The Trading Post

Networking Essentials for Entrepreneurs

• Trader Stu • Season 2 • Episode 3

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Networking remains vital for small businesses even in the digital age, with many entrepreneurs overlooking the power of face-to-face connections that lead to genuine business relationships. Trader Stu shares his comprehensive checklist of networking opportunities that business owners should consider, from traditional organizations to digital platforms and organic encounters.

• Chambers of Commerce offer professional development, guest speakers, and valuable subgroups like Preferred Client Network
• Business Network International (BNI) provides structured weekly meetings but works best for cash-based businesses
• SCORE and entrepreneur organizations connect business owners with experienced mentors at no cost
• LinkedIn offers broad reach while Alignable provides more localized networking focused on specific geographic areas
• Organic networking through everyday interactions often yields better results than formal events
• Alternative networking models like "Networking with Kids" accommodate entrepreneurs with family responsibilities
• Personal branding helps you stand out at networking events and creates conversation starters
• Consistent follow-up transforms business card exchanges into meaningful relationships

Get out there, try something new, get on a platform, attend a local event, and whatever you do, be good or be good at it.


“Whistles In The West” was written, recorded, and produced by Durracell, exclusively for use with Trader Stu’s platform, always rocking the cowboy hat. The track is protected under U.S. Copyright rights to use have been granted specifically to Trader Stu for content and promotional use related to his brand and media presence.

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The thoughts and views expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and do not reflect the official policy or position of Metro Trading Association. Although the host is an employee of Metro Trading, this podcast is intended to educate entrepreneurs on the benefits of professional trading, regardless of their location. Additionally, the host reviews various pieces of camping gear due to the association of trade, barter, and prepping.

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Speaker 1:

Hello and welcome back to the Trading Post. This is Trader Stu and I want to talk about networking items of interest. I guess this morning I was on my way to work and I was wondering you know, what is on the checklist of most entrepreneurs when they open a new business and see what all the different avenues there are? Obviously there's chambers and things of that nature, but I was just kind of going through the list in my head and then wrote them all down, and if I'm missing any of them, let me know in the comments and see if there's anything that I missed, because I don't know all of them, of course, and I did some research, of course, and there's some that I forgot about and they're in here, but I want to talk more about them, so let's get right into it.

Speaker 1:

So, first of all, why does networking matter? Because in the day of the digital age, where all we do is we think about the grand scheme of things or the big, open networking area, such as LinkedIn, let's just say. And yet I have anything to come from LinkedIn. I know that's a long ramp up situation and I would like to, of course, utilize it more and but you know, in the end, we're more of a local economy or local association or group, larger than a chamber, but smaller than somebody who can sell. You know national or international platforms for their web hosting service or you know, I don't know what else would be an example of like a nationwide salesman that would utilize LinkedIn real well. I'm considering trying Sales Navigator and if you have any experience with Sales Navigator, let me know. I'm actually going to start replying to people who message me in LinkedIn and see how well it works for them, because it's like 90 bucks a month, I think it is for a single license to use the sales navigator and but hey, you know, if it works, it works. And uh, if you consider the fact of how much fuel costs and driving around and uh, doing it that way and then time and money with that, then hey, it makes sense. 90 bucks isn't so bad. That's what three tanks of gas. You know what I mean. So you think about it like that, then maybe it's not so bad.

Speaker 1:

But anyway, b2b sales is what I'm basically doing and I thought about it on the way to work today. It's not really sales, it's a membership or a membership application. I sell or I sign up people. If you want to call it like that, for Mental Trading Association, of course, and what we are is a group of business owners that buy and sell from each other before we go into the open market. Well, it's kind of like a chamber, like I said. So is it a sale? It's more of like enticing somebody, maybe to see a benefit of something that would be worth their while. It's not like I'm selling software it's still B2B, though but I think, now more than ever, if you can network, you're going to do real well, because everyone's trying to just skip the networking part and utilize things like the Internet.

Speaker 1:

Do all their LinkedIn alignable, and I use them. I use them, but I think you've got to have a multifaceted approach rather than just one or the other. So marketing is, of course, you know. I would say you need seven different things to put yourself out there and market effectively for business growth, and also, that opens the door for referrals, of course, as well. Right, so?

