An Unexpectedly Novel Networking Experience

Snowman in hell

As unexpected as finding a snow man in hell, I went to a very productive networking event last night. I don’t mean to slag off the others I have attended but this one was arranged very differently than any other event I have attended. Maybe because it wasn’t really a networking event. I mean there was some schmoozing at the beginning but then the group got down to work helping a couple of different ventures solve a very specific business problem beyond just needing money. And I think that made all the difference, at least to me. No longer was I solely focused on what to say, what to ask but rather on an issue. Unfortunately, I didn’t really know that was how the group worked and had to leave before the real work started but I certainly intend to make it to the next one…fully.

The event is called Sustainable Ventures – Boulder and you can find out more about it via meetup. Once you start going to these types of things you realize how much is really going on in Boulder and how many creative and courageous people there are out there.

My only complaint was that I couldn’t hear the speakers too well, part of that was me, the other was we were at Bacaro.  I would have liked to capture and write down a description of each of the ventures and the issue they were tackling and then read more about them on their web site.  There is supposed to be something posted to the meetup site but I haven’t found it yet.

Networking Makes the Beer Taste That Much Better

Yesterday, Bryan from EcoGreenOffice most have hosted like his 30th Boulder Green Drinks but this time we all met up at Upslope Brewery just off of 36 on your way out of Boulder. It was a great venue with even better beer. The guys at Upslope have a great setup. I was up there at least once last summer and they had a band playing out back and it was just a great, casual time.

And about the event itself. Well, Bryan does a great job of promoting the event and the turn out certainly helps the local business hosting the event. I met some great folks: people from real estate, lawn maintenance, life coaches and some just finishing up MBA programs in renewables. The beer at Upslope is pure micro-brew so it goes down really easily and softens the edge, which makes networking that much easier…to a point. There’s probably a narrow line between being at your best, working the room, making conversation and when you should just sit outside in the sun and enjoy the spring weather. I can cross that line even without drinking as just a function of becoming self-conscious and realizing I’m the only one laughing at my own joke. But it was funny.

There seems to be a lot of movement in the “green field” but it’s hard to get a handle on where things are going. I read a lot about corporate social responsibility and that may be because of the BP incident; I also read a lot about renewables but I’ve been reading less about SMART grids and wonder why. If most of our energy is used to heat/cool are buildings then it seems like that’s where our attention should be. But conservation of resources is a much harder sell and perhaps harder to get people enthusiastic about it. I might suggest an Upslope Pale Ale to help their enthusiasm.

Changing Careers or Ignoring Reality

After getting laid off from Sun in February, I have had some time to think about what I want to do next. This trip into the “what can be” has been aided by the great folks at Right Management and my own desire to make a change. I’ve been slowly educating myself on green building and sustainable business practices both formally through CU and CSU and informally through mentorships and reading. And I am looking at an MBA program in sustainability at Marylhurst in Oregon.

There are times and it seems to coincide with how pleasant it is outside when I really feel like I have some knowledge and skills, which can be transferred into a new field. I feel confident that this new “green industry” is gaining momentum and there are opportunities out there.

And then there are other days, when it is slightly overcast and gray, when I wonder if I will ever get another job….even in the field in which I am most qualified – Web Marketing. I think about this “Great Recession” as it has been dubbed and wonder if I am out of my mind to think about anything other than rejoining the exact industry I left. But I firmly believe that this business as usual mindset is what has contributed to this economic downturn – evading regulations, glossing over safety requirements, wealth movement – have eroded our economic health and we’ve all been active or passive participants in this.

The big thing I need to learn is how to maintain and channel my optimism or idealism through the networking events, the resume rejections, or just the flat-out rejections even when it’s overcast. I don’t know how people cope with bad news on cloudy days.

Startups & Networking in Boulder

Boulder is a super town if you are launching a start-up or are a networking fiend. BusinessWeek said we were a top location for startups! And I really think you could fill up your entire week with networking events: Flatirons professionals, Green Drinks, CleanTech, the list goes on and on. In other words, you are not alone if you are looking for that type of support. However, one way you may be alone is if you are a woman. You can’t really tell from this picture I snagged from the TechStars site but most of the mentors for small businesses are men. Now, I am not going to go down the road of explaining this away by trotting out  reasons of inequality (although, I’m sure that plays some part) but I’m wondering why men are more likely to be risk takers than women because really that’s what we are talking about here. Going your own way, taking a risk, forging ahead on your own, you can use any cliche you like.

I touched on this topic while having lunch with a business woman, who had owned her own business for 20 years or so and while this is not a definitive list, it’s a start. Most of these ideas are hers but they are taken from my memory so the errors are my own:

• Not natural risk-takers. I don’t know why but that has to be a contributing factor.

• We have to feel like we’re the experts on a topic before we feel comfortable taking or leading a project, which does not work in a new business environment. After all bringing a new service or product to the market means that we’re the experts; there’s no degree we can get in our new business.

• Getting bogged down in minutia. If the project is to do x, we have a tendency to think about p, q, r, s  and wonder if we can do all those but really the question is can we do x.

• Wanting to do it. Do we really want to do it, then we should do it. If we don’t, then don’t. Pretty simply and binary but it’s a question that needs to be answered.

