Networking - The Smart Way: How a Small Business Owner Makes Connections & Makes an Impact Without Burning Out
Welcome, friends! 👋🏾👋🏼👋 Today, I want to get right to Part Two of Valentina Moretti's approach to networking: make connections, but make sure you're enjoying yourself in the process. And make an impact in your community.
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WORK SMART, NOT HARD
“I hate to hear big personalities say, the only way is [to] work hard, work hard, work hard… Really? Why don’t you change that to smart work?”
Valentina Moretti, Esq. rejects the idea that being an entrepreneur means you have to kill yourself working 20 hours a day to succeed.
Sure, you have to be willing to put in time and solid work. If not, she says, it’s not for you.
ANSWER SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT & HOW TO GET THERE
But, she believes that doing it smartly will get you a lot further. Here are the questions she recommends you start asking and answering:
What are your goals?
Where are you going?
What resources do I have?
What is working?
What is not working?
ASK FOR HELP
Then, she suggests you do what many people are afraid to do: to ask for help.
Speak up about your problems and your fears.
“For Latinos, it’s so hard to ask for help, you know. You don’t want to seem weak. You don’t want to be a failure in front of everyone. So you just die with your pride.”
Valentina with co-chair, Ami Zak - Learning Libraries program (Junior League Boca Raton)
THE TIP JAR (tips provided courtesy of Valentina Moretti, Esq.)
THE KIND OF HELP YOU NEED TO GET: Moretti believes the main thing is “having someone who [has] done this before. Not necessarily in your industry, but someone who has been successful in their business.”
They can “take you by the hand and tell you, ‘Come. This is who you need to meet. This is what you need to do.'”
HOW MUCH MONEY YOU NEED TO HAVE SAVED TO START: Moretti says you need to come with money in the bank. “At least 6 to 9 months of financial stability. And, still, that’s little.”
CELEBRATING SUCCESSES (BIG AND SMALL): “Celebrate your little successes every day. Because there’s always something to celebrate.”
PRACTICAL EXAMPLES:
“An email that you got saying that you have a new client. That’s huge.”
In a trade-related business, celebrate “that the merchandise got into port.”
“Sometimes, you will not find anything. Just be grateful that the business is open and you will have another day, tomorrow, to make it happen.”
BE A CHANGE-MAKER: START WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
Moretti believes entrepreneurial success comes from transforming your community.
“We are the heart and soul of our community. We change our communities. And I think that’s why the government [gives] so much attention to us. We are here to create economic prosperity… “
To do that, she believes in giving to your community. It can end up being a powerful networking tool.
NETWORKING CAN TAKE MANY SHAPES
Entrepreneurs by day, rock stars for charity
For example, she says the Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce, through its foundation, the Golden Bell Education Foundation, started a program called Battle of the Bands.
It involves five or six entrepreneurs, or small business owners, who form a rock band, rehearse and then play an event for charity.
“None of us… had any musical training.”
But the business owners came together. One year, Moretti played the keyboard. She’s also served as band manager.
“You make a fool of yourself… And we had 800 people watching us live. It’s very scary.”
But she did it. And the event raised $100,000 for education.
It helped the Palm Beach County community.
It also helped the individual business owners conquer a fear by pushing the limits of what they thought they could do.
And they made meaningful connections.
“You learn something new. You make a bigger network. You connect with people… And you do something totally different. And, then, you impact a nonprofit. It’s a win-win. It’s incredible.”
LOOK FOR GRANTS IN YOUR COMMUNITY
Moretti also encourages aspiring and current business owners to look for grants.
“I know the city of Boca has some resources. The city of Deerfield [Beach] is big with small businesses.”
SEARCH FOR NEWER TYPES OF GROUPS TO JOIN
“Google your city. Google groups. Sometimes, you will find Mastermind Roundtables. Join them.”
She mentions Global Ventures at Florida Atlantic University and FAU’s Tech Runway as other resources to look into, if you have a tech-related idea for a business.
GO BEYOND YOUR LOCAL BORDERS
Going global is easier than ever
Moretti has never had a fear of going beyond her immediate area. And she doesn’t think you should, either.
It started at a young age when her parents moved the family from Venezuela to London, while her father was studying for his Ph.D. Her mother made sure they explored.
