Coffee + Pickleball - A New Kind of Business Networking?

We’ve all been there - those awful networking events you cram into your schedule. You spend your precious time small talking with strangers. Sometimes you’ll end up with a business card or two, follow them on LinkedIN, but then little comes of the shallow connection. 

Last week, I got invited to a different kind of business networking group - and it involved Pickleball. When I first arrived at the courts in beautiful Coronado, California I wasn’t sure what to expect. But I knew that if I got to play some fun pickleball, the experience would be worth my time. 

The group was created by a successful entrepreneur named Simon who’s recent illness led him to discover the healing powers of Pickleball. When the 8 of us arrived at the courts, we stood in a circle. He encouraged us to not talk about our businesses yet - but share something about ourselves. In the beginning this involved simply drawing cards with unique questions for each of us. And this led to some surprisingly deep conversations right away.

As we played, we laughed and learned more about each other -while getting great exercise. 

Afterwards, we headed to the hotel for a round of drinks. But this wasn't like other networking events where everyone stands at the bar, wondering how long they have to talk before shoving a business card in your hand. This was more like a fireside chat. We all sat in a circle, and shared about our businesses, challenges, needs. 

At the very end, Simon challenged us to schedule coffee dates with eachother before our next meeting. “Whoever sets the most coffee dates will get a prize,” he smiled. 

I am not sure what the “prize” is, but I feel like I’ve already won something. So far I’ve had 4 coffee meetings with members of the group and learned so much from each. Each person with a very different background, perspective, journey in life, but all entrepreneurial spirits with creative minds. 

I recently heard a podcast with Brian Grazer who published the book “A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life”. It was all about how he challenged himself to meet a new person everyday without any expectations, just curiosity to see where that conversation would lead. Many of the people he met became inspirations for characters in his movies or story lines in his TV shows. As a writer, this intrigued me, and I thought about doing the same for a book I’m working on. However, especially as a woman, it's a bit more difficult to invite strangers to coffee, without them thinking you are hitting on them or have some sort of agenda.  

That’s why I am so appreciative of this new kind of Pickleball networking experience. The whole experience feels so real, comfortable and in only 1 week, I’ve learned a lot about some new people and ideas. I have no doubt this group will grow - and hopefully more people will start similar networking groups in this way. My hope is that more of us can get out from behind the computer, into the sunshine, where we can play, connect and grow as business owners and humans. 

Have you had a similar networking experience? I’d love to hear about it!

*****************************
Holly Berkley is a professional Internet Marketing Consultant and author of eight Internet Marketing books. She focuses on helping all size businesses increase online sales and dramatically boost web site traffic through proven online marketing concepts. Berkley’s most recent book is “The Social Media Advantage – An Essential Handbook for Small Business” Learn about her latest books and marketing services at www.BerkWeb.com