tips for successful business

Tips for Hosting a Successful Business Mixerstring(44) "Tips for Hosting a Successful Business Mixer"

August 28, 2023
BNI, Innovation, Networking 1

Hosting a successful business mixer can be a powerful tool for fostering connections and expanding your professional network. While it might seem like a challenging endeavor, you’ll be okay if you remember that your primary purpose is to facilitate networking. With that in mind, I offer eight tips that can contribute to the effectiveness of your business mixer.

1. Strategic Planning

Start planning the event at least eight weeks ahead of time. This window allows you to effectively invite a diverse range of guests, ensuring a healthy mix of professionals attending. You can also encourage potential attendees to donate door prizes to enhance engagement.

2. Optimal Venue Selection

If your office space or building is sizable enough, consider hosting the mixer at your place of business. This provides exposure to your workspace and also creates a casual and comfortable environment for networking. Make sure that the venue you select has is easily accessible and has enough parking for the attendees.

3. Showcase Products and Services

Dedicate specific areas that are marked with clear signs for attendees to display information about their products and services. This encourages interactive conversations and information exchange among participants OR the networkers.

4. Designate a Welcoming Committee

Appoint a group of “Visitor Hosts” who will warmly greet arriving guests. Name tags should be prepared for everyone, ensuring that each guest completes theirs properly. To encourage a dynamic networking environment, limit the availability of chairs by only having very few in the room. This will prompt people to actively mingle.

5. Engage in Networking Exercises

Kickstart the mixer with a brief networking activity. This could involve participants meeting three new individuals or finding someone in a related field to discuss their most effective networking strategies. These icebreakers cultivate meaningful interactions.

6. Innovative Mixer Ideas

Add excitement to your event by incorporating innovative concepts. For instance, organize a “Meet Your (Business) Match” session where attendees with similar professional backgrounds gather in designated zones (examples: finance, real estate, health care). Alternatively, you can introduce a fun twist by having guests draw cards with the names of famous duos, encouraging them to find their “partner” during networking (examples: Romeo – Juliet, Mickey Mouse – Minnie Mouse, Lois Lane – Clark Kent, Han Solo – Princess Leia, John Lennon – Paul McCartney).

7. Stay Focused on Networking

Focus on the primary purpose and fundamental objective of facilitating networking throughout the event. While it might be tempting to take the spotlight with speeches or presentations, remember that keeping the atmosphere conducive to connections is the priority.

8. Efficient Closing

When concluding the mixer, allocate around ten minutes for introductions and door prize distribution. Briefly acknowledge everyone and express gratitude for their participation, reinforcing the networking aspect of the event. Remember to start the event on time and to end on time.

The success of a business mixer lies in your ability to foster an environment where professionals can engage, share insights, and create valuable connections. By adhering to these tips, you can establish an event that can benefit your own business and provides a platform for others to expand their networks and collaborate effectively.

Remember, the core focus should always be on networking, and by prioritizing this objective, you will be well on your way to hosting a successful business mixer.

If you have hosted networking mixers before and have additional tips to offer, or if you have an interesting story to tell about your experience with hosting a mixer, please share it in the comments section.

 

 

 

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Innovation vs. Repetitionstring(25) "Innovation vs. Repetition"

October 18, 2021
, Innovation, Referral Institute 4

If you consider the concept of repetition – doing things the same way for long periods of time for the sake of simplicity and the feeling that repetition is an important part of being successful, where does innovation fit in?

If we are always doing the same thing over and over again, where does creativity come in and how do we get better at what we do?

Businesses need innovation as well as repetition for success. Innovation has to be done with a plan, and it has to be planned innovation. That seems counterintuitive, but you can’t just innovate willy-nilly and expect positive results.

I think the biggest mistake that most businesses make is they don’t do the repetition. Timed repetition is one of the reasons why the organization I founded in 1985, BNI®, is as successful as it is. It is meeting each week, doing that weekly presentation, having a speaker at the meeting, passing referrals every single week. These are all things that are repetitive and create a foundation for success. 

Boredom Is Not a Reason to Change

What often happens with businesspeople is they just want to change stuff because they get bored. Boredom is not a reason to change. Boredom is not a reason to completely change up everything you are doing. You can make a change in an element of what you are doing, but I would urge businesspeople — do six things 1000 times, not 1000 things six times. 

I recommend that you innovate by trial and error. Try something new in a small test area, then do it on a somewhat bigger scale, then try it in one whole segment of your market. Then, only when you have had those successes do you roll it out company wide.

