HOW we met...

Ilise and I just returned from a 4 day visit to Boston where we spoke at the HOW Design Conference. This year, 4000 designers and creative types gathered to learn and get inspired and yours truly helped make that happen. 

On Sunday, Ilise and I delivered a 4 hour marketing and pricing workshop to a sold out room of 130.  It has been a while since the both of us shared the stage. The day marked a very important day for the both of us. 15 years ago that Sunday Ilise and I met at the 1993 HOW Conference in Chicago. It was Ilise’s first speaking engagement ever and my first time attending a conference.

I was only 2 years into running my own business and had no clue as for what I was doing. Marketing? What’s that? Ilise opened my eyes to the wonderful world of self-promotion and that was the turning point of my career.  The next 15 years blossomed into a wonderful friendship which turned into our Marketing Mentor business partnership.

So why am I telling you this story? Well, besides the fact that I was so proud to see how the work we are doing with Marketing Mentor is inspiring change in our industry I wanted to share the idea of how powerful networking can be. If I hadn’t come up to talk to Ilise 15 years ago at that first conference, and had I not followed up with her and kept in touch we may have never been where we are today, right here writing this blog!

We always talk about the 5 essential tools of marketing and networking is number one on our list. Where are you meeting your clients, prospects and collaborators? How much do you nurture your relationships? You just never know where people can lead you to. So next time you’re sitting at a conference and you’re totally amazed by the speaker and feel intimidated and insignificant, remember yours truly sitting at that same spot 15 years ago and having the guts to go up to Ilise and talk to her after her talk. And then of course, follow up.  It took a little moxie and effort but it sure paid off.

Comments

[Colleen Wainwright]

This is so right on, it's, like, my favorite of any post you've written.

The story of our meeting is less dramatic, but no less significant: if I hadn't let my inner whack-job hang out at that first Peleg workshop, this blog might not even exist! Or at least, not in the way it does today.

[Melissa Kojima]

Peleg & Ilise, I wondered HOW you 2 met. That's a very inspiring story. I keep hearing stories like that---these serendipitous encounters that lead to longtime partnerships. Thank you for posting this great story.