Speaker 1:

So, first and foremost, chambers of commerce. You know it's what you should join. Is that on your, your buck? You're not bucket list, you're. You're a list of things that you should join when you open your business. You're like all right. So we got the whatever phones figured out, the Internet's are figured out, the Internet's figured out. You know, we got all of our supplies and whatever.

Speaker 1:

So now, next up, join a chamber. Or does like a chamber come to you and pitch you like, hey, you're new in town, you should join a chamber, or is that part of this? Like when you go to a file for your license, business license for the town Are they like, oh, and here is your Chamber of Commerce application, or how does that work? I talk to people at the Chamber and I say, what do you do for your marketing? And she's like oh, I go out and I visit new businesses. So I think they're kind of like doing the same thing that mine might be doing, in a much, much smaller scale, of course, and much more targeted, obviously. And Chambers also offer a lot of, I guess, professional development and guest speakers and mentoring, because you're going to get to know everybody there. It doesn't take long, but to attend several chamber events and you start recognizing familiar faces and it makes going to those events a lot easier and less, I guess, provoking to get in.

Speaker 1:

So when I joined the well, our company was already in the Rochester Regional Chamber of Commerce here and I was just asked to start attending events because we are paying for membership and it was not being used. So I immediately joined PCN Group, which is their preferred client network. I immediately joined a PCN group, which is their preferred client network, and that's like a free benefit that you get by your membership and that alone is worth the cost of membership. Really, the PCN groups are like a B&I group in this area and you know B&I is like wicked expensive. I think it's upwards of $1,300 or $1,400 last time I checked for a membership because you have to pay the application fee I think that was like $600 and then the first year and then I think there's a monthly fee and they're very strict, right, you got to come every Thursday. When I was going to them every Thursday morning at I think it was 6 am or 7 am and it's an hour and a half meeting and you got to come with a referral or a closed business or a one-to-one.

Speaker 1:

Again, very good things to get into, but if you don't have time to commit to that, it was like a second job to me and especially I became a vice president because I was doing so well with it. I mean I was making money with it, but you're also, it's as good as it is, as what you put into it, as what you get out of it, I guess right. And also it worked for me because I was with EDT Security at the time selling small business alarms and security cameras, so you know, it just made sense. For what I do now, selling trade memberships, it's kind of like it doesn't really reciprocate well, because if I find somebody and I bring them into our membership, I am not going to give somebody business that's not in our association, right? It doesn't make any sense because everyone I know and do business with is a member of the trade group. So they're not going to pay cash, they're going to pay with trade. So if I, if I hear someone say, hey, I need a plumber or whatever, then I'm like oh, I'm not going to go to my BNI group and be like, hey, plumber, jim, like I have a referral for you, this guy needs plumbing. It doesn't work because the guy in my group is going to do why did you refer me to somebody that takes cash only and no trade, right? So it didn't, unfortunately, those kinds of groups for me or anybody in the barter and trade industry, it doesn't really work. I was trying it again with a different spin on it and I did sign up some people right. But uh, I, I couldn't reciprocate, and but the cool thing is that once the people who were in that group joined, then you know it worked out for them because I was able to say, hey, I did close business with you and this and that and it looks good, but anyone that wants that kind of business has to sign up. So it almost feels like I don't know, I don't say it feels shady to say, oh hey, if you want business you have to sign up, but hey, that's just the way it is right.

Speaker 1:

So next up, I found this one this is what I didn't know about earlier was SCORE, and that's something that I forgot about. That's about for business to business. There's mentor programs that you can get a hold of people in there that donate their time for free. There's volunteers and partners and sponsors and you can donate. So there's a lot of that in there for the mentorship programs and it's backed by the Small Business Association as well. And the cool thing is you connect with other experienced entrepreneurs for their guidance and support that maybe have done what you've done.

Speaker 1:

So someone once explained to me in one of the groups that they're in what is it called? I'm finding the business card right here. Where's the business card at? Here we go Education planning resources. So I feel like this is a bunch of people who have a lot of money and a lot of time and they're probably like millionaires. Right, because there's no, you don't have to pay to use this. They just help you or your kids. It's meant for kids, actually it's for kids. They help the kids get spun up into different programs and there's no charge and it's all sponsored by them, from what he explained to me. Anyway. So there's that.

