This week I attended two networking events. One of the groups hosting an event has my membership listed under my own company name, Career Courageously. The content of the presentation, as it turned out, was about networking….a topic near and dear to my heart.
During the presentation, I found myself spontaneously responding and participating in the presentation, encouraging a more interactive discussion. Afterward, I immediately went up to the presenters, two partners from a prestigious national accounting firm, and introduced myself. Since my name tag said I was with “Career Courageously” instead of my day job, I introduced my strategy for my company….a plan still in the works, but becoming more and more crystallized each day.
I explained to them that I was in the process of putting together a plan to do one-on-one, real-time networking coaching….wingman style. It was, in fact, the first time I had introduced the idea to a complete stranger.
Their very first reaction to this:
“Do you need any referrals?”
Dang! This idea has legs! So, now I am going on record that I am going to finish putting these plans together. Here are some thoughts I’ve had about the idea so far:
Pros: I’ll get paid to network and (ideally) within circles I wouldn’t normally be engaged. This would, then, result in more potential clients! My experiences from doing this will give me the basis for my first book.
Cons: I am only one person and I can only attend one event at a time.
I would love to hear any other comments on this idea…what do you think?
I found you from your LI connection to Sean Sweet.
The mystery questions are whether someone will actually pay you for such coaching (and how to price it), whether, given that you have a day job, whether you actually have time to take on clients should they present themselves and still have a life beyond work.
Me? With an active search practice, marketing my two ebooks and finishing another, everything takes time. I made a promise to myself–three busy years and then scale back on some of the extra “stuff.”
I don’t know beyond the enthusiasm you write with.
Have a great day!
P.S. I have a number of websites. I just included my candidate facing one here.
Jeff
Amazing Blog
loved the content - i will be your regular reader for now on
The real time aspect while providing incredible value to clients doesnt scale, as you are effectively trading your time for money on a 1:1 basis. The exception would be if the game plan was to build a firm where you can leverage the work of others, perhaps as employees, franchises, or even contractors. Unless you can find a way to scale/leverage the idea, such a plan is self-limiting by design. Perhaps thats ok though, many folks choose to self limit; the key is understand such upfront.
Otoh, being you are using such 1:1 counseling/coaching/mentoring as a resource for your book, it is possible that book revenue provides scaling, or at least the potential for such.
I do think the idea has significant merit, esp in todays economic climate. The key imho is monetization of some fashion such that it gets you out of the 1:1 time-money model. (it may well be you dont run leveraged scalable deals on day 1… just set your systems up in such a fashion, that a transfer to something that scales is easy and fairly quick to accomplish at a later date).
Lastly, networking is an ongoing thing… and while your sevices of a wingman provide a ton of value, each network type of event has a unique persona. When you go outside of your comfort zone to coach a client at a 1 time event… not sure how much value that can provide. Its seems it would be difficult to read into the dynamics of such, until you yourself are an ongoing participant in such groups. (As a previous corp R-D guy from years back, I often times went outside my element, the personal networking dynamics vary a lot more than one might expect).
@Ron Hmmmm…..you make some excellent points. The scale thing has been brought up to me privately already. I definitely see the point. But then don’t coaches often do things 1:1? I guess that is what I was thinking.
Honestly, Ron, I’d love to have the “problem” of how to scale it in the future! In that regard, if I did branch out to involve employees/contractors etc. then I could see a model similar to a gal I know in NY who is an awesome hair stylist. She started out on her own, but then built up her own salon. She’s been doing this so long that now customers CAN have her cut their hair, but it costs significantly more than any of the other employees of the salon…and she’s booked solid!
Regarding the different groups and my own comfort zone, I don’t see attending the events as something I would do “cold”. I see 1-2 hours of upfront coaching to prepare for the event…for both myself and the client. The client needs to identify key goals etc, much of which depend on the potential attendees at the event. This would, by default I think, get me up to speed on the event as well since we will have to review the known details of the event in order to prepare successfully. Make sense?
This has been great because you are making me think through the idea a little further. Thanks SO MUCH for your input and for stopping by!