(Q&A) Real talk with a CEO | Business Networking

This is not about being perfect.
It is about being real, intentional, and open to growth.

You will learn:

* How to walk into a room with confidence
* What to say when someone asks what do you do
* Why real connection matters more than business cards
* Networking tips specifically for women
* How to show up even when you are exhausted
* The mindset shift that changes everything

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome back to the business of becoming. I'm your host, Stephanie. And today it is an impromptu session because your girl right here has to rush out of here and has had no time. So I literally texted my producer last night because as much as I really, really want to continue and dive into this next series, which is the art of becoming, I want to give you my time. I don't have that. Not this week. I have an impromptu networking event that we have to rush to uh that will require me to be out of town for the weekend. So he came up with the brilliant ideas of just rapid fire questions and interviewing me on what I know how to do best, which is talk about networking and helping people and high-level achievers become the best and next version of themselves. So we're gonna dive into that real quick.

SPEAKER_00 0:50

All right, Steph. So real talk. Before you walk into a networking event, what is actually going through your head?

SPEAKER_01 0:57

I think it's mentally preparing yourself to uh walk into the room with the right mindset, the right confidence, and to also just remember that you're not there just to get, you're there to give. So, how can you give people that are in that room something valuable? And obviously, you know that like nerves don't fully go away. Sometimes you're gonna walk into a room with like very high-level people or high achieving people. Um, don't let the nerves keep you out of the room. I guess that's like my biggest thing. Just don't, because you have no idea what you have to give and what connections can be made.

SPEAKER_00 1:36

So, Steph, you literally just hosted a networking event at the Hard Rock Stadium, which congrats again, by the way. What surprised you the most?

SPEAKER_01 1:48

You, Frank.

SPEAKER_00 1:50

Yeah, that I showed up.

SPEAKER_01 1:52

That you showed up and that you didn't die. Um honestly, what what surprised me the most was the fact that this is the third year that we've hosted this event, and um people were still showing up. Like some of the same people and a lot of new people were just wanting to connect. And that has been the recurring theme for the last three years, and seeing that genuinely happen again, and people actually like leaving with something valuable, uh, was incredible. And going there, not as a guest and as a host, was and is because it's the third time we've do it, we've done it, is so crazy to really see it in that perspective because you're there just not thinking about your experience but everybody else's experience, and uh and yeah, when you see like real genuine connection happening, and you can just stand back and say, dang, like I helped facilitate this, it's a it's an incredible feeling.

SPEAKER_00 2:55

Okay, great. So in your industry, you don't really see a lot of women in those networking events. For the women that do go, what advice do you have for them when they're trying to network?

SPEAKER_01 3:09

Um, okay, I I I would say women, we naturally um are chatter boxes. We naturally like to talk a lot. Um I would say learn how and when your moment is to interject. Um I would say don't just go chasing a business card and just really go there to genuinely see a follow-through on something. Um yeah, don't follow a business card, just follow real connection. And I think we do have intuition, you know, we do have some sort of guidance that can allow us to know if there's a genuine um relationship that can be made there that can come to fruition of something that's very positive for you and your business. And I would also say just like make sure you're not dressing too skimpy for networking events, because uh listen, first and first impressions are important, and yeah, you don't you don't need to dress skimpy to get somebody's attention. You're beautiful, you're smart, you're intelligent, like dress hot because you know you got the body, great, awesome, you you boo. But I would also just you know be cautious because uh you want to make sure that you're presenting yourself, your business, or your team. Like, think of all of that when you're when you're gonna go dress for something, I would say.

SPEAKER_00 4:32

So here's a question that everybody dreads to hear, and it's so what do you do when someone asks you that what's your actual answer?

SPEAKER_01 4:41

My name Jeff. If you guys don't know, uh I test the audio a lot of the times with Frankie, and it's like the first thing I say all the time. The elevator pitch is dead, you know, nobody likes to be sold. And uh I think people don't even really care so much all the time about what exactly you do. Like, I am a you know, I don't know, COO of this company and this and that, like cool, you're name dropping, but like what do you do? Right? Um, you gotta give yourself a chance to connect with somebody. And my basic thing is I help, you know, high-achieving people find peace and purpose in a very busy life. And I help them figure out the next version of themselves, you know, outside of being a parent, outside of being a leader or a sales manager or anything. Like I have I help them find that next version of themselves. So me saying that, I don't have to say that I run a multimillion dollar business or that I, you know, do real estate and that I do this and that I do that and I do federal credit. I don't have to say any of my stuff. I just I tell them that, and then you find you know really great conversations because now you're not even just talking about money, you're talking about connection. And in connection and in relationship and in that networking, money will follow. You know, you do good, good will come.

SPEAKER_00 6:05

Okay, Steph. So a part of my job is handling your calendar. So on your calendar, I see that you have appointments with your kids, with employees, with all these different people. You're traveling on a Monday, you're coming back on a Tuesday, you're you're all over the place. I love that. With that in mind, that's your fault. We gotta keep it going. With all of that, how do you show up to networking events even when I know that you are exhausted? How do you do it? Like what's going through your mind, like what pushes you to do that?

