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Showing posts from March, 2017

Volunteering is Selfish--But That's Okay

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Since childhood, I’ve been attracted to the idea of giving back, making a difference, being the change you want to see in the world...you get the picture. As a professional, it’s been increasingly important for me to align myself with professional organizations that prioritize giving back as part of their corporate mission. As I’ve interviewed with and ultimately joined new companies, I’ve been surprised by how few companies incorporate charity & especially volunteerism. Many organizations have a charity component where they donate to X, Y, Z and get a tax break, but giving time and giving money leave most people with a different emotional outcome. In 2016, I was with British Branding Agency PHMG/. Each year they do a massive holiday toy drive. It’s an absolutely wonderful way to give back to the communities in which we work. For the past six years, I’ve always prided myself on taking the time to buy loads of individual toys and donate them to Toys for Tots. At PHMG/ most em

Networking is Not Easy!

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Networking is not easy...actually sometimes it's just downright difficult.  We've all been to the event where you wander aimlessly through expo hall booths, exchange business cards with people you know you'll never follow-up with, and sit through hours of content lacking in any new ideas.  Over the past two months, full of hours upon hours of research and dozens of conversations with potential customers, it's been made clear that everybody wants to network. As much as everybody talks about wanting to grow their network, what they really want is to grow their network with peers and colleagues who can make a meaningful contribution to their success.  Bucket-List Networking in Napa At Carpathia, we get it. We are hereto revolutionize networking. In speaking with a colleague last week who is leading a VC backed Series A Startup, he said the biggest thing missing from the events he attends are opportunities to actually foster relationships. We talked a lot ab