More Than Networking: Why We Keep Bringing Chicago Together
Last night’s Windy City Business Network event at Midwest Coast Brewing was one for the books. For the first time, we welcomed more than 80 business professionals to our Chicago event, marking a huge milestone for the Windy City Business Network!
The weather could not have been better. With the rooftop open, the Chicago skyline surrounding us, and the sunset reflecting off the buildings, we had the perfect backdrop for an evening filled with new introductions, meaningful conversations, and some pretty incredible success stories.
But what made the night so memorable wasn’t simply having 80+ people on the rooftop. It was hearing what has happened because people continue to show up.
The Story Behind the Windy City Business Network
During the evening, Michel Sharritt, one of the founders of the Windy City Business Network, took a few minutes to speak with the group about why she and Dr. Matt Sharritt started these events and what continues to drive them to bring professionals together week after week throughout Chicagoland.
The answer is actually pretty simple: relationships.
Michel and Matt wanted to create opportunities to bring community and business leaders together in a natural, comfortable setting where conversations could happen without the pressure of a sales pitch.
They wanted to help professionals expand their networks, grow their businesses, and meet people they might never have crossed paths with otherwise.
And yes, there was another reason.
Michel and Matt are business owners too.
They saw networking as an opportunity to grow their own relationships and introduce more people to their two companies: Situated Research, their User Experience firm, and CueCamp, their digital marketing firm.
What started as a way to grow their own network has turned into something much larger: a community where introductions can lead to jobs, partnerships, referrals, clients, friendships, and opportunities.
Seeing more than 80 people gathered together in Chicago last night was a pretty incredible reminder of just how far that idea has come. And proves just how marketing can help your business to grow.
Two Challenges for Everyone in the Room
Michel ended her conversation with two simple challenges for attendees.
Challenge #1: Come find Michel or Matt and tell them about your business.
Not a rehearsed sales pitch. Just tell them what you do, who you help, and who you would like to meet. The better they understand your business, the better chance they have of knowing someone they can introduce you to.
Challenge #2: Come to another event.
One networking event can start a conversation. But showing up consistently is how relationships develop.
And judging by the number of people who approached Michel and Matt afterward, quite a few attendees accepted Challenge #1 before the night was even over!
We Keep Hearing the Success Stories
One of the most rewarding parts of these events is hearing what happens after people leave.
Last night, people were coming up throughout the evening to tell us their stories.
Someone found a job through a connection made at our events.
Others have developed business partnerships with people they first met through our network.
We’ve heard about referrals, new clients, collaborations, and professional relationships that simply would not have happened if two people hadn’t ended up in the same room at one of our events.
Those stories are why we keep doing this.
Networking Without the Pressure
We also heard something that has become a very consistent theme across our events:
“This doesn’t feel like other networking events.”
People told us they appreciated that they weren’t constantly being pitched.
Instead, people were simply having conversations.
They were asking questions, learning about each other’s businesses, laughing, sharing experiences, and discovering where they might be able to help one another.
That’s the environment we want to create.
Business can absolutely come from networking, but it doesn’t have to start with a sales pitch.
Sometimes it starts with a simple conversation.
Making Networking Easier for the New Person
Last night also brought out quite a few people who were either new to networking or hadn’t attended a networking event in a long time.
Several told us they had heard about the Windy City Business Network and decided to give it a try because they heard our events were different.
Walking into a rooftop filled with more than 80 people you don’t know could easily feel intimidating. We understand that.
That’s why we try to personally welcome people and learn a little about who they are and who they’d like to meet. When possible, we’ll make that first introduction for them.
Once that first conversation starts, the next one gets easier.
Before long, the person who walked in wondering who they were going to talk to is moving around the room making connections on their own.
That’s exactly what we want to see.
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us at Midwest Coast Brewing and especially to those who shared their success stories with us. Hearing what has happened because of connections made through these events means more than you know.
📸 Check out the photos from the evening and tag the people you met. More importantly, follow up with them. That’s where networking really starts.
Will You Take Challenge #2?
If last night was your first event, Michel’s second challenge is still waiting for you.
Come to another one.
And if you haven’t attended a Windy City Business Network event yet, we’d love for you to make the next one your first.
👉 Find an upcoming event at www.windycitybiz.net/events
Come tell Michel or Matt what you do, who you’re looking to meet, and let us see if we can help make the introduction.
You never know where one conversation might lead.
