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Feeling overwhelmed by your family's daily grind and looking for a way out? Welcome to "Dig the Well," the podcast that empowers you to build the life you deserve. Your hosts Vikki and John are top earners at Neora. Vikki is a # 1 best-selling author and John is a retired Los Angeles Police Officer. Together they’ve navigated family challenges, raised successful kids, and achieved financial freedom.
In each episode of "Dig the Well," they dive deep into the strategies and mindsets that can help you break free from the constraints of the traditional 9-5 lifestyle. They understand the unique challenges faced by stay-at-home moms and families who are juggling multiple responsibilities and struggling to find balance. Their mission is to provide you with the tools and inspiration you need to create additional income, gain more family time, and ultimately, transform your life.
Throughout their journey, they’ve had the privilege of working with renowned figures like Jack Canfield and Jeff Olson, whose wisdom and insights have greatly influenced their path to success. They’ve also celebrated significant milestones, such as raising two valedictorian children and supporting their son, an Olympic weightlifter on Team USA. These experiences have equipped them with valuable knowledge and practical tips that they’re eager to share with you.
"Dig the Well" is more than just a podcast; it's a community of like-minded individuals who are committed to personal growth and financial independence. Whether you're worried about your family's financial security, longing for more quality time with your spouse, or simply seeking a way to reignite your passions, this podcast offers actionable insights and real-life stories that can help you achieve your goals.
Our mission is to inspire you with the belief that if we can do it, so can you. We want you to feel empowered, educated, and ready to take control of your future. By tuning in to "Dig the Well," you'll gain the confidence and knowledge needed to break free from the daily grind and create a life full of possibilities.
So, if you're ready to transform your family's future and discover the greatness within you, join us on this journey. Subscribe to "Dig the Well" and start building the life you deserve today!
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John:Ever wondered how you could turn your side hustle into a full time gig and spend more time together?
Vikki:Hi. I'm Vikki, a number one best selling author.
John:And I'm John, a retired Los Angeles police officer. Welcome to dig the well, where we help couples navigate the world of business.
Vikki:We've been married for thirty five years, and because we built a successful side business, John retired nine years earlier than he originally planned from the Los Angeles Police Department after twenty five years on the job. Now we spend more time together, and we want to help couples like you do the same.
John:Join us as we help you overcome common obstacles, and we show you how to make extra income without sacrificing family time.
Vikki:Ready to dig deep and build your well? Let's get started. Hello. Hello. Hello.
Vikki:Welcome back. Howdy. Welcome to back to dig the well.
John:Yeah. We got we got something special, because I'm gonna get to interview you this time. Yeah. Because normally you've been kind of interviewing me
Vikki:Yeah. That's right.
John:Or a guest or something.
Vikki:No. I'm the head honcho.
John:Yeah. You're the the guest of honor.
Vikki:Oh, yeah. That's
John:right. What what we decided to talk about this today, in today's episode, is, networking and about the strength and the power of networking, and maybe some of the different ways that, you know, I don't know, maybe, like, I wouldn't have thought of some of these some of these things that you do for networking. Yeah. And, let me ask you something here real quick. Well, maybe I'll save that for the end.
John:So Okay. We're gonna start here. The first question is, what are the best ways outside of social media that you have found to grow our business?
Vikki:Uh-huh. That's very good. And it is networking. Truly, it really is networking. And it goes back, I think, back to our original days years ago, thirty plus years ago when really the only thing you and I knew about was the chamber of commerce, right, in in our city.
John:Right.
Vikki:And we were in two different cities. We were in the city of La Habra, California, and then the city of Brea.
John:Mhmm.
Vikki:And we, when we were in La Habra, we joined that chamber. When we were in Brea, we would join that chamber. And it was the only way we know knew to talk to other business people. So it is still a great resource. So if you are not part of your chamber of commerce in your city, it's a great, way to network also and look into.
Vikki:I know there's a fee with most chambers, and I I feel like it's around the $300 mark if you're totally brand new to, networking and you haven't checked that out. Each chamber's different, and that's a yearly fee. But they do real really cool things. Yeah. Like, ribbon cutting if you have a, a a brick and mortar.