Speaker 1:

Then that'll be part of the entrepreneurs organizations in the next group, national international networking groups. So this is the EO or intra-entrepreneur organization, peer-to-peer networking, mentorship and global events for business owners. Then I also, like I said, business networking international or BNI. There's also LBN, the Local Business Network, which is actually a member of Metro Trading Association for a long time, and so you need your trade dollars to pay for that group as well. So, like I said, that's referral-focused networking. There's regular meetings every week. It's structured, there's a plan. You go to one meeting, you can visit other groups, right, and I do that all the time with no intent to join. But if people are in that group, they're dedicated to finding business and I'm like, hey, dude, I can get you business. If you're like a carpet cleaner or any kind of trades job electrician, mechanic, you know whatever restaurants especially I can give you business. That is for sure. But they probably have the same approach.

Speaker 1:

I don't know if I've ever brought anybody on, to be honest, by visiting a B&I group because they're like, oh, don't do business with him until they sign up. I know they're doing that because I used to do that as well. We bring in a guest and you know they would pitch us and then we would say don't do business with them until they sign up. We'll use that as a cookie that if they sign up they'll get business, because they always want new members, new blood, right. So it doesn't matter to me. I like going to meetings like that and it's not a waste of time for me because either way it's brand recognition, I'm showing my face, I'm going to things and I think that when you just put energy like that out into the world, out in the universe or whatever, that it comes back, maybe not in the exact same way, so maybe I won't get somebody to sign up with me.

Speaker 1:

You know, that morning or the next morning, whatever in that group that I met. But I'll just get like a random surprise phone call from somebody, like that happened the other day. He's like, hey, this is I forgot, it doesn't matter, oh, it was the trivia guy that I met at a different networking group weeks ago and I forgot about him actually. And yeah, he just called up and he was like hey, I'd like to get the business into Metro Trade and see when you work together. I'm like what, I was so confused. Are you saying you want me to use your trivia or are you asking me to bring you in the group to give you refer you business for the trivia games? He's like, yeah, I was like, oh, okay, well, I don't. I'm not.

Speaker 1:

I wasn't really used to, I'm not used to people calling me and being like hey, sign me up right now, I want business. You know, usually I got to like explain it to a whole thing, you know, and so, but me attending other networking groups and events, it was just kind of like I put that out in the universe and it just kind of returned to me in a different way. He does never know where it comes from. It's crazy how it works. But anyway, one thing I have never joined yet but I am very familiar with is the Rotary Club. My grandpa was huge in the Rotary in Frankamuth, michigan, and I used to attend all the events with him and we used to make homemade pretzels for the Bavarian Fest in Frankamuth.

Speaker 1:

I used to love doing it. I looked forward to it every year because it was just like this really cool energy in this commercial kitchen and everyone had a station, had a bit you know thing to do. It was like the people who were making the dough. Then you had the people that were loading the dough into the rising machines and had this like really cool conveyor belt that, uh, made the dough rise right and then, once that was risen, then you take the dough out. Then I was at that station where I would cut off a predetermined amount, like I weighed it. I think it was, I probably did. Anyway, I weighed it and then you get a chunk of dough and then you know you roll it out into a pretzel and I got really good at making pretzels and then you know, they went in a pan and then I wasn't allowed to touch it after that because they so there was like no, you don't want me to get burned right, but I loved making the pretzels and I thought that was just so cool. And then to see my pretzels being made and then enjoyed later on at that carnival or not carnival, but the Bavarian Fest, it was cool. And I was God. I don't even know how old I was. I was, you know, definitely grade school, definitely before junior high. I was, you know, maybe first grade, through whatever sixth, seventh grade, maybe fifth grade, it doesn't matter. But anyway, rotary is cool. I like that, I like the fundraiser they do, and also the Lions Club.

Speaker 1:

And then there's another one in here called the American Marketing Association. This one I didn't know about. The AMA, you network and learn opportunities for anyone interested in marketing, not just marketers, is what their deal is. So I am going to Google this one and maybe get involved with American Marketing Association, because this sounds like something that would benefit me. Let me look and see real quick, ama let's see if that comes up. Ama Marketing let's see what that comes up. Ama Marketing let's see what happens. Okay, ama Professional Seminars, american Marketing Association here we go. What do we got here? So, community it's an essential community for marketers. Okay, I am going to heart this, actually, and save this to my favorites, because this is what would this be under. I guess networking in my folder. So let's see what's the events maximize ROI with budget management, patient acquisition through effective marketing. So this is all right. Yeah, wwwamaorg, you have conferences, events, training, the job board, publications Cool, I'm going to look at that later.

