Last week, I received a call from a networking friend of mine, Sandy Centorino, asking me to attend the Connecticut Business Expo and to support her. She had been selected as one of the five finalists in the Get Started CT pitch contest, sponsored by Inc. Magazine and Cox Business. She not only needed a little moral support, but also she needed some coaching and advice on her pitch.
Sandy is one of those amazing people that you find when you expand your networking sphere beyond your own profession. She has an extraordinarily creative mind and with the help of her young adult daughters, she is able to create products and services leveraging the new world of social media. Say it Forward & Co. is one of her latest business ventures.
Watch Sandy’s pitch, captured on video by me using her iPad:
Guess who won?
The five finalists were:
- Edwin Siebesma of Meeting King
- Mike Vigeant of Great Blue Research
- Sandy Centorino of Say It Forward & Co.
- Zachary Schwartz of Fusion Cross-Media
- Frederick Wynter of Nomads Adventure Quest
Zachary Schwartz of Fusion Cross-Media won the Pitch contest and received the $5,000 worth of business services from Cox Business. He would have had my vote if I had been on the judging panel. Zachary presented a compelling, technology-driven business idea that solved a real and specific problem faced by restaurateurs. He pitched it well and provided just the right amount of detail without going too deep. Zachary also “nailed it” in the five – minute Q&A session that followed his 2 ½ minute pitch.
But all five finalists were winners because they had the opportunity to present their ideas to a large professional audience and they got expert advice and feedback from a distinguished panel, including Josh Linkner, Venture Capitalist, Entrepreneur and Author of Disciplined Dreaming: the proven system to drive breakthrough creativity.
The best feedback that Sandy Centorino received on her pitch came from senior reporter of Inc Magazine, Eric Markowitz. He summarized the Say it Forward concept as “the next Life is Good brand.” That opened Sandy’s eyes to the magnitude of what’s possible with her vision.
What does this have to do with networking?
This experience is loaded with networking lessons.
Firstly, it pays to clear your calendar and to show up to support a friend. It certainly worked out well for me. I met high level people at the Hartford Business Journal, Cox Business and Inc. Magazine. I also deepened my relationship with Sandy Centorino, and learned even more about the potential of her new business idea, or social movement, as she frames it.
Secondly, you can get new ideas and valuable feedback when you go to networking events, business expos and other places and spaces where innovative people gather. Sometimes it’s hard to get yourself in the “mood” to be with large numbers of people. You have to motivate yourself and get out of your comfort zone. You don’t know what the outcome will be or if it will be a waste of your time. But if you don’t go, you’ll never know. I’m glad that I went.
Thirdly, there is power in being positive and spreading positivity to others. It’s a refreshing change to the cynical world that we live in. We are bombarded with FUD (i.e., Fear – Uncertainty -Doubt). Negative stories dominate the news. Sandy and her Say It Forward movement gives us the opportunity to spread positive messages into the world and to add some sparkle to other people’s days. Sandy is convinced that “Positivity can be Profitable, and I think she is right.
Your Networking Goal for the Week
Go to the SayItForward.me web site and submit your favorite quote or positive saying. You can choose to include your name on the quote (if it is original to you) or to credit the original source.
You might also want to purchase some of the Say It Forward cards and use them in your business and in your networking.
I like to include a Say It Forward card in my networking follow up cards and letters. I also use the cards in Speed Networking and team building exercises that I facilitate. Lastly, I like to include them in invoices and payments that I make through the mail, or in restaurants along with my cash tip.
You never know when your act of kindness and positivity will change someone’s day … or someone’s life!