I’m sure there are others and really a fair question would be to me, “well, why don’t you do it?” Good question. I don’t know yet. But there are people in the community making an effort to provide support to women-owned businesses. One of them is  called Startup Women (Boulder) organized by a great woman, Fiona Schlachter.

For me personally, I think I’d feel more comfortable going out on my own as part of a team, working collaboratively towards a common goal.  Because I don’t feel like an expert, having the option of bouncing ideas (and ultimately blaming) someone else  would provide one form of a sanity check, unless they’re nuts too.

Please. No More Pick Me Up Talks for the Unemployed!

I got a call from, let’s call her Stacey, from Right Management to chat about my resume. To be fair, when I heard her voice I immediately felt like I was getting a call from you pick: (a) the dentist (b) law enforcement (b) accountant/irs (c) attorney (d) bob – the volunteer fireman robo-call, so I know she’s not getting me at my best. But this time I really, really tried.

Anyway, Stacey says “I’d like to spend a few minutes going over your resume”.

“Great, and it must not be too bad if it is only going to take a few minutes” I say. I’m feeling pretty chuffed as I really thought it might require a significant overhaul. So, we spend several minutes reviewing my summary and making some small sentence changes. No big thang.

But then she asks “How are you doing? How is your job search?”

I’m honest and say “I’ve been applying but not much of a nibble yet but that’s ok at the moment, to be honest. After the 7 years of lay-off roulette at Sun, I’m ok with a bit of a break”.

And this queues her buck-up speech and I don’t think I have quite recovered.

Stacey starts off by saying “…well these things take time and if you have the luxury to take some time, losing a job really introduces a whole grieving process. Have you ever lost a family member?”

I say, “no”. And wonder what exactly she means by luxury. I know what she means but that comment left a mark. I should have stopped her there but she continues.

“Losing a job is much like losing a loved one although not as bad. You’ve lost your income, your friends, the place where you used to go every day, your connections and you’ll be riding an emotional roller-coaster, which is completely normal. Give yourself some time.”

It was as if someone had knocked the stuffing out me, released the air in my helium balloon, drank all my wine by mistake and they still have their full glass. I finally responded as cheerily as I could “…thanks, Stacey, I’ll keep those words in mind”. And then hung up and thought is this how losing your job is perceived – that b/c I no longer have a 9-5 I have no money, no friends and am an emotional whirligig.  I know jobs are important, they’re: social, they pay you, they provide structure, etc. etc. but I think we need to update the buck up speech.

The loss of income is catastrophic – no other way about it. But lumping that in with this idea of  losing  friends,  your place in the world, your routine because you are no longer employed is a lot to burden someone with who has lost their job. So, not only are these perceptions of despair projected onto me, I’m actually out of a job too. sheeeshhhhh….I’m probably making more out of it than there is or maybe I just feel that way after writing it all out.

Here’s an idea for a buck-up speech. How about focusing on volunteering? We have all these amazing people out of work can’t we engage them in collective volunteer efforts helping out in their community.  And if you think that is socialism, get your own damn blog.  Or setting up informational interviews where you can find out about different fields and the educational path to get there. Or have one of us recently unemployed teach a class in our field – passing on our expertise and maybe finding a new opportunity.

And I do have friends…

A Morning Spent at Jefferson County Workforce Center

First, let’s get the PC stuff out of the way. The Jefferson County Workforce center is a lovely building providing amazing services to people like me, who’ve been laid off or are transitioning into a new field. It’s located in lovely Golden and has terrific views from its atrium. In other words, great place. Unfortunately, when you walk into the center itself, you may feel a little like you’ve been dropped off at the humane society. There’s definitely a tone, a scent of something and it’s not just fear, although that’s there, but of uncertainty and a hint of ambition. But not much. People are in there working, now they might be surfing the Web for deals on cars, but on the whole it seemed people were working on stuff and were there for a reason, like hoping for a new forever home.

I was there to find out about the WAI Program – work assistance something or other. Basically, if you qualify and two-step through their process, they’ll fund some education for you, which is mighty fine! I had to go to JeffCo, even though I live in Boulder, because Boulder County was out of money. I thought this was rather odd as it is Federal money and figured wire transfers work between the counties but it was nice of Jefferson County to share.

As we were walking up the staircase, I noticed a young family: mom, dad and two young kids right outside the building. The couple were outside the car talking, kids in the backseat, when the dad walked to the front of the car and popped the hood.  I thought to myself there can be few depressing events as being out of work and having your car break down but having to pop your hood outside the Workforce Center has to be an arrow straight to the soul.  It’s been almost a week since I was there and that family has stayed in mind. I hope they’re doing better.

I hadn’t watch the family for very long when we were being called into the classroom. It was a good group: lots of different types of people, of all ages, all obviously eager to find out more. You could tell. These people wanted to get ahead.  I had gone with a friend and after the meeting as we walked out of the building I said, “sometimes I feel like our nation under employs, under uses, under educates so many of us.” Lack of funds, wrong geography, etc sometimes stands in the way of people of realizing their potential and yes, you could argue that if they’re smart enough, work hard enough, blah, blah, they’ll get there or life isn’t fair. But it does seem a shame that some people have to work so hard to get to point that others take for granted. Like the kids in the back of their parent’s broken down car at Jefferson County -  how hard will they have to work, do they have the stamina the staying power to see it through. I have no idea and certainly no answers.