Speaker 1:

Like I said, I just literally put together this list and I was like I need to make a podcast about this real quick before I lose my train of thought. Add kicks in. So there are professional groups is what the next one is. So this one is what I would like to be in. The barter I would like barter, or trade groups is another, or other professional groups. Why can we not get trade or barter groups in here? You know what I mean? Because we're all over the country, all over the world, really, and I think that we are great to get your name out there and utilize our broad reach of services and all the what do you call it marketing?

Speaker 1:

I guess we do for all of our members. You know, we do a text blast, an email blast and you're on our directory and you get in the app and the brokers, when they call people, they talk about you and they and they're like, hey, we got a new member, and then they do this and you should use them. And you know we do a lot for uh members. That's what the monthly fee is for. You know, the 19 bucks a month that we charge, that's what that goes for. It's a lot of work, uh, to, of course, do it. And then we don't get paid until you get business, really, because, because we get the commission after you close the business. So, or, you know, close the deal. So there's that. Let's see what else. Oh, linkedin groups, okay, you know. Yeah, digital networking platforms Okay, I watch YouTube videos, I learn.

Speaker 1:

I listen to podcasts. I'm on LinkedIn through, you know, metro Trading Association and the Trading Post podcast. I think you can find me either way if you look in LinkedIn. Anyway, I have never I mean, I get traction, I guess. So what happened? Okay, linkedin.

Speaker 1:

So, before I got my job again back with Metro Trading over a year ago, I just deleted my LinkedIn because I was with. It's so weird how life works. So I was in a job that I really liked. It was for Douglas Dynamics, which is a Snowex. I was at Snowex in Madison Heights and I was just getting rid of all of my Metro Trading stuff because I was like I found it in boxes, I'll never use this again and I threw it away. And then what else was there? Oh, linkedin. So I canceled my LinkedIn account. I was like I'll never use this again, so I'm never leaving this job. I got a kid. Now. This is my gig. I'm going to retire here and I'm tired of all the riffraff, or whatever you call it on LinkedIn, the messages and this and that and it's not. It doesn't apply to me. I don't want to get headhunted by a recruiter. I'm not leaving, I'm comfortable here and this is it.

Speaker 1:

And I deleted it. I don't know how much longer later it was. I think it was definitely within the same year I got laid off and me and like 45 others out of the plant got laid off. So I was like, well, that was dumb. I should have just like put my account in holder. I guess I don't know. I'm one of those guys where I just pull it and be done with it. I just flip the switch. There's no hold. You got to close a door before we can open another, I guess, and it works. I mean, I got back in this job but now I lost all my contacts on LinkedIn and honestly, really I don't think it matters. I don't think that does make any difference because I think that I really just need to pay for that the sales navigator version of it, anyway.

Speaker 1:

But also I'm on Alignable, which I was impressed that the search that I looked for on what did I type in my type in was. I actually used Perplexity, not Google. It was networking opportunities on your list when you opened your business is what I typed in and it just gave me a bunch of things to look for. This one is Alignable I like because it's like LinkedIn and Facebook had a baby. I guess you could say so. It gets rid of all the complaining Karens on Facebook and all the whatever else Karen's on Facebook and all the I don't know whatever else I hate. I got off of Facebook in 2020 because I got too tied into COVID and ranting Right and then on LinkedIn.

Speaker 1:

It's for me and my business and industry that I'm in, not the podcast. If I was in the podcast. Yeah, I mean, I guess that's why I added the podcast really First of all, why not? I'm talking about trade, barter and business to business, business to business, networking and things of that nature. But in the podcast, so I mean it, just I don't know it made sense.

Speaker 1:

Anyway, alignable is like more of the local group for LinkedIn. It's designed to keep you in your own community. Even though I have connections outside of my state, I try and keep the connections to just where we are. Or I say we Metro Trading Association does business with. So I say Great Lakes. Really we're from Bay City down in Toledo and we dabble a little bit into Indiana and Illinois, but I call it MIO, michigan, indiana, illinois, ohio, or M-I-O or M-I-I-O, mio, whatever. Great Lakes, right. So I just try and keep it, the connections that I make that I look for inalignable just to that area in Alignable, just to that area. Now, this is something that you can't do that I know of unless you found out a way that you can just only link with people in LinkedIn in a targeted area. I can't find anywhere where you can do that, which is how I ended up on Alignable actually. So I don't know. I'm an ambassador for Alignable, so I'm a big fan. I've actually gained membership from Alignable. I like how they do the online. It's like a Zoom calls. They do multiple per day.

