It’s 8:30 on a Friday morning, but instead of winding down for the weekend, Pam Schultz, owner of the Frugal Decorator and of Moving Maniac, is attending –along with other entrepreneurs and professionals – a meeting of ExecConnect.
ExecConnect is one of a growing number of networking groups in greater Harrisburg offering opportunities to meet people, share knowledge, and promote and grow a business.
“It’s a nice group of professionals,” said Michael Gaffney, president of ExecConnect and owner of an electrical contracting business. “We don’t have a lot of rules or requirements to bring referrals. If people enjoy each other and build relationships, the referrals will come naturally.”
More structured is LeTip, which builds business success through personal referrals. On Thursdays from 11:46 a.m. -1:01 p.m., to be precise, the Harrisburg Metro Chapter meets at Perkins Restaurant for a lunch meeting.
Members are expected to bring a tip and a guest or pay into the “kitty.” Only one person in any given profession is accepted per chapter – a model used by other networking groups. First-year fees may add up to $1,000, but are worth many times that in referrals, said David Castro, the Harrisburg Chapter’s outgoing president.
Business Networking International is a business and professional organization that also accepts one professional of any type per chapter. The Capital Region I Chapter has 25 members – many of them businesses owners – and meets at the Appalachian Brewing Company every Thursday from 8-9:30 a.m.
“BNI members operate under the ‘Givers Gain’ concept of ‘What goes around comes around,’” said Robert Gill, chapter president. “If I help you with your business you will want to help me with my business; therefore, we all benefit . . . If you become an active member, it is like having 25 salespeople working for you.”
Harrisburg Business Woman originated from a “group of ladies who lunched” and became “formal group with an informal structure,” says Lynne Baker, facilitator. HBW meets at the Best Western Central on the second Tuesday of every month at 11:30 a.m., and speakers are primarily from the group itself.
Women pay for their own lunch (hbwluncheon.com) and can register online. There is no membership fee, but there is a fee for a display table or a presence on the web site.
“The group is special to me,” says Baker. “I used to get frustrated in groups where I’d meet people quickly and superficially. I’ve developed good friendships and trusting relationships. With that, people are more likely to refer.”
Another female-oriented group is the Mechanicsburg Business Women, composed of a lot of business owners, executives but also employees. AbeerSrouji is president of the group, which meets 11:30 a.m. on the third Wednesday of the month – mostly recently at Flavours, a Mechanicsburg catering company.
Although there’s an annual coed mixer, essentially “The group is for women – offering educational and vocational speakers, and an opportunity to showcase our businesses,” Srouji said. “We try to educate small-business owners. Women want to help other women succeed. There’s a lot of togetherness.”
The area is rich in chambers of commerce. At the Harrisburg Regional Chamber – with some 1,500 members in Dauphin, Cumberland Perry Counties – the emphasis is very much on networking.
“A lot of our members say they joined [primarily] for that,” said Christine Brindle, director of communications and marketing. “Almost all of our events and programs have some time either before or after for networking, and we have specific networking events as well. If members have good relationships and need services, they will obviously recommend those people.”
Last year HRC instituted speed-networking luncheons. The first fifty people who register attend. The next scheduled events are June 1 and September 7.
To get the most out of networking organizations and events:
— Be prepared, with business cards and a name badge and an elevator speech.
— Plan ahead what you want to accomplish.
— Behave in a way that reflects positively on your business.
— Take notes.
— Be helpful to others when you can.
— Be friendly but not “pushy.”
— Research which group seems best for you.