Valentina with her mom & siblings discovering the world (Stonehenge)
Moretti’s mother would take Valentina and her siblings on car rides. “We’re going to Spain. We’re going to France. We’re going to [the] Netherlands.”
These quick getaways taught her that, “the world is there for you. And it’s not just a little space where you live. It’s bigger than that.”
It’s the reason why the consulting firm she owns with her husband, Samandhel, focuses on global trade. They have customers abroad, in places like India, China and Venezuela. It’s why they didn’t hesitate to expand their business to the kingdom of Bahrain.
TRAVEL SOLO TO LEARN ABOUT YOURSELF
Moretti also recommends traveling solo. “You get to know yourself a little better. And you push those boundaries.”
Even for those of you who may be concerned about having an accent while speaking English, she suggests you get over it. She did.
DON’T WORRY ABOUT YOUR ACCENT
Moretti says, in the beginning, when she had a more-limited English vocabulary and made grammar mistakes, it would get to her.
“I’d get so angry with myself. And, then, I’m like, you know what? But I do speak two languages. I communicate well enough. People understand me… Who cares, right? You don’t have to be perfect, right? You just have to go and do it.”
LOOK TO TRADE ASSOCIATIONS FOR OPPORTUNITIES
Her international connections and knowledge of the global market caught the attention of the World Trade Centers Association and, specifically, the World Trade Center (WTC) Association Palm Beach.
She is the organization’s first Venezuelan to hold the position of International Business Development Director.
It’s allowed her to focus on her passion and her strengths.
“What I do is what I love to do most. It’s to engage and connect people. So I connect members in the WTC Association in the North America region… I am putting to work the networking skills.”
Making global connections for the World Trade Center Palm Beach
NO NEED TO GO IT ALONE
HELP ON THE OUTSIDE...because we can all use a helping hand:
So Many Generations, So Many Opportunities – Targeting Your Market
Who can keep up with all of the generations and nuances of each group, especially when you’re trying to run a business?
In this FREE online webinar, you’ll learn which generation you need to focus on, how to effectively market to them and the best way to do it. Check out details below:
Orlando SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives)
Wednesday, June 22, 2022
5:30 p.m. EDT – 7:30 p.m. EDT
Online Webinar
FREE
https://orlando.score.org/event/generational-marketing-reach-acquire-4-generations-customers-1
WORKING ON THE INSIDE...because we know our culture has a hard time asking for help:
Happy Employees, Happy You
Keeping your employees happy and engaged not only helps with performance, it helps with turnover. UCF’s SBDC has a leadership series and, in this webinar, you’ll learn strategies for doing just that in your small business: making sure your employees are engaged and feeling satisfied with their jobs, so you don’t lose them to bigger competitors.
Happy employees translate into a higher likelihood of a happier you. Here are the details:
Florida SBDC (Small Business Development Center) at UCF (University of Central Florida)
“Big Skills for Leading Small: Building Great Teams”
Thursday, June 30, 2022
10:00 a.m. EDT – 11:00 a.m. EDT
Virtual Webinar
FREE
https://events.ucf.edu/event/2403433/big-skills-for-leading-small-building-great-teams/
INSPIRATION FOR THIS ISSUE:
As a kid, did you dream of someday becoming President of the United States? Many of us did because, well, it sounded cool. Not because we really believed we’d go through with what it takes to actually get the job.
Of course, I was born outside of the United States, so it wasn’t an option for me.
Sure, for many, it’s the power and fame that goes along with the job and the title.
But, you always hope that the chance to lead, and leave the country and its citizens better off, is the driving force.
In Part One, Valentina Moretti shared that she hoped to become President of Venezuela. At least, that was her goal as a kid.
No, she didn’t become President of Venezuela. But I thought what she said about that aspiration was profound.
She feels that she definitely accomplished her dream because she was able to change her community. She became an environmental lawyer and had her own practice in Venezuela for many years.
Then, she owned various businesses with her husband and continues to work as a business owner. All the while, she’s done volunteer work, raised money for causes she believes in and has changed the communities where she's lived.
I think the lesson here is that there’s not only one path to achieving a goal. You may end up with a different job title. You may go to different places. You may end up doing different things. But, if you end up changing your community and helping people, then you don’t need the title of President of the United States. You’re making an impact.
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Valentina making an impact in the community