Vikki:If you have an online business, obviously, there wouldn't be no official ribbon cutting, but I I know they do some online things with that as well. But what I found over the years is a lot of different business networking groups that are labeled different things, different names. Like, for example, there is b n BNI, and I believe that stands for business networking international. There's LeTippe. If you've heard of LeTippe, there are women's networking groups.
Vikki:And I have quite a few of those that are my favorite if you are a woman in business. Because what what I found, John, is that women network completely different than men and vice versa. Men network completely different than women. So it's kind of important to check it all out, go to different groups, and and see where you feel like you fit best is my my honest opinion to do. Don't just write one off because you were told it wasn't, you know, it wasn't such a great networking group.
Vikki:No. You go and see for yourself. It might be your, clients in the room. So you have to go check it out. That's for sure.
John:Yeah. So, you have to be comfortable with the the other people in that that Yeah. Particular group. Right?
Vikki:Yeah. Definitely. Yeah.
John:Again
Vikki:You wanna feel welcome. Yeah. Yeah. So comfort is like a key.
John:Yeah. Yeah. Because honestly, if you if you don't feel welcome, if you if it's not the the right, I don't know, the right chemistry in that group Yeah. For you and you don't really feel like it's a good fit for you, then you probably you'll probably not go Right. And you'll probably not participate.
John:And and that's what it's all about. Right? Is you have to participate in these networking groups because once you get full participation is when the magic happens. Right?
Vikki:Totally. Totally. You know, I hear people saying, I'm not gonna keep going to that group this group or that group. And I'll think to myself, well, how many times have I seen him or her at the event? And usually, they've pulled away.
Vikki:They're not attending. So like you said, participation is huge. They're not getting anything from the group. Well, it's their own fault. So let's take some responsibility there for sure.
Vikki:It's whether you're participating or not. Now it's different if you feel comfortable with the people that you're participating with. That's definitely different. But, yeah. Key participation is key.
John:Yeah. It's like any other type of, like, service organization, I guess. If if it's if it's robust and it's growing and there's a lot of excitement, you know, it's gonna be a huge benefit to you and to everyone. Right. I know when you were talking about the Chamber of Commerce, and I remember you were saying some of that ribbon cutting.
John:I remember we had we had opened up a new shop for our location for our business, and the the chamber of commerce did a ribbon cutting for us. They had the mayor come out, and a bunch of the city council members were out, and they had newspaper coverage. So the media then that'd think about back then too. Right? That was the big deal.
John:Yeah. I mean, we're talking New newspaper. We're talking early nineties,
Vikki:I think it was. Yeah. Exactly.
John:Mid nineties maybe. And no. It'd be early nineties. '80. Yeah.
John:Late eighties. Yeah. Mid to late eighties. And so it was all about newspaper was the media. Right?
John:There was no social media whatsoever.
Vikki:Right.
John:And so I remember they the photographer came out, took a bunch of pictures, we were interviewed, they put an entire article in the local newspaper. So we got a lot of a lot of traction from that. There was a lot of almost free advertising. Right? Like Right.
John:Vicki said, you still have to join the chamber and you have to pay your dues or whatever, but you can get so much out of it. And it's not just the Chamber of Commerce, but I remember back then that was such a big deal. And the other thing it did was it lends a lot of credibility to your business. When you say your business is a member of the local Chamber of Commerce
Vikki:Yes.
John:I do think people, clients like that. They like to hear that you're involved in in in that local business group. And just like with your with the other things, you're just the other groups that you're talking about, these other networking groups, I think it lends credibility.
Vikki:It does. It does. And and we know, John, that, business, really, the way to grow your business is word-of-mouth. It's friend telling a friend. That's how we grew our business.
Vikki:And so now on social media, it's becoming kind of acquaintance tells an acquaintance. They might not be a true, close close friend, but, really, yeah, that's it. So it's all about getting to know people.
John:You know, that brings up a question here. We were just talking