This past weekend I attended a wedding of a college classmate. The event was small and formal, but it provided a valuable lesson that can be carried over into the professional world. Despite the event being on the smaller side, it allowed me to network and through my conversations with other attendees, I realized that it’s a rather small world.
I was talking with the bride’s grandfather who has lived his entire life in a small town in rural Nebraska. On the surface, one would think that there wouldn’t be any possibility of a connection between a 28-year old from Minnesota and a someone who’s lived in rural Nebraska for 60-plus years. However, after exchanging your typical “what do you do” it turned out he’s on the board of a company I am interviewing for my iFinance blog.
During the dance, I was sitting at a table when an older couple (late 40′s) asked if they could sit down. I said yes and asked how they knew the bridge & groom. As it turned out, they were from my hometown and I worked at the same company during the summer after my senior year in high school.
Finally, I was talking with the bride’s father who started a company from his basement in 1982 and has since turned it into a multi-million dollar business the conducts business in all 50 states and Mexico. During the conversation, one thing stood out – simplicity & service. He mentioned that the key to his success was keeping the business simple, being patience when it came to expansion and always focusing on service. Even today, his Web site isn’t flashy and he’s not implementing any fancy marketing and advertising campaigns. His business comes from superior customer service and building a reputation of quality.
No matter where you go and what you do, there is always connections. You never know who you may have a connection with and what the people around you do. However, I would have never known had I not engaged in a conversation. I never would have known had I not asked questions and searched for that common bond.
Additionally, it seems a lot of people and businesses are focusing on the extravagant emerging trends. We’re quick to jump into social media, we’re always looking for the next big idea to separate ourselves and our businesses. During all this, we may be missing opportunities that exist and overlooking the basics of fundamental business. Nothing beats quality work and nothing is a bigger referral source than quality service.
