The Value of Face-to-Face in a Virtual World
by Tiffany Houser
Green Monkey
Online social networks have allowed us to reach more people, but are we building anything significant within these networks? I asked myself this question earlier this year.
With all of the goals I had for my former company, BalanceBoost, it was quite obvious I could not accomplish them all on my own. Human contact adds strength and momentum to ideas. On the consumer side, online social networking was one of the driving forces for BalanceBoost due to the amount of people sharing experiences and giving advice. In regards to the opportunities for businesses and professionals, I saw otherwise. In order to really move things forward and strengthen the network and relationships there needed to be some sort of offline gathering at some point.
On top of the social networking I set-up on BalanceBoost.com, I am also a member of LinkedIn, Facebook, aSmallWorld, LadiesWhoLaunch, The Green Group, and Social Media Today which have connected me with friends, former colleagues and people within my industry.
I am currently located in Miami, FL and realized there was a significant group of my peers in this area that I communicate with online. Within this group there were similar strategies and opportunities to work with each other in some way.
Even though we have varying business goals, we all have the goal of spreading wellness and green living to the public. In my two years of working on BalanceBoost, it became quite apparent that our industry is fragmented. As business owners, we have similar goals but we are operating separate businesses — going at it alone rather than together.
Since BalanceBoost was an online social network that aggregates information, people, professionals, products and services, I organized a roundtable in June 2008 of Miami business owners and entrepreneurs in the wellness and green living space to share ideas and experiences.
The Roundtable included:
• Kemila Velan, Founder of Biscayne Writers and Director or Communications for Ethical Markets
• Michael Lykhov, Founder of Green Monkey, an emerging balanced living brand
• Cris Vidal, Founder of Sport-a-Cause
• Hernan Pisano: Managing Partner of Nextlogics Capital
• Petter Nahed: Founder of Maid Green Inc.
Roundtable topics included:
• Partnerships and Leverage
• Management and Support Team
• Technology Tips & Tricks
• Bridging the gap between wellness/green companies
• Investors – do they understand the business of wellness and green initiatives?
• How are you presenting your company to the market?
• Re-visiting your Business Plan even after your company is operating
• Miami – the fruits and pitfalls of this city
• What are you doing to grow your business?
As the moderator of the Roundtable, which I hosted in my home, I kicked off with introductions and laid down a foundation of what we could all contribute and gain from the 2-hour discussion, and it all fell into place from there.
Since this first Roundtable, a few collaborations developed.
I have spoken to the owner of regional industry publication who was referred to me by Cris Vidal, who wanted to explore opportunities with BalanceBoost. Cris also passed along some very useful reports on Social Networking and Industry demographics that would have cost BalanceBoost a lot of time and money to acquire. I shared information with the Roundtable on Press Release tactics and other marketing approaches.
The most significant accomplishment that came from the Roundtable for me was the starting point of my new partnership with Green Monkey. After the Roundtable, Michael Likhov and his partner Philip Asquith approached me to develop and head up the interactive component of Green Monkey.
Overall, each member of the Roundtable walked away with a better understanding of each other’s business, network of contacts and resources.
My plan was to organize another Roundtable within the next few months, invite more business owners and discuss new topics. This time I will ask the attendees to submit a few topics they would like to discuss to ensure we attempt to help each member.
As the Internet connects us to more people everyday, getting the most out of these relationships may need to involve more connecting offline.
