Before I became a MIB a leader for the island of Gran Canarian I had only attended a couple of networking events, but I'll be honest, they left a bad taste in my mouth and I definitely felt that networking wasn't for me! The first time I attended an event I asked in advance if I could bring my young, breastfed baby along, and I was pleased to hear that this was absolutely fine. But as soon as I arrived I discovered that I was the only woman who had brought their little one along, and it was extremely hard to connect with the other women in the room. Most didn't have kids yet and those who did had grown up children and were out of the baby phase already. I felt self-conscious and immediately regretted going to the event with my baby in tow.
More recently I attended an event without my kids; the problems started from the outset, when I turned up at a restaurant which was closed down and padlocked from outside. There were no signs of a women's group taking place and I knew I was in the wrong place. It turned out that the leader of the group had forgotten to message me to inform of the venue change, so when I did eventually arrive at the correct location I was 20 minutes late and missed the early intros.
To make matters worse, there was not a space for me in the restaurant. I was sat at a table distanced from the group, and only when I asked to be moved closer was my request granted and I was moved to the end of the group's table.
Now after my first experience of networking I felt compelled to lead my own networking group for the island. I wanted women to feel safe, listened to, connected, relaxed, supported... and I truly believe that women want to do this for one another. I became leader for MIB Gran Canaria and started to connect with women on the island.
Our meetings are fun, inspirational and inclusive. Each month we welcome women from all over the world, mums and non-mums alike. We learn something new from one of our incredible guest speakers and we connect with each other over cake and great conversations!
I truly believe that any woman who entered the room feeling nervous at the start, leaves feeling inspired and encouraged to do great things! The proof is in the stories of the women who attend each month, who are going on to achieve the things they'd only dreamt of, but through the MIB events had been encouraged to reach for!
So in summary, MIB is unlike other networking events. If you're looking for true connection this is it!
I'd love to hear your experiences of networking, with your local MIB groups or elsewhere. Have you been inspired to achieve great things?! Let me know in the comments!
