Yellow Dog Consulting

Sales & Marketing Consulting for solo-preneurs.

Network with Yellow Dog Consulting in February!

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January seems to have flown by and it looks like February will be a fun month with some great networking events coming up! Grab your business cards and come join me!

Wednesday, February 8th

Hank & Pippin Networking
Hank & Pippin Networking - thanks to www.lickedlens.com for the photo!

Geekwire Game Night

I’m a big fan of Settlers of Catan thanks to some friends introducing us to it this summer. So for $5 I get to hangout with friends and play in public? Heck yes! I’ll probably also bring Uno for anyone who wants something more casual.

 

Friday, February 10th

NWEN Breakfast Buzz

NWEN is one of my favorite organizations, and they have a snazzy new website that just seems to have quietly launched…

The breakfast buzz is a great opportunity to network with entrepreneurs and service providers around the Puget Sound. Plus, the breakfast rotates between Seattle & Bellevue – this month it’s in Bellevue, hope to see you there!

 

Thursday, February 16th

eWomen Network

This month it’s a little longer and a few bucks more, BUT you get to hear Sandra Yancey, the founder of eWomen network speak. She’s incredibly inspirational (not something you hear often from me) and good for that kick in the ass you’ve needed.

 

eWomen SBI’s – Strategic Business Introductions are a great way to get introduced to eWomen Network with a small group of people instead of 100 like at a luncheon. I understand it can be overwhelming for folks, so an SBI is a great way to check out eWomen. There are two SBI’s in the February (2/7 & 2/28)- let me know if you want to go to one and I’ll join you!

NWEN eIQ’s – these are a great opportunity to learn first hand from experts on those specific questions and issues your startup is facing. Check out schedule for February and start planning ahead for March, these fill up!

Tales from the Tail: Pick it up!

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One of the things I want to do with this blog is to write on behalf of Hank, so today Hank & I are going to have a short RANT about dog poop.

Yup, evidently we need to remind people to pick up after our dogs. I know with the snow and all this rain lately that it’s easy to “forget” to pick up after your dog when you’re walking him. Here’s the request:

1. Don’t poop in the middle of the sidewalk

2. PICK IT UP!

You got a dog, there’s responsibilities with a dog, and I think we all know, Everyone Poops. So why the heck is is so hard for you to pick up after your dog? There are pet waste stations every block in most neighborhoods these days. If you have a dog, you have poop bags laying around the house, or an empty bag from the store. Make sure to take 2, Hank is notorious for pooping twice when I only grabbed one bag. Thanks buddy…

The real issue here is the environment. Besides making all your neighborhood dog owners look bad, it’s bad for the environment. The fine folks at Pooper Troopers wrote a great article a couple years ago on dog waste – and they have great resources on their website – plus they’ll come pick up for you. AWESOME. Dog waste is toxic and the way the water system works in Seattle, if you leave your dog crap on the street, it gets into the drains and then you’re eating salmon filled with dog crap. And that’s DISGUSTING. (yes i’m exaggerating, SORT OF).

Please do your dog and Hank a favor and pick up after your dog. If you can’t exert the energy to do that, you should have gotten a cat.

Finding Good Speaking Opportunities

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dogs huddled to talk
Everyone likes a good public speaker! www.lickedlens.com

Many of my clients, and people in my network, ask me about speaking engagement opportunities. As you know, speaking is a great way to grow your business. But WHERE are you supposed to get that experience to fine tune your pitch, build your audience and get the BUZZ growing about you & your business?

Here’s a few ideas that I used when I was teaching workshops at the Puget Sound Business Journal and since then.

1. ASK

Seriously, do your friends, colleagues and network know that you have a variety of topics you speak on? I’m amazed how often I talk to someone and they don’t ask for something – even when I offer. Used your LinkedIn network to find out who has a connection to that perfect group you should be speaking to!

2. Make a list

What networking groups are you currently involved with? Do they have speaking opportunities for you there? Some of the larger organizations in town have smaller networking events where they are looking for good quality speakers on a variety of business related topics.

3. Target Market groups

Where is your target marketing hanging out and networking? If you aren’t already networking with them (which is a whole other lecture I’d be happy to give you), fix that. One thing I have learned from all my speaking with the Business Journal is that there is an association or group for EVERYTHING. Don’t believe me? Check out I Love Seattle http://www.iloveseattle.org/ for a great list to get started. Reach out to them – ask what they are looking for in speakers, attend an event to get an idea, if you are providing good quality content they will want you! Again, use your network for introductions.

4. Use your Network

Make it easy for your network to introduce you and get you connected. Here’s a sample email you could send to a colleague:

Hey Josh,

I saw that you are on the planning committee at XYZ Organization. I recently spoke at (similar organization) ABC Organization and would love to get connected with XYZ. I have a couple of topics I speak about in regards to Building a Successful Marketing Plan and How to start a company so you can hangout with your dog more. Would you be able to connect me with the right person on the luncheon/speaking committee? Let me know if you need any additional information from me.
Thank you!

(then include your full signature with email & phone, website, etc here).

5. Again, ASK

It’s worth repeating. I’m amazed how many people don’t ASK for help. Post it on your LinkedIn, tweet it, you can even add a speaking page to your website so organizations can easily find you. List topics you’ve spoken or written on, list organizations you’ve spoken to in the past, but you can’t grow your message if you don’t communicate it!

I know I missed a lot of ways to increase speaking opportunities, please feel free to share in the comments. And if you are involved in an organization looking for good speakers, please let me know – I would be happy to help make some connections to GREAT speakers – who HAVE asked!