Innovation takes place through trial and error, not haphazardly. That is a way to incorporate innovation into the structure that already exists. 

Don’t just make changes because change for change’s sake is NOT innovation. Innovation comes through testing and experimentation, trial and error. Change things with a plan and a system and a process to measure results. That is the key. That is the way that you do innovation, not just to change things up and make them different; it is purposeful.

The most successful businesses are the ones that understand that you have to find a system and then follow it consistently. If you want to establish creativity in that system, that’s okay, just do it within the structure and the confines of the system.

I believe in innovation, and I believe in timed repetition and consistency. Then you integrate innovation into that consistency for continued business success.

success

The Three Laws for Entrepreneurial Successstring(42) "The Three Laws for Entrepreneurial Success"

February 15, 2021
, Collaboration, Culture, Innovation, Mentors, Storytelling, Success 4

After four decades in the business world, I have found that three laws truly summarize an entrepreneur’s recipe for success: Passion, People, & Process.

Passion: The 1st Law for Entrepreneurial Success

First, you must be passionate about what you deliver to your customers and clients. Nothing great in life has ever been accomplished without passion. This starts by making sure you and your team are working in your flame and not in your wax. When people are working in their flame, they are on fire. It shows in the way they act, and it shows in the way they speak about what they do. When people are working in their wax, it takes all their energy away. You can see it in the way they act and the way they speak.

Not long ago, I had someone say to me they were training people in their company on how to do something very important. After they did the training about 10 times, they were getting bored. That worried me at first because it sounded like “training” was this person’s wax. So I asked him some questions. He said he really enjoyed the training, but teaching the same material over and over caused his boredom. He didn’t know what to do about it. I told him two things:

  • Sell the Sizzle

The next time he does the training, recognize that this might be the 11th time he’s done the presentation, but it is the first time that particular audience has ever heard it. I asked him to think about how excited he was when he was the one learning this content for the first time. Embrace that feeling and make sure the team feels the excitement of learning this content for the first time as well.

  • Re-live the Story

Storytelling is an important part of teaching your team new ideas. Make sure to “re-live” the story – don’t just “re-tell” the story. Re-living the story gives you that same excitement as when you first experienced it or heard it. It is that kind of passion that you need to apply to your business.

I saw him about a year later. He had now done the training dozens and dozens of times. He told me that my advice completely changed his approach and the people in his company who went to his training came out supercharged about the organization. It gave him great joy to see the “lights turn on” when he trained employees. This is what happens when you are passionate about the service you have to offer.

People: The 2nd Law for Entrepreneurial Success

People are the next piece of the formula. They are the most valuable asset for virtually every company in the world. People drive the engine of a business. To me, this means at least two things:

  • Constantly pour into your team

Help them improve their performance by supporting them through training and mentoring. Entrepreneurs who make sure their people receive proper mentoring are going to be more successful. We all have people in our lives that are “in our story.” These are people who have given us little nuggets of help or major support in some way. These are people who helped us be a better version of ourselves. A great entrepreneur, however, recognizes that the true measure of mentorship is not who is in our story, but rather whose story are we in? Whose life have we changed in some way to help them be a better version of themselves?

  • Be a culture champion

An organization’s culture is the secret sauce to great companies. It is the DNA of an organization. Make sure that the core values of the business are infused into the hearts and minds of the people throughout your organization. If you have healthy organizational core values and you strive hard to share them and live them, you help to form a team of people who will be loyal to the organization’s values as well. When this happens, make sure to treat that loyalty like royalty in the organization.

Process: The 3rd Law for Entrepreneurial Success

Lastly, it is about the process. Having good systems in place allows people to engage in their passion to deliver quality performance. The process is important. Systems are important. Here are two thoughts about the process:

  • Collaboration

While process and systems are important, it is also important to understand that you must apply the processes more like Mandela than Attila. In other words, don’t be a tyrant in the application of your systems. When I was 13 years old, my mother gave me a paperweight which is still sitting on my desk to this day. It says, “Diplomacy is the art of letting someone else have your way.” She told me this was about collaboration, not manipulation. It was about working with people to help achieve success for everyone.

  • Innovation

Check your processes regularly. Don’t be enslaved to old practices. Many times, I’ve seen companies create incredibly cumbersome processes that are demoralizing to people in the organization. Here, it is important that the entrepreneur listens to their team when they say that a process is complicated. Have mechanisms in place to ensure communication. I have found that having advisory bodies in place representing the people who perform the work, as well as those who receive the service, truly helps to deliver a better product. I also recommend that you go in and actually perform the process yourself to see what they see. That can truly be an enlightening experience.

