Success is a topic that has undoubtedly been pondered, discussed and written about numerous times. A Google search of “How to be Successful” yields over 1 billion results. The numerous paths to reaching one’s goals, in business specifically, may lead to information overload and perhaps even discouragement.
Despite the obvious stumbling blocks of entrepreneurship, many are still choosing to give it a go.
A Forbes report revealed that in the last six years approximately 543,000 new businesses are started each month, with 70 percent of them surviving that challenging first year.
Among the many reasons for this, including technological advancements in the way of e-commerce, one distinct advantage is the continuous growth of professional networking organizations. Locally, the Successful Thinkers of Indianapolis seeks to provide business men and women with the tools they need to win.
The Indianapolis chapter is a part of the nationwide Successful Thinkers network founded by direct sales millionaire Jim Bellacera. The organization’s mission is to create “an atmosphere of a ‘business family’ to help one another through referrals, education, partnerships, patronage and mentoring, coordinated through easy-to-use software to facilitate it all.”
On a bright Saturday morning the group gathered at a chic breakfast eatery near downtown’s Fountain Square district to launch their newly chartered downtown Indianapolis chapter. The morning’s host LoveVelya Miller, lead ambassador of the downtown chapter, led a lively discussion alongside Successful Thinker’s citywide ambassador Faith Moore-McKinney on the power of positioning and utilizing one’s immediate sphere of influence in the world of business through a new networking tool, a free mobile app that allows members to interact with each other digitally by providing an interactive database of thousands of professionals nationwide.
Moore-McKinney, author of Schmingling – The Art of Being Well Connected Through Blatant Self Promotion, said Successful Thinkers is a safe place for people to get to know, like and trust each other, free of charge. She shared that some people are leery of participating in groups of this type due to the exorbitant price of membership many networking organizations charge as well as the intimidation of pushy social interactions.
“We don’t encourage a ton of business card passing,” said Moore-McKinney. She added that Successful Thinkers instead promotes relationship building across a variety of industries and disciplines.
When asked what benefits a startup owner could gain by becoming involved, the self-professed “Great Connector” said the group’s system of photographers, media professionals and community leaders provides entrepreneurs with everything needed to gain exposure.
She said personally, the organization has given her a platform to become a recognized authority and thought leader as she has been requested to appear nationally on the speaker’s circuit and quoted on the topic of professional networking in several major publications and news outlets.
“I was able to gain access to people, places and opportunities I would never have had on my own. That’s the beauty of it.”
For more information on Successful Thinkers, visit successfulthinkersnetwork.com.
