How to Start: Making your own "Old Girls Club"
It's not just for the boys!!!
Over the past 6 or so months, I’ve been meeting up with my entrepreneur friends to talk about this huge change in my life. I was at an event last Friday with two founders I’ve now known for 10ish years - both of whom have said goodbye to the insanely successful businesses they had when I met them. Being together was so cathartic and I look up to them in more ways than they’ll ever know. They are just a few years ahead of me and having their insight, support, camaraderie, random check-in texts, and real tactical advice was HUGE over the past year.
Yesterday, I hopped on a call with two business owners who are CRUSHING it. They are very very very dear friends to me and over the years we have stayed in touch to share knowledge, strategies, and opportunities. We’ve also vented to each other and supported one another through tough times. It was so exciting for me to hear about their developments - their new office, exciting hires, and hard-to-keep-up-with growth.
Earlier this week I supported a female entrepreneur (Emerson Pearl) who is just getting started. She emailed me yesterday to tell me that her launch was a huge success and she’s so energized by the first day excitement around her brand. I felt genuinely proud of her.
I write all of this because entrepreneurship can be incredibly lonely. And an active network doesn’t form over night. These are things you have to foster and nurture over the years to make impactful. When I thought about the “assets” I am left with from STIK - my network is at the top of that list. While it’s intangible and not of value to someone else - it provides me with HUGE value and I want to continue to take care of it and watch it grow. Here are a few of my thoughts on how to establish your own “old boys girls club”:
Starting out: Reach out to people who you admire!! And tell them you admire them! Ask them to hop on a call or meet for coffee - better yet, offer to bring them a coffee! Understand that people are busy and they might book out in a few months, but stay on it.
Example: Two of my dearest friends are Megan and Moria Flynn - the founders of M.Flynn. Want to know how we met? I emailed them saying “I’m a huge fan of your store and every single person I know tells me we would get along… want to meet for coffee sometime??" I brought them a coffee to their shop and I think I overstayed my welcome by about 2 hours. That was almost 10 years ago. They have been incredibly important along my journey and I truly admire what they do.
When you’re in the thick of it: PRIORITIZE PEOPLE. Prioritize going to the in-person events, the coffee meetups, the zoom catchups, the quick phone calls. When you’re feeling stuck, sign up for a conference and GO. It’s easy to say I’m too busy… but then you leave an event like that with three new connections, a new idea, or worst case - a funny story.
Example: I have a girls breakfast group that meets every other month. It started because I was having breakfast with two friends and we decided we’d each invite two other friends to our next date. It grew and now we prioritize getting together. Sometimes, I’ll admit, it’s not convenient for me - but I have never left one of those breakfasts feeling like I would have been better off somewhere else.
Also in the thick of it: Share your resources!! Don’t gatekeep your secret sauce for marketing, a new opportunity, an amazing freelancer, or a great advisor. I love sharing - knowing that sure, some people won’t share with me… but there’s good juju and normally it comes back around. Also… remember the girl from tip #1… say yes when someone fresh asks you to meet. Help them avoid some of the mistakes you made and offer to stay in touch and/or connect them with other people in your network.
Tip for myself: Keep it going!! I remember when I started STIK I promised myself I’d go meet with two people a week. I was working from home and knew I’d get lonely - I also knew I wouldn’t have enough to do from 9-5 when I was just starting out. De ja vu!!! I’m right back in it - a total extrovert working from home with not quite enough work to keep me busy from 9-5pm. (I am also okay with that workload - as someone who is now allowing time for ME). But still - I try to push myself to be proactive in my outreach, catchups, and events. Here are a few things I’ve done this week:
I’m excited to speak on a panel in a few weeks at the Bloom Conference in Rhode Island, knowing that I will gain something from it - a new idea, new client, catching up with old friends etc.
I just scheduled a phone check-in with an entrepreneur and very good friend, Sally King McBride from The Letter Nest. We were both on a walk and it was a perfect way to catch up. She reminded me of how we met IRL for the first time when I asked her to "pop-up” at my pop-up in NYC. She thought I was doing her a favor by inviting her to show her work at my store - meanwhile, I felt like she was doing me a favor by bringing in her fans and customer base to my little shop! I love that we helped each other and have stayed in touch ever since then. It’s been so exciting for me to see all of her success over the years and be a cheerleader on the sidelines.
This week I grabbed lunch with a friend who runs a school - while we have totally different “businesses,” we were able to share things like what it’s like to be on local news or how to think through strategic growth. I often find that talking to people in other industries gives me the best perspective.
Anyway, just felt inspired to write this post because connecting with people brings me a lot of joy. And I mean it when I say that I think my network is one of my biggest business assets. I value my people and am so grateful to the group who has helped me through this massive transition in my life!!
xo!
Christina