SPEAKER_01 6:47

Everything you just said. Literally, that's it. Everything that you just said. Because if I sit in wallow and think, I should be here or I shouldn't be here, and I should be elsewhere, then I'm not really present in that moment. And I'm not fully seeing the future. I'm seeing just the present. And it's been something that I've struggled with for years because we naturally see what's right in front of us rather than what is ahead, like the bigger picture. And I think if you fixate yourself on the bigger picture, you give yourself grace and you're allowed to calm your anxiety because that's not gonna happen. Um by realizing, hey, you know what, right now this is a big sacrifice I'm making by investing time into this and investing time into my team, investing time into my children. But this is gonna come back because here's my bigger picture, you know. And I think if you lose sight of your bigger picture, if you lose sight of that vision of what you want for your life, then you're always gonna be treading water. But if you know, okay, I'm building towards this so that I can buy back my time and do what I actually want to do in my life, which is help people and be there for my kids, then I it's it's just it's work. You know, you gotta put your head down and say, Okay, God, like you got this. You know, I I surrender that part to you. And at some point you're gonna have to figure out how I'm gonna make time for my kids or how I'm gonna make time for meetings. A lot of the times, too, like I don't have to stay in a trip for four or five days. Like, I don't even have to be in a networking event for more than two hours. You know, you just you go there and make one or two connections and you leave rewarded. You can see your way out. You don't have to be there till the end until everybody leaves so that you look like the best networker ever. It's like a no. And I just realized, Frank, by the way, I have my daughter's unicorn sticker on my hand this entire time.

SPEAKER_00 8:52

Well, I'm sorry, I thought I thought that was a part of your style.

SPEAKER_01 8:55

Dude, you're supposed to make me look good.

SPEAKER_00 8:57

Yeah, but you know, I thought it was adorable. I thought it was reminding you of your son this morning who had like stickers all over his face.

SPEAKER_01 9:04

I guarantee you you didn't even see this.

SPEAKER_00 9:07

Maybe I did it.

SPEAKER_01 9:08

100% you did it. Oh, there's Heidi showing up everywhere.

SPEAKER_00 9:13

Um, so before we jump into our rapid fire question, here's your last one. For women who say I hate networking, what do you say to her?

SPEAKER_01 9:28

Discomfort's the whole point. That's why you're in this channel. That's why you're watching this video, because being uncomfortable is what's gonna make you grow. So get uncomfortable, you know, go to those events. It's not about just you, it's about what you're building, it's about who you're becoming, it's about what other people can see in you that you can't see in yourself. Sometimes you need an outsider's perspective to tell you, hey, you're great at this, this, and that, and kind of kick you in the butt and give you the motivation to do what it is that you've already been feeling to do, but haven't had the courage to do so.

SPEAKER_00 10:05

So let's jump into these rapid fire questions. Um what's your icebreaker at a networking event?

SPEAKER_01 10:15

Oof.

SPEAKER_00 10:16

Or your best conversation starter.

SPEAKER_01 10:18

I usually always uh quote like movies or The Office. Yeah. Or I or I literally like my name Jeff. Like, I think that's great. Um, it shows personality, it shows that you don't take yourself so seriously. And um, or if it's a girl, um, I'm usually like, oh my god, I love your shoes. It's always a compliment. It's always you gotta always compliment girls.

SPEAKER_00 10:43

Business cards, or just use your phone.

SPEAKER_01 10:46

Use your phone because if you were ever a door knocker, you know that every time you would give out your business card, it'd get lost. So what I used to do is I would say, my trick, I'd say, I'm so sorry, I ran out of business cards handing them out. Um, do you mind if I just grab your phone? I can text you really quick, and that way you automatically get their number and you already establish a connection and communication. So no need for a business card.

SPEAKER_00 11:12

What's the one thing you always bring with you?

SPEAKER_01 11:15

Perfume. Always. You gotta smell like Coco Chanel, baby.

SPEAKER_00 11:20

Smell good. When we're in the car with you, we all end up smelling like Coco Chanel.

SPEAKER_01 11:24

You all smell like Coco Chanel, and it's lovely.

SPEAKER_00 11:28

I walk past people, they're like, is that Stephanie? No, it's Frank.

SPEAKER_01 11:32

I'm her spirit animal. It's like that one time where you uh walked into my room, and I had just got it. I had just got into the room, and he walked in because I told him to go grab something for me and take it to the to the networking event that we're at. And he's like, How were you just here for four minutes? And this room is upside down and smells just like you. It's a power, baby. It's a power.

SPEAKER_00 12:01

One word to describe your networking style.

SPEAKER_01 12:05

Smooth up, arena. I'm just kidding. Um, my networking style, I would just say just graceful. You know, just being yourself, being lighthearted. Like, it can't be too serious, man. Life is serious enough. Nobody goes to a networking event just to be like upset, you know. They they go to distress, they go to make connections in a more comfortable setting, not in a conference room where business is done, you know. I feel like that. I said like 18 words, by the way.

SPEAKER_00 12:36

Yeah, no, no, I caught that. So, right after an event, you go home, you go back to your Airbnb, what's the first thing that you do?

SPEAKER_01 12:47

I talk with you. If it's not you, it's Vanessa. But it's always a digress. Even before the shoes come off, like, alright, so did we execute? Like, what happened? How did it go? Like, you were on that side of the room, what was going on that side of the room? This is what was going on over here. Um, I think I mentioned this before in the networking video that we said. You know, you have to go with a plan when you network. I think you have to at least have something that you're trying to achieve or get from uh from these events. So, especially if you go with a squad, you can go with a team, like so much can get done in like an hour.

SPEAKER_00 13:29

So well, you did it. That's a wrap.

SPEAKER_01 13:31

All right, don't forget to like and subscribe. Uh I really hope that this message landed with you guys today because at the end of the day, we're all just trying to build uh our business. We're trying to build ourselves. And even if that's outside of business, networking is so key in community. Um, and when I say community, I want to hear from you guys. What is your biggest struggle when you're trying to network with people? What is your biggest struggle when you're trying to find a community? I would love to help. I want to hear it. I want I want to challenge you at the same time. So uh send this to somebody that you feel struggles a little bit in networking or struggles a little bit in just trying to find community because that's what the business of becoming is all about. I want to hear from you. I want to hear from you guys in the comments, and I'll see you guys in the chair next week.