Hi,
Back in the day when I was doing holistic psychotherapy I did what most
business owners did. I went to chamber of commerce networking events and
explored my local BNI chapter.
Because I love to engage with people I thought I would really enjoy
networking, having conversations, and building relationships. But my experiences
turned out to be more frustrating than anything.
Keep in mind, we are talking 2013 here, so the term "holistic" was gaining
some traction, but really wasn't a common descriptor of products and services. I
realized that most people had no idea what that even meant.
Long story short, I got a lot of, "oh,
that's nice" responses. (And we all know what THAT means = "I don't get you.") And the few referrals I did
get were all the wrong referrals for how I actually worked with people. Somehow
"holistic" translated to "religious" counseling or weight loss. Who knew?
My irritation with the whole thing is actually how I found the Holistic
Chamber of Commerce. It was a fluke really, as I was just searching for anyone,
any business owner who already had a mental framework of integrative
services/products, that I didn't have to extensively explain myself to. That I
could form a partnership with to send each other qualified referrals. Anyone, anyone...
My research led me to the Miami HCC local group and then later the Fort
Lauderdale local group. I knew I was
home. I finally found my people.
Today, the HCC offers many virtual
opportunities to support you in finding your people, so if you don't have
a local group in your area, no big deal. The advance in technology since 2013
has provided us the opportunity to meet people anywhere... what a
blessing!
I personally believe a HUGE benefit of HCC
membership is that you are connecting with the people who understand you,
or at least have some kind of conceptual understanding of what you do or
provide. It saves you time and energy from having to explain yourself, and you
get much better referrals.
(By the way, if you are reading this and have a more conventional business
service such as marketing or copywriting, please note that the rest of us are
grateful to do business with someone who doesn't need to say "oh, that's nice.")
If you are already a HCC member, and aren't yet taking advantage of the
opportunities to network and connect with others, I strongly recommend you make
some space in your calendar. If you aren't a member yet, and want to
find your people and grow your business,
CLICK HERE to
join.