I live in San Diego, California. But I recently finally met in person with the VLCM superstar Karoly “Karoy” Domok who lives in Birmingham, UK. (Karoy is one of VLCM’s secret weapons—helping with the strategy, marketing, development and EMEA relations.)
We had talked on many conference calls and via emails, and decided to meet in person while I was in Amsterdam for work. As is often the case, there were many reasons not to do it: flight (carbon) involved, expenses, busy work, planning, foregone relaxation, getting outside the comfort zone etc. Sound familiar? However, we decided to make this a priority, and it was great!
I think all of us in the VLCM community need to do more deliberate networking. Whether your goal is to make business/career connections, have more vegan friends or advance the vegan movement, it starts with reaching out and meeting new people. If you’ve ever read Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty or other networking books, you know the secret is to build powerful connections before you “need” something.
“Let’s meet and network” is all the agenda you need. Our group is full of fascinating vegan professionals, with many near you. What should you do next?
- Contact us to request a list of VLCM members in your location / company / industry.
- Contact them from our LI group directory, and exchange the contact info.
- Meet for coffee or at the next vegan public event.
- If you are traveling, repeat steps 1-3.
Happy networking! If you have a great story to share, please contact us.