Building A New Kind Of Networking Group: A Letter From Our Founder
I started Networking Group USA because I wanted business owners to have a better way to connect—one without excessive rules and expensive fees. I’d participated in other “corporate” networking groups, and I knew what worked and what didn’t—so, with a few fellow networkers, I started a different kind of group.
In October of 2014, six of us met in the “meeting room” of a local frozen yogurt shop—it was so small, we had to move the foosball table so all of us could fit. But we knew we were on to something big. We brainstormed and discussed our ideas, and in the end, we decided that Networking Group USA and its members would always be four core things: relaxed, resourceful, reliable, and referrable.
At the second meeting, we had more than 15 business professionals in attendance. In that short amount of time, they saw we had created something truly special and completely unique—something that, in this economy, the small businesses community was ready for.
Since then, we’ve grown to more than 25 chapters across the East Coast and beyond. We are incorporated, have a strong presence on social media channels, and offer an interactive mobile APP and web interface that connects local business owners through our central hub.
If you visit our original chapter (now named “The South Coast Chapter”–as of now, you are officially invited), you will hear me start every meeting the same way:
“Thank you for joining us this morning, and welcome to the Networking Group! I believe that to know where you’re going, you have to know where you came from—and we have certainly come a long way from our first meeting in the back of a frozen yogurt shop. Our maxim here at Networking Group USA is that we are built on trust, not obligation. If you’re still in business for yourself after 2020, you believe in entrepreneurship; you believe in accountability; and you believe that it’s small business owners who continue to build this country. In short, you are proof the “American dream” is still alive. I thank you for that and welcome you to the NGU family!”