Speaker 1:

The reason I wanted to join the alliance in Alignable is for the in-person networking which is real. I think the real action happens. And I even started my own group with another lady, dr Mary, who runs Susie Q's Kids, and we call it Networking with Kids. And I'll tell you they do a lot of work for you for promoting it. And our first event I think we had five or six people there and for our first event with a 30-day out window, I liked it. I didn't want it to be too big anyway. I didn't want like 20 people showing up to the first event because I had no idea how I was going to go. But you know I didn't want just me to show up either, so I thought that that was a good balance, anyway.

Speaker 1:

So, and then next up was networking after work, which is why I started networking with kids, because I don't like being away from my son any longer than I have to be. I'm already at work all day, from when I leave the work or leave the leave the home at nine, get home at five. That's enough for me. I don't want to go out. I do it. I do it Cause you know, like one or twice, once or twice a month isn't so bad. I'll, I'll, I'll go and network like a chamber has a biz and Bruce thing, I'll go and do that. But to do something all the time, I just I don't really like going out and putting in a big day for networking.

Speaker 1:

So my whole deal with networking with kids was to bring your kids along so you don't really miss them, or they get the benefit of being around you, or you are on them and you watch them and you just, you know network and pass business cards out for an hour or two and go on about your all's evening. You know so. And that also includes online stuff. I've tried doing online things, but my kid's too little yet to leave me alone and, uh, online stuff doesn't work. I usually never even sign in because I just can't get away. I can't like, I can't disappear. He knows I'm in the basement or he knows I'm upstairs, right, so he's asking for me because I haven't seen him all day. So there's that.

Speaker 1:

And then next up was events and conferences trade shows which I should have gone to today. There's a restaurant trade show or conference thing going on, business Expo, I guess, over at the Novi place. I should have gone, but you know it's 40 bucks. And then for me to go around and hand out business cards, um, I don't know, I should, maybe next year, but it doesn't matter. And then, uh, there's breakout sessions. You should, you can go to discussions, uh, and that helps make personal connections or like in-person events. So then the virtual events is cool because you can get a broader reach and it's convenient. Usually you can do it at your desk, of course. Then you got the organic.

Speaker 1:

Every day, I do this all the time. I always have business cards in my wallet, always. So I'll go to maybe a coffee shop, maybe I'll have a one-to-one with somebody. I did it the other day, one-to-one, you know, paid for the coffee, gave the business card. Hey, you know, I can get business your way. And every time I'm with somebody and I do that at our one-to-one, they're always like oh yeah, I should do that more often, and to me it's just like it's a no-brainer man. I do it when we're even on the weekend.

Speaker 1:

Just, my wife and I were out shopping the other day. It was at a children's clothing resale shop, whatever right, and a kid's little, so he wears through things or grows through things fast. So we like to kind of like, not recycle and it saves a ton of money, but just buy used clothes for kids, whatever right. So I was like, oh man, spice is cool. She had a cool place. She had toys and games and, you know, shoes and clothes and strollers and, my God, everything you can think of for like toddlers, and under this lady had it. I was like you need to be a member. So, anyway, still working on that one, but either way, I mean that's just at restaurants. I do it all the time too.

Speaker 1:

So, uh, what else we got chance encounters that's the other one. Leave your you know cards in your wallet or, um, I just got that like a digital business card and uh, I have the app, my phone, so you can scan the qr code. It goes to my link tree and then, or I have my, the wooden. I got a wooden one, uh, digital business card with the nfc chip in it and uh, I'm gonna try, I'm trying to make it till I can stick it to my shirt like with magnets, but really I think what I might do is make it on one of those retractable things and just have it zip back up, but anyway, you tap your phone to it and it gives people my link tree. So that's how I do that.

