Extra Credit

I have FINALLY gotten around to writing about the speaker series, big day for me. Any way, I have to say that I really enjoyed hearing from an entrepreneur that began in the non-profit world. We often hear about successful entrepreneurs who went on to create massive public companies and create large profits. This was a bit different. On March 30th, Jeannie Howe spoke about the non-profit side of entrepreneurship as it exists today. She spoke about the American entrepreneur as a risk taking business person that is highly motivated, passionate, creative, committed and intelligent. She began her career with a background in theater from the University of Denver. She later left the theater and entered into human services as the campaign manager for the united way. Later, she was promoted to marketing manager in the organization. During this time she secured many business partners, expanding her social network. While at United Way she worked on a campaign with the postal service and "Family Circle" magazine to expand the marrow doner registry. Later, she left United Way and went out on her own beginning on the board of "Every Man Theater." During this time she realized that she had a passion for consulting and connecting the needs of different companies. She created a business plan and found a coach to guide her through areas of uncertainty. Through research and guidance she created a client base and consulting fee. "Every Man Theater" is now her biggest client because she established a very efficient matrix of relationships that greatly benefited the business. Howe stressed the importance of social networking and having friends in different placed with different skills. I asked how to go about approaching an acquaintance that you have not talked to for years to ask a favor. She said to show there is an interest in the personal and professional dealings of the acquaintance. This tied very well into the lessons of Dale Carnegie in "How to Win Friends and Influence People." Clearly, the personal interactions we have can greatly influence the success of our business. We might as well be friendly, it couldn't hurt. :-)