If you create an organization that executes well in these three areas: passion, people, and process; you will be a force to reckon with. You will become a leader in your industry, and you will create an amazing enterprise.

working from home

Seven Tips for Working From Homestring(32) "Seven Tips for Working From Home"

March 16, 2020
, Entrepreneur, Innovation, personal story, Productivity, Social Media, technology, work ethic 15

In the early 1980s, I spent one of several evenings in the home of an entrepreneurial couple who lived in the foothills of Los Angeles.  This couple would regularly invite people over to their home to talk.  Talk about what?  Everything.  Life, relationships, business, and most of all – the future.  It was an informal mastermind group of people who loved good wine, forward-thinking, and great conversation.  One night after an interesting discussion among that night’s guests, the husband invited me into his office (but not working from home back then) and showed me a fairly large rectangular hard-plastic box.  It was a box with a very small, 5” screen on it.  He turned it on and it lit up with bright yellow monochromatic characters that flashed on the screen.  He said – “It’s an Osborne!”   “An Osborne what?” I asked.  “An Osborne computer,” he said.

By today’s standards, this precursor to the personal computer wasn’t much to look at.   The least expensive mobile phones on the market today have infinitely more computing power than that big box on his desk.  Nevertheless, I was impressed.  More importantly, I remember the words he said next:  “This kind of technology will change the world and the way people do business in it,”  Clearly, I could see how computers would enhance the business but, I still didn’t understand what he meant.  He explained that this type of technology “will allow people to do business anywhere – even at home!”   This was a prophetic comment if ever there was one.

Working From Home Tips

working from home

Working from home has become more common, and sometimes like today – more necessary. So, if you’re working from home these days, here are some things to consider:

  1. Establish a dedicated area as your workspace.  It could be a room or just a table.  But that is your workspace.
  2. Focus.  Don’t get distracted.  Your home is now your office.  Treat your workspace like your office.  Structure your day like you would in an office.
  3. Use the technology that is at your fingertips.
    1. Teams, Zoom, GoToMeeting or any other platform that allows you to talk to people online.
    2. Here’s a crazy idea – talk to people using that 21st Century version of what Alexander Graham Bell invented – your telephone.
  4. That technology is great – but stay OFF social media unless it is directly work-related.
  5. Plan your day.  Schedule your work on your calendar, hour by hour.  This will help you stay focused and on track.
  6. Communicate your expectations and ground rules with anyone else that may be at home with you (toddlers and younger are an exception).
  7. Take breaks away from your “workspace” and go back to your workspace immediately after your break time is over.

Working from home can be productive, I know.  I’ve done it off and on for more than 35 years.  The trick is that you have to have a plan and work that plan… even when your work is also your home.

Disruption

Lead the Disruption or Become Disruptedstring(39) "Lead the Disruption or Become Disrupted"

June 10, 2019
, Business, Innovation 3

In my lifetime there have been many companies that have been crushed by disruption. The irony is that they could have actually led the disruption. The fact that they were crushed by other companies was because they chose not to lead. They chose to either ignore it or fear it. And leading with fear is a bad strategy. These three businesses are prime examples of what not to do.

Sears

Sears was once America’s largest retailer. They began as a mail order catalog company using the postal service to deliver virtually anything, to anyone, almost anywhere, and it dominated its competition for many, many decades.  Sears was Amazon more than 100 years before Amazon.

In its day, Sears was the 800-pound gorilla that could, and did, decimate smaller retailers.  Unfortunately, Sears was so entrenched in their brick and mortar stores that when the world-wide web was introduced in 1991, they did not have the foresight to lead the way and make the transition.

In fact, just the opposite happened.  Their reaction was to actually shut down their catalog two years later in 1993.  Amazon.com was founded the very next year in 1994.

Kodak

A friend of mine who retired from Kodak many years ago told me that he felt there were few corporate blunders as staggering as Kodak’s decision to ignore the digital camera market. This is especially true since Kodak invented the digital camera in 1973, and it went on to be issued a patent for digital cameras in 1978.

Why, then, would the company that invented the digital camera not pursue this incredible opportunity? The answer, to them, was obvious. They did not want to interfere with their highly lucrative film processing business, and they did not believe that people would be interested in looking at photos on a computer. Wrong on both counts.

Blockbuster

When the winds of change swept through the video industry, Blockbuster was more of a brick than a weather vane.

In 2000, Netflix approached Blockbuster with a request for Blockbuster to buy them out for roughly $50 million dollars. Blockbuster turned them down more than once.

Jim Keyes, the CEO of Blockbuster said in 2008: “Neither Redbox nor Netflix are even on the radar screen in terms of competition.” By the time Blockbuster saw the success of the new Netflix model, they made several attempts to copy it.  However, they were too late.

Today, Blockbuster is bankrupt, and Netflix is worth over $100 billion.

I hate change. I really do.

People like the comfort and contentment that comes with a successful status quo. The problem is that a successful status quo is the present, built upon a strong past. Unfortunately, the present is not etched in stone for the future. Whether I like it or not — the future involves change, and the change is, by nature, disruptive.

Social scientists refer to this as the “threshold model of collective behavior.” For decades I have called this “concept recognition model.” When I was young, people didn’t think they needed answering machines — until enough people thought they did, and then they were everywhere, used by virtually everyone.  Later, people didn’t see the need, nor the value, for fax machines. Until enough people did — and then everyone had one.

In the 90’s I met many people that had no intention of ever using email.  Now, I can count on one hand the number of people I know who don’t have an email address — and they are all over 70.

Before people adopt a new concept, early adopters embrace the new process or equipment.  Later the resistant population joins in, and, under the right conditions, there is a viral cascade of change. Changing the world is always disruptive.

The only thing I hate more than change is failure.

Failure is what happens when you’re left in the dust when the change crushes our “present.” Today, more than ever, we need to choose to change before we are forced to change. By the time a business is forced to change, it is probably too late.

In today’s changing world, we will either manage the status quo which will eventually result in failure, or we can lead the disruption which is likely to lead to the reinvention of our business, and potentially the industry as a whole. So you must decide: be disrupted, or be the disruption.  I vote to be the disruption.

Brigadier General

What a Brigadier General Taught Me About Businessstring(49) "What a Brigadier General Taught Me About Business"

February 11, 2019
Business, Innovation, Mentors, personal story, Problem solving, Storytelling

When I was a young man just starting my doctoral degree at USC, I had the opportunity to study under a retired Brigadier General from the army. In retrospect, he was one of the best professors that I had during my tenure. In that course, he told me a story that has stayed with me for many decades.

The General told me this story in the early 1980’s. He said that when he was a young first lieutenant (which was decades before that) he was stationed in Britain. As a lieutenent, he was tasked to do a “time and motion study” of a British artillery division. My professor went to the unit and carefully watched as the men prepared to fire the guns. He said he watched as they prepared the weapons to fire. When they were ready, one man marched confidently to the left and stood at attention with his hands behind his back and nodded to the artillery men. They then, proceeded to fire the guns.

The general (then a lieutenant), asked the man why he marched to the left and stood at attention before they fired the weapons? The soldier told him that was the way he was trained to do the procedure. The lieutenant asked the soldier who trained him. The soldier replied that the sergeant trained him. Consequently, the lieutenant went to the sergeant and asked him why he trained the men to march to the left and hold their hands behind their back before they motioned for the weapons to be fired? The sergeant replied that the master sergeant had trained him to do it that way. So, the lieutenant went to the master sergeant and asked him why he trained the sergeants to train the men to fire the weapons that way. The master sergeant said “that’s the way we’ve always done it in this man’s army sir.” He had no further insight as to why it was done that way.

The leaky bucket…

So, my professor (then a lieutenant), went off to produce his report regarding the process. One evening he decided to take a break and went to a local pub frequented by many military personnel. While there, he found himself sitting next to a very elderly retired sergeant major from the army.

Now you have to understand that I met the retired general in the early 1980’s and he spoke to this sergeant major when he was a very young first lieutenant. He said this retired soldier was involved in the military back in the old “cavalry” days.

My professor told the retired soldier that he was very perplexed by this artillery process and he asked him if he had any idea why the men would march to the left and hold their hands behind their back. When my professor asked his question, the old sergeant major said, “why lad… they’re holding the horses of course.”

The general, now my professor, said that it had been decades since the military had to hold the horses before the men fired the guns. Yet, there were still men holding these non-existent horses! He also had another great story about communication.

networking scorecard

The Networking Scorecard Mobile Appstring(35) "The Networking Scorecard Mobile App"

November 13, 2017
Book, Innovation, Networking 3

Network on the Go with the “Networking Like a Pro” Networking Scorecard Mobile App

It’s easy to feel like networking is a waste of time —but that just means you’re doing it wrong. In this new edition of “Networking Like a Pro”, networking experts Dr. Ivan Misner and Brian Hilliard reveal key networking techniques to help you grow your business. Now, the power of networking smarter comes to your smartphone.

In this comprehensive app, your mobile device now becomes your networking tool. You will discover strategies that go beyond collecting business cards and turn networking into a profitable resource for your business. Dive into this app based on the book. Discover how the most successful networkers leverage their brand, expertise, and customers to achieve greatness in life.

In the book, “Networking Like a Pro”, you will learn how to attract the right people with a carefully crafted “Unique Selling Proposition” to gain your most valuable customers with referrals from networking partners. Plus, discover how to make your best first impression with the “12 x 12 x 12 Rule”. Learn how to decide which networking events and activities will best fit your needs. Finally, build and expand your network with a calculated follow-up strategy. Finally, learn to avoid behaviors that damage your reputation and push potential partners away.

Features of this amazing app:

  • Track networking activities like thank-you notes, meetings, calls, events, and referrals
  • Earn points to track your networking skill level and performance
  • View weekly networking activities at-a-glance
  • Set up a customized networking calendar
  • Access resources, worksheets and templates from Dr. Misner, Brian Hilliard, BNI, and Asentiv designed to help you get the most out of your network.
  • And most importantly, measure if you are Networking Like a Pro!

In business, you achieve what you measure. Now you can take all of the “Networking Like a Pro” action items from the book with you on the go. The Networking Scorecard™ App provides you with a mobile solution to measuring your networking efforts. If you’re ready to build connections that turn relationships into profitable customers, this mobile app is for you!

Download the free app now

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.networking.scoreboard

https://itunes.apple.com/in/app/the-networking-scorecard/id1318616340?mt=8

monorail

Technology and My 8-Year-Old Selfstring(33) "Technology and My 8-Year-Old Self"

December 19, 2016
, , Innovation, personal story, technology, Travel 4

It was a crowded day at the Toronto airport as I was walking to my gate recently. On the way, I heard a soft but steady swooshing sound coming up behind me. I looked up to see a red monorail drive on by above me. I immediately had a monumental flashback to my first visit to Disneyland circa 1964. I was roughly 8 years old and was in awe of all the amazing things that I witnessed, most of which was in of the Tomorrowland exhibits.

monorail

The Disney monorail was the first daily operating monorail in the United States. In my flashback to my early visit to the park, I remembered wondering if something like this would ever be commonplace. It was amazing to see it operating in Toronto and going right through the building much like it did in Tomorrowland many years ago.

As I stood there watching the monorail go on by, I realized that during that same visit (or one soon after), I also spent time gawking at the first ‘push button’ telephones and first ‘touch screen’ computer monitor (it had 9 sections and all you could do was play tic tac toe). The push button phones transitioned into daily use in the following decade but the touch screen technology took many more years to become commonplace.

It makes me want to go back to Disneyland to see what the future holds for the next generation. What technology did you first see at a Disney Park or World Fair? I’d love to hear about your experience.

The Book of Doing and Beingstring(27) "The Book of Doing and Being"

July 30, 2015
, , , Author, Business, Creativity, Emotional Intelligence, Innovation, Recommendation, Self Development, Video Blog 1

In this video, filmed during a recent TLC (Transformational Leadership Council) Conference, I talk to my good friend, award-winning motion picture producer and writer Barnet Bain, about his newly-released book, The Book of Doing and Being.

In the video, Barnet talks about how creativity has a significant place in our businesses and our relationships, but that the ‘really big game’ is in innovation.  He says, “Innovation is to creativity what e-mail is to snail mail.”  Watch the video now to find out how innovative thinking is available to absolutely all of us, despite the fact that very few of us are trained to see the world in terms of innovative responses as opposed to creative responses.

Barnet has devoted his life and career to manifesting his creativity in a way that not only gives his life purpose but brings meaning and hope to the lives of others.  With this book, he reveals to us how we can do the very same thing.  Put simply, if you want your life to count in ways you’ve previously only dreamed of, you owe it to yourself to read The Book of Doing and Being.

So what do you think of Barnet’s ideas in the video?  If you’ve already read the book, what are your thoughts on it?  Please leave your comments in the forum below.  Thanks!