Connections That Create Opportunities

What a night for the NorthShore Business Network!

Last night, we gathered at Sketchbook Brewing in Skokie for an evening of networking, relationship building and something a little different from our usual format.

Instead of jumping right into open networking, we invited our special guest Jeff Blackman of Blackman & Associates to share practical ideas attendees could immediately use including how to peak your profits, ask better questions at networking events and build stronger business relationships.

And based on the reaction in the room, this may be a format we need to do again!

Turning Networking Into Relationship Power

Jeff focused on something that is at the heart of everything we try to do at Windy City Business Network: relationships.

Networking is not simply about walking into a room, telling people what you do and collecting as many business cards as possible.

Jeff talked about relationship power and how the conversations we have can become far more valuable when we approach them differently. He challenged attendees to think about the questions they ask when meeting someone new and how those questions can create better, more meaningful conversations. He also helped the group think through something nearly every professional uses at a networking event:

Your introduction.

Instead of simply stating your name, company and job title, Jeff showed attendees how to create an introduction designed to engage the other person and make them want to continue the conversation.

Then everyone had an opportunity to take those ideas into the networking portion of the evening and actually use what they had just learned.

Feedback Was Positive

At the end of the evening, we asked attendees what they thought about trying this new format.

The response was overwhelmingly positive.

People told us how much they enjoyed having an educational component before networking and how much practical information they were able to take away from Jeff’s presentation.

One comment in particular stopped us in our tracks:

“I learned more in that talk than I did in college.”

Wow. That kind of feedback tells us there is real value in combining education with relationship building.

We want people to leave a Windy City Business Network event with new connections but if they can also walk away with an idea that helps them become a better networker, leader or business owner, that makes the evening even more valuable.

A huge thank you to Jeff Blackman and Blackman & Associates for spending the evening with us and sharing so much with our NorthShore community.

Thank You to Our Sponsors

We were also excited to have Eric Himes of The Inspired Culture and Dr. James Chitwood join us as sponsors for the evening.

Eric and James are helping bring the upcoming Leadership Summit to Naperville on November 16 and 17.

The summit will bring together business leaders and professionals for two days focused on leadership, professional growth and building stronger organizations.

And we have a special offer for the Windy City Business Network community:

🎟️ Use promo code CUECAMP50 to receive 50% off your Leadership Summit ticket.

Grab your tickets here: https://yourpathinspired.com/summit/

Thank you to Eric and James for continuing to support our events and the business community we are building throughout Chicagoland.

More Than Just Another Networking Event

Last night was a great reminder that networking can be about much more than simply getting people into the same room.

It can be a place to learn, grow, exchange ideas, build relationships and help one another become better at what we do.

That is something we want to continue developing as our groups grow.

Thank you to everyone who joined us at Sketchbook Brewing in Skokie, participated in Jeff’s discussion, tried out some new networking techniques, and helped make the evening such a success.

We appreciate everyone who continues to support the NorthShore Business Network and Windy City Business Network.

We hope to see you at the next one!