners need to get done in a day, it is a wonder businesses exist at all. But, as I am learning (albeit slowly) business owners (and their businesses) survive by making judicious decisions about how to spend their time. When we first started CubeSpace, that meant that I was at networking events all the time. But unsurprisingly, I burnt out on that approach fairly early on. Then we tried a systematic approach of looking at which networking efforts were successful and which were less so. That turned out to be harder than we expected because the time delay between an intiial connection and someone coming in to check out CubeSpace was fairly long. That left us fairly stumped.

David and I have always maintained that successful networking is about quality, not quantity. So I limited my networking to places where I was able to make connections with people, rather than a one-off business card exchange. And that strategy worked fairly well. I have made some really great friends through networking, and that has, and will continue to lead to business for us.

But, sometimes networking is not enough. Sometimes we need to connect with our business peers and get their thoughts on ideas that are bouncing around in our heads. Or, sometimes we need to learn from how other people have handled some of the challenges that are common to all business owners. Diana Platika is a financial advisor who kept hearing the same issues time and time again from the women business owners she worked with and finally decided to create a safe place for women to share their questions, concerns and triumphs with the goal of helping the whole group succeed. The result is called EWOP (Entrepeneurial Women of Portland).

In fact, her first group was so successful, that two more groups have formed to extend the concept further.

Intrigued? Want to know more? Well, there are a couple of ways to learn more. The first is by attending the annual EWOP networking event on June 4 from 6-8:30pm at Aura Restaurant and lounge at 1022 W. Burnside.

The second is to meet with Diana and some EWOP group members as part of CubeSpace's Entrepeneurial Series.

Women's Networking Group

I get by with a little help from my friends

eva — Wed, 21 May 2008 17:04:58 -0700

One of the better reasons to have friends is that they are the ones who will tell you when you have spinach in your teeth or check to see if you are still alive if you haven't posted anything to your blog in a while. Today I experienced the latter. Then I went and looked at the CubeSpace blog and that was when I realized that somehow, without my permission, two weeks had passed since my last posting. I have all sorts of good excuses, but I will not bore you with the full litany. Instead I will focus on why microbusinesses need friends. Badly.

I have a short list of people I go to when I am feeling stymied by a problem. I have the one whose advice I seek when I get stuck on a staff professional development issue. I have the one who I ask about financial decisions and I have the one I go to when I get overwhelmed and just need to be reminded that I am a capable and competent person, and that this too shall pass.

I have spent many years meeting and cultivating my support system, but what is a new business owner to do? Well, my best answer is check out CubeSpace's Entrepeneurial Series. I have put together a collection of resources designed specifically for those business folks who have questions, but no one to help them work out the answers. As much as we try (and believe me, I have), we are incapabale of being good at everything. That is why it is so important to build a community of resources to help us out. This series is designed to help business owners begin the community building process.

And in return for setting this series up, I am asking for your help. Please let me know what problems got solved and relationships were built through the series. Please also let me know is something is missing. I can't do this alone and neither can you. But let's see what we can do when we work with our community.

Women's Networking Group

Open House

eva — Wed, 07 May 2008 10:44:46 -0700

This is the second in the series of Eva catch-up blog posts. This one is all about our Open House scheduled for May 14th from 4-8pm.

So, given all of my complaints lately about being over-worked and under-slept, why would we think throwing yet another party would be a good idea? That's a fair point, perhaps I should take that up with the Powers that Be. Oh wait, I am one of the Powers that Be. So, I must have had a good reason.

The best reason I can come up with is because we love having people over to CubeSpace. CubeSpace is not just our home away from home (yes, we really do go home to sleep), but it is our community and we love to get to know our community better.

The second best reason is so we can show off how cool CubeSpace is. Whenever people come to CubeSpace for the first time, we hear all sorts of accolades about how much bigger it is then people imagined, or how comfortable the space feels or how many great people they meet at our events.

The third best reason is that amazing people keep coming to these events and that's a treat in and of itself. Some of the people we know and haven't seen in a while. Former members have made a habit of stopping by to say hello and catch us up on the happenings in their lives. We get to meet our members' families and friends and get a better sense of who they are. Lastly, but certainly not least, we get to meet new people and make new connections and even friends.

So come check out our open house, bring youyr friends, bring your families, bring your neighbors and join us for food, libations, games and a chance to win our grand prize--a voice recorder/MP3 player.

Women's Networking Group

Networking is to sales as ?

eva — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 14:55:57 -0700

The topic for April's WNG meeting was Networking. I already shared some musings about networking in my April 8th post, but as I expected, the conversation took on a life of its own. We wandered into questions of gender, communication style and, of course, shared some do's and don't with each other.

One of my favorite parts of the conversation was the advice proffered by networking "guru's" (often men) and the question of which advice is good advice. Aja shared something she read suggesting that people track relevant information about a person, including spouse name, children, favorite foods and anything else that might "personalize" a future conversation. Some members of the group do track bit of personal information. Often on a client's folder or business card, so that they can follow up on conversations in the future. Others of us rely on our memory to keep track of what we learn about others.

One distinction between the women who chose one of these two styles over the other was the way these future conversations were initiated. Those who have regular follow-up calls with clients often tracked the information and referred to it before initating a call. For those of us who run into people in a more spontaneous way relied on our memories because there was no opportunity to check a folder or business cards. We then noted that the strategy of integrating both one's life and business into a conversation is a style most often associated with women rather than men. Therefore these male "guru's" were really just advising us to go with what is often our natural inclination.

Another conversation I enjoyed was about the primary purpose of networking: relationships or sales. We all agreed that we placed a premium on building a relationship over a shorter term focus on sales. The longer term benefits of building relationships included friendship, communities, referrals and sales (in that order) and that was more valuable to all of us than a shorter term focus on cold, hard cash.

The paragraph above seems somewhat trite to me, but at the same time it is an idea that I feel the entire group was sincere about. We all need to make a living, but when it comes down to brass tacks, what makes you feel all warm and fuzzy? A bank statement with a lot of zeroes or walking into a room with a group of people who you know care about you and your well-being, and that you in turn care about? For me it is definitely the latter.

Next month? Next month we are talking about the issues, joys, benefits and landmines of working in a multigenerational workplace. Come join us for the conversation on Tuesday, May 13th at 6pm.

Women's Networking Group

The World’s First Search Engine

eva — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 13:15:20 -0700

You may wonder why I am writing a blog post about search engine history on the CubeSpace blog. Believe it or not, there is actually a connection there.

Today I am working at home until the WNG meeting at CubeSpace this evening. I am doing this so that I can get some projects done that require more attention than I can give them at CubeSpace, where my day is usually a constant stream of distractions. At some point late in the morning I got hungry and reheated some leftovers. I decided a meal was as good an excuse as any to take a break, so I picked up the issue of New Scientist that I am currently in the midst of reading. That is where I found an article about the Mundaneum, an index card proto-internet with librarians functioning as search engines.

My first thought was that I very much wanted to be one of those librarians. Imagine getting to spend all day looking up completely random stuff. That sounds fabulous! My second thought was about what methodology they used for searching. I know that the Mundaneum’s retrieval system was a modification of the Dewey Decimal system, with expandable strings of numbers and letters. But how did users or librarians initiate a search. Did they start with keywords? Or did they start with the Dewey Decimal classifications and then drill down. I wonder this because of the way that I use the library and the way that I search for things in the internet.

When I go to the library for a book, I often go to the highest useful level of the Dewey Decimal system because I have historically found great resources that way. My approach takes longer than going directly for the subsection I want, but when I am at the library I am generally looking to learn more about a topic and the Dewey Decimal system is not well suited to for helping me discern a particular author’s approach to a subject.

However, an internet search is most effective when most specific. For example, another thing I spent my morning doing was replacing my smartphone. This has been a real hassle because I want to stay with my current provider and I had some every specific criteria for my phone, and those weren’t necessarily the criteria that my provider chose to detail in the “features” section of their site. So, I kept using a variety of keywords until I found my new phone and placed my order.

This is where we come back to CubeSpace and WNG. Tonight’s topic for our WNG meeting is networking. So I have spent my day contemplating what to say about networking (ideally something that hasn’t been said a million times already). It
was my little break that provided me with the answer. There are a lot of ways to approach networking and what I have learned is that the right approach depends on the situation. So, if one were to take the Dewey Decimal approach that would suggest targeting categorized groups (e.g. restaurant owners or commercial realtors or dog behaviorists) and focusing on the highest useful level (e.g. focusing on restaurant owners rather than just the owners of Thai restaurants in Southeast Portland). This approach might work best if you offer a product or service that may meet the need of a significant percentage of one of these larger groups.

The alternative is a keyword-based approach. This could include looking for people who have a B.A. in Frisbee Dynamics, love northern breed dogs and like hyacinths. This latter approach might work best if you were able to be much more specific because you had determined the demographics of your ideal customer.

Obviously these are extreme examples, but what approach have you found works best for you and your business? Please share your thoughts by either joining us tonight, Tuesday, April 8^th from 6-8 pm at our WNG meeting, or add your answer below.

Women's Networking Group

An entrepeneurial mirror

eva — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:09:43 -0700

Friday I did something that was very unusual for me. I took a day off. This was done in preparation for Startupalooza, which in some ways (from our perspective, at least) was a dress rehearsal for BarCamp. Startupalooza went very well, and while I don't have the final count, my guess is that we had 200+ people through here on Saturday and we managed to stay on top of dishes and logistics (in that order) so I am happy.

Anyway, I spent Friday making a long overdue trip to visit my friend Mandy's new restaurant, Viento Burger and Steak Bar, in Bingen, WA. I am a vegetarian, so I can't speak first hand about the quality of the meat (although I know she sources it locally from a sustainable ranch and I certainly heard people extolling its virtues), but her sides...well, they are fabulous. She had a phenomenal mushroom soup, which she called Afternoon Delight, as well as a garlicky cole slaw that was delicious and then there are her fries. She not only has your basic russet fries. She also has sweet potato and chickpea fries. I LOVE sweet potato fries. And her chickpea fries are amazing. Oh wait, this was not the subject of the blog, but I got lost in drooling over Friday's lunch.

Anyway, what I really wanted to say was how amused I was to see myself in Mandy. I could tell that while we were hanging out and talking, she was aware of everything happening in her restaurant. Not a fry was fried outside of her scope of awareness, and yet she never missed a beat with me. That is how I constantly feel while I am at CubeSpace. A couple of weeks ago, Nanci was doing reflexology on my feet by the front desk and she kept admonishing me to relax, but even though my eyes were closed, she could see my eyes darting back and forth as I tracked everything going on around me (she now does her work in a room with a door that closes). The reflexology was relaxing (amazingly so, given the fact that I remained "on" the entire time) but just like an ever-vigilant parent, entrepeneurs have a hard time relaxing while in their workspace.

At Viento's, I was a guest and could kick back, drink their amazing lemon-ginger iced tea and knit through all of the interruptions. When Mandy comes here, she gets to kick back too. So, I would like to wholeheartedly welcome Mandy to the world of entrepeneurship and I can already tell she is at home here.

Women's Networking Group

March's WNG: Nourishing Ourselves

eva — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:20:24 -0700

The topic of this month's WNG meeting was Nourishing Ourselves. If you recall, this topic was suggested as a follow-up to last month's discussion, putting a proactive spon on the perennial issues of time management and work/life balance. No surprise, but last night we had yet another invigorating WNG meeting. Each time we have had these small group discussions, we have had a different mix of people and personalities and that really shapes the direction the conversation takes.

Last night, Mary and Aja made my job as facilitator extremely easy. Mary is a very social and outgoing woman, and she did a fabulous job encouraging attendees to introduce themselves and really talk about their businesses. Aja played the role of talk show host, with insightful follow-up questions and and thoughtful responses.

I found it interesting that most of what nourishes the attendees was social, rather than solitude. I suspect most of us there were Type A personalities, and I know for
me, sitting still is a challenge. That is why I love playing marimba
as my outlet, since I move constantly while freeing up my mind to focus on nothing except the music. However, given the general crazy pace of our lives I was somewhat surprised that we were primarily nourished by activity rather than stillness. That is not to say that we didn't all recognize the value of time alone, but several of us enjoyed playing, listening or dancing to music. Unsurprisingly excercise was mentioned a few times (not just dancing, but jogging) and meditation came up only once.

We started out by going off on a tangent about networking, so we decided that would be our topic for next month.

I hope to see you all on April 8th.

-Eva

Women's Networking Group

WNG: New Direction for a New Year

beth2 — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 07:30:12 -0800

The Women's Networking Group (WNG) has been meeting at CubeSpace for quite some time now, and it's become a vibrant community. Now, in 2008, it's going to be better than ever, with the addition of monthly discussion topics for greater focus. We are excited about this new direction for WNG, and we hope you will be too. For more information, check out Eva's blog post on the past and future of WNG. To register for the next WNG meeting on February 12, give us a call at 503-206-3500.

Women's Networking Group

New Clothes for a New Year

beth2 — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 13:54:02 -0800

In the spirit of sustainability, reuse and recycling, as well as post-holiday economizing, we'd like to invite all the ladies out there to drop by CubeSpace on January 26 for Julie Wang's Naked Lady Clothing Exchange. Bring all those clothes that are still in good condition but which you never seem to wear, and swap them with other women for new-to-you outfits that are more exciting, flattering, or otherwise likely to get worn. Cost is $10, and includes a pleasant space, light refreshments, and conveyance of all unclaimed items to Goodwill. Get some more information about it here. This event will be limited to 40 women, so be sure to claim your spot by adding yourself to the evite. See you there!

Women's Networking Group

Gayle Gregory

Pure Possibility — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 16:10:19 -0800

Women's Networking Group

The value of information sharing

eva — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 14:41:03 -0800

I run a monthly networking group out of CubeSpace with the rather unoriginal name of "Women's Networking Group" (WNG). I acquired the group from Julie Wasserman who started it as a very informal group who met in people's livingrooms and socialized, with some networking thrown in.

Since I took over the group about a year go, the dynamic has really changed; some for the better and some for the worse. We now meet at CubeSpace, so the homey dynamic is gone and the gestalt of the group is a little more professional, rather than social. The group has also more than doubled in size, although the meeting attendance has dropped.

This month I decided it was time for a change. So over our dinner of middle eastern food from Nicholas' Restaurant, we had a very enlightening and useful conversation that began with a question about finding the right balance of time, money and capability when marketing one's business. Denise Mahon said that her website has been a very effective marketing tool, in part because she belongs to many associations that cross-link to her website which helps her search engine optimization.

Bridget Benton talked about how blogging really works for her. She finds the process challenging and time consuming (something I can relate to), but she also feels that her blog does a lot to convey who she is and offers a great deal of context into the kind of services she offers. [On a related note, we held a WNG meeting at Bridget's studio this past fall and she had us making collages from a whole collection of materials. Although I left the meeting much more relaxed that when I arrived (frantic and late), I really didn't think much about it. However, the conversation we had about collages did stick and ultimately led me to start thinking about the gift I am making for my newborn twin niecelettes].

There were, of course, many tangential conversations and there were more names and resources exchanged than I have ever seen with this group. I think having a central topic of discussion really helped and the entire group agreed.

So, next month, our discussion topic will be on Time Management. Once again, I will frame the discussion and then open it up to the group. I hope to see you all there on February 12th.

-Eva

Women's Networking Group

Next WNG Meeting: 11/13

Administrator — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 13:55:18 -0800

The next WNG meeting will be on Tuesday, November 13, from 6 to 8 p.m. at CubeSpace. Please call CubeSpace to RSVP and pre-pay: 503-206-3500. Cost is $18 and includes dinner.

Women's Networking Group

Rebecca Forbes

redebecca — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 15:31:43 -0700

Women's Networking Group

Lisa Allen

saucylisa — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 11:10:57 -0700