Networking with the Mayor of Huntingdon

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[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column offset="vc_col-lg-offset-2 vc_col-lg-8"][vc_column_text]Those of you who know me probably know that I’ve been doing quite a lot of networking over recent years, and my main networking commitment this year is with Business Networking International, or BNI, as we affectionately know it as!

I started networking in early 2014 after being approached at a trade show and invited to attend a meeting. Initially my first reaction was “no thanks”. It felt very much out of my comfort zone and I just couldn’t imagine walking in to a room full of strangers and starting a conversation!

Anyway, to cut a long story short … “the rest is history” as they say!

Yes, networking works. Simple.

Of course, networking doesn’t work just by attendance alone, and it’s not magic! It’s been a big learning curve, and it doesn’t work instantly either (well, normally it doesn’t although some do get lucky by being in the right place at the right time!) But it has been a fantastic experience, I don’t regret it for a second, and I would recommend everyone to try it. Oh, and don’t judge it either! If you’ve never been, then give it a go. If you’ve been to one network but not another, then don’t judge the other one, give that a go too! They’re all different, and each group within the same network organisation is different too. Plus they all take a little getting used to, to get to know the people and the vibe of the meeting. You know, “don’t judge a book by its cover” is also a good mantra for networking!

As well as belonging to the BNI now I’ve also been a member of Women in Business Networking (WIBN) and 4 Networking (4N), and I’ve visited various other formal and informal network events too, such as the A14 Coffee Morning and Drive the Network. There are a lot of opportunities out there, you need to experience as many as you can.

But best of all, the thing I absolutely love, is meeting so many interesting people. Some people do jobs that I didn’t even know existed, and some people have achieved things in life that I didn’t know possible!

Take my BNI meeting on Friday, for example. We welcomed Bill Hensley from HCR104fm to the meeting, where he introduced his radio station and the advertising opportunities. After the meeting I said that I was interested in discussing things further, and so he invited me to the radio station today, to have a look at what they do and to discuss things in more detail. Brilliant!

Not only had I never heard of Huntingdon Community Radio (HCR104fm) … and yes, that is shameful since I’ve lived in this area my whole life! … but I also didn’t know how hard Bill has worked to develop the radio station. Largely run by a community of over 80 volunteers the station is incredibly successful, with a listener audience of up to 165,000.

On top of that, Bill has been Mayor of Huntingdon for the past three years (stepping down very recently) and has raised thousands of pounds for local charities during his term in office. He’s personally and professionally achieved so much to be proud of, and I felt really lucky to be able to listen to his story.

And all of this is because of networking, I never would have had this opportunity today if I hadn’t been networking for all this time. And, I have loads more stories too, all from the opportunities networking has given me.

Thank goodness I stepped outside of my comfort zone and took the plunge to network, I’ve learnt so much and it’s had a huge impact on my personal development.

See you at another event soon![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"></p> <style type="text/css"> .wpb_animate_when_almost_visible { opacity: 1; }</style&#038;gt</span>Networking with the Mayor of Huntingdon