Leads Group 7 – Why I Love Being a Member
Leads Group 7 – Why I Love Being a Member
Everything happened so quickly.
Moving here, attending a Leads Group 7 meeting as a guest, joining the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, and becoming a Leads Group 7 member.
I’ll back up and give the short of it.
I’ve lived in the St. Louis area my entire life. In August 2014, my husband and I surprised all of our friends and family by breaking our lease, packing up all of our belongings, and moving out to Colorado in less than 5 weeks.
For the first 10 months of 2015, I completely threw myself into launching my business. Aside from my husband, my sister in Longmont, and a dinner or two with an old college pal, I really didn’t see anyone. I had no friends here. A brand new business and no connections.
That’s completely changed since joining my Leads Group in November.
I’ve shared my story of how I was introduced to Leads Group 7 and the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce on my blog post Joining the Chamber. Basically, a 10-year member of Leads Group 7 – Jon Goldberg – and I started following each other on Twitter. He invited me to attend a Leads Group 7 meeting as his guest. I did, and after I returned home from that meeting, I couldn’t stop thinking about all of the great people I had just met.
In an hour and a half, I had more human contact than I’d experienced in an entire year. At that meeting, I found myself surrounded by bright, sharp, and genuine people. Who were all doing the same thing as myself – trying to grow their businesses. Businesses in which they all believed, and they believed in each other. It was obvious that they were all there to support each other, and even though I was a guest, I felt like I belonged. I felt welcome. I knew that once the meeting ended, if I never returned, I would want to send business their way because I felt so good about each of them personally.
I quickly realized that I wanted to be a part of that environment and surrounded by those people again and often.
I like to say that the reason I joined the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce was so that I could become a member of Leads Group 7. It’s the truth! I am delighted with the benefits of both, but Leads Group 7 has given me a sense of family and friendship.
Three times a month, I get to meet with everyone, talk about my business, and learn more about theirs. We run a tight schedule, but we take turns, and everyone gets a chance to speak. Yet it still feels light…and fun, when appropriate. Most of those meetings are held at the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce. However, some meetings are held at a fellow member’s place of business. I love it! I think it is so sweet that the entire group will all take that time out their days and head for another location to support one another. I myself always enjoy a glimpse of someone else’s “world.”
One additional time each month, I get to go out and do something fun with other Leads Group 7 members, talk about myself, and learn a little bit more about everyone personally. Since joining in November, I’ve already been to a show at Comedy Works and an NBA game (my first) to watch the Denver Nuggets! Which both began with happy hour, and I am always down for that.
Outside of those 4 times, we’re also encouraged to meet individually with one another. A whole hour with just one other person gives me the quality time to get to know someone’s story and business even more and share mine. During all of my time with Leads Group 7 members, I’ve never felt like I’m being sold to nor felt pressured to give business to another. I really feel like I’m part of a big team. We’re all in this together.
After making the biggest move of my life to a new city, I feel like I can say that I finally have some friends. And it’s more than merely knowing some nice people who will hang out with me. I feel like a have a family of silent business partners backing me up. They’re there if I need them, and they’ll speak well of me, referring others my way.
As I understand it, the main reason that Leads Groups exist is for developing business relationships and referrals. With Leads Group 7, I feel like I’ve gained so much more.
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