Skip Your Industry Happy Hour

Summary

MK Andersen, a wedding planner, advocates for diversified networking outside of industry-specific events by sharing her personal experience of building a successful career through non-traditional social activities like joining a kickball league.

Abstract

MK Andersen, after starting her own wedding planning business post-graduation, discovered that traditional industry networking events were less effective for advancing her business than building relationships in diverse social settings. She found that engaging in activities like kickball and attending Notre Dame alumni gatherings led to more organic connections and referrals. Andersen emphasizes the importance of being the only point of reference in a network for one's profession, which increases the likelihood of being recommended. By focusing on genuine interactions and connecting people across different fields, she not only enjoyed her social life but also saw significant growth in her business.

Opinions

Industry-specific networking events are not the most effective way to grow a business.
Being the sole representative of your profession in a social circle can lead to more referrals.
Networking should be enjoyable and not solely focused on professional interactions.
Connecting people based on genuine interests and diverse backgrounds fosters a more robust professional network.
Personal finance and politics can be relevant topics in networking, as they add depth to one's professional identity.
One-on-one meetings with vendors and other professionals are preferred over large events for building meaningful connections.

How I built a career by joining a kickball league

This isn’t the cliché ‘you’ll remember life on your deathbed and not a business deal’ article, and trust me, I 100% agree. However, I believe with a little bit of both, you can live your life and advance your career. So here’s the best-kept networking secret out there — stop going to your Industry Happy Hours…and here’s why.

The day I graduated from Notre Dame, I opened my own business — a wedding planning firm in Chicago. None of my college friends or classmates had gone down the path of entrepreneurship and so I turned to google to learn how to connect with new colleagues. There were weekly networking events for the wedding industry and I put the first few in my calendar.

During the summer months, I also went to Notre Dame specific networking events, joined a kickball league, and met my pals for drinks after the workday.

The industry events were fine. Obviously, I’m friends with various planners and photographers that were fun to meet those first few months. But if we want to talk about business metrics — those connections were not advancing my business. If you’re another planner, you’re likely never going to work with me and why would you refer me?

At the kickball league, ND events, and heck every party ever, I was asked what I do. It’s the standard life intro right? Where do you live, what do you do, and how ‘bout them Bears eh? I would answer that I own my own wedding planning firm which would result in a couple follow-up q’s and then we’d move on with our evening. We’d laugh and heckle other kickball players, talk about ND football, try different bars around town, and sure work would come up, but it wasn’t the whole conversation.

I found the more people I met with different backgrounds, the more I went out of my way to connect folks that could help each other.

One day I got an email saying someone from my kickball league had referred me when they got engaged. At first, I questioned how Dan from kickball could know anything about my wedding planning abilities, and then it dawned on me — he didn’t know any other wedding planners to refer out.

The #1 thing in marketing is to be the only X that people think of. You want to be the #1 plumber, granola bar, photographer, etc etc. My wedding industry friends knew SO MANY other planners, other photographers, and more. Sure I could make their shortlist, but there are no guarantees.

I stopped going to industry events. If I wanted to catch up with pals and talk shop, we scheduled our own happy hours. I would meet with new vendors in the city one-on-one instead of at a large shin-dig.

I ramped up every other interaction I had. Notre Dame folks surely didn’t know any other wedding planners, and they were always getting married, so I focused on those parties. I got to go to kickball and shuffleboard, drinks with pals where they brought a co-worker, and just enjoy myself.

I found the more people I met with different backgrounds, the more I went out of my way to connect folks that could help each other. If a pal of mine was in law school, I would connect her with someone I met who was a clerk in Chicago. I’d connect folks based on genuine interests and I started to see the benefits.

Random folks would remember me as that wedding planner who also likes to talk about politics and personal finance. I’d be connected with people about all sorts of things and that was when my business grew. When the people I was networking and connecting with could all be potential customers.

So, make right by attending what you need to in your industry. It’s good to have connections who can be mentors and advocates. But consider one-on-ones for those real connections. To get a full-bodied network, get yourself in situations where you are the only one, and lots of times that’s at kickball.

Hey there, I’m MK Andersen. I write about personal finance as a small business owner and I’m always excited to connect with others in the same boat!