Speaker 1:

What else we got here? Mentors? I don't know, I don't. So I go to this place called the Velocity Center and it's all about the mentorship thing and the peer support. Velocity Center, and it's all about the mentorship thing and the peer support, and I like it. I go there. It's first Friday of the month, it's in Sterling Heights, velocity Center, and I met a lot of great people there and I look forward to going to that all the time. I'd love to get an office in there one day, so it's like a co-working space, but you can also pay for your own private office as well, or you can become a mentor yourself, I guess, if you have the time.

Speaker 1:

What else we got? Community services and volunteering this one I've actually thought about my wife and I talk about this all the time, like Rotary, kiwanis Lions Club. I never heard of Kiwanis until I was in BNI and one of our insurance guys was in Kiwanis, but my grandpa was also in Lions Club and the Rotary. So Lions Club as well. So I don't even know which one did the pretzels. I thought it was Rotary, maybe it was Lions, I don't know. They all blend together to me, anyway, yeah, so there's those.

Speaker 1:

And then volunteering and local events. I need to do that as well. And then wear, I guess, some swag. I don't know if that's is that appropriate. I guess you wear a t-shirt of where you're from. I don't know, maybe I guess, but I haven't done it yet. So it's hard right now. My kiddo's under two, so there's little you know after hours, things like I said right now. But when he gets older and we start homeschooling them, that'll be plenty of things like this to do really. So right, what else we got?

Speaker 1:

Tips for networking success is, I always say, you know, set clear goals and network with a purpose. Find out what your interests are. Don't, I guess, go too broad, too fast, like I'm literally trying to dial back. I thought about, just like, deactivating my account on LinkedIn again, just so I can focus only on alignable and not get distracted, for example, because I'm going too broad, I think. Anyways, and then that goes with the quality over quantity thing, right. So build quality, meaningful relationships and not just a long contact list, and then I'll get more referrals that way. Of course.

Speaker 1:

You know, uh, follow up after meeting someone new. I have a bullet point in here and I was just talking with somebody about this yesterday and you hear about it all the time. People go to these networking events and they do all the work, they set the time, like I did. Uh, um, it's called coffee talk, it's at 7 am till 8.30 for the chamber. It's every Friday or the first Friday of the month, I think it is, it doesn't matter Anyway. And you meet like 70 people at like speed networking event and you get a stack of business cards at the end of it. And people always say you know, I get these networking events and I have this stack of business cards and I'm like cool, look at all this money in my hand, right, but truth be told, they end up going into the desk drawer and they disappear until they recollect pretty much the same ones again next month and do rinse and repeat and do it all over again.

Speaker 1:

I utilize AI to follow up with those contacts. Now, not everybody Like bankers I don't connect with. I don't really get much, I don't see much benefit. So I don't really follow up with everybody. But people I think that I could, I definitely do and you get replies. At least you get your name out there and you're like, hey, this guy at least connected with me. At least you get your name out there and you're like, hey, this guy at least connected with me.

Speaker 1:

Very rarely do I get an email of somebody I met, of a follow-up. It never happens. I think one time and it was actually a graphic designer, I think is what it was he sent me a follow-up email. I didn't do business with him but nonetheless I know what his business card looks like, it's around. I know what his business card looks like, it's around. I know him when I see him and if I ever meet a graphic designer, if I ever need one, I mean I know we have him, I think in the trade group, but you know, I might call him and like, hey, you guys should sign up because I have immediate business for you or whatever, right, so I'm giving a good deal. So there's that and it's pretty much wrapping it up here, I guess. So build your own networking plan. I say join at least one local group, do a digital platform. I don't know about mentorship, but that's in here as well.

Speaker 1:

And yeah, so do something that stands out too.

Speaker 1:

I have, I guess people say, like a very eclectic style. People know me when I walk in the room I'm always wearing a hat. People don't wear hats, so I just made myself I always wear a hat anyway cowboy hat. So now I have like a nicer cowboy hat for like work and uh, it's a smaller profile cowboy hat, it's like a wool one anyway, and uh, uh, yeah, but I don't know, I guess I dress like as if I was working at a trading post back in the early days, kind of, but updated, and that way people identify me.

Speaker 1:

Or you can be the person that has always the cool shoes or always the cool glasses, or always the cool whatever right. Insert something here that makes yourself stand out from the crowd it's personal branding and attend events and it gives you at least a talking point, like my digital business card I was using as a name badge. You can try that, for example. So, anyway, that's it for now. It's long enough and get out there. Try something new, get on a platform, do a local event and whatever you do, be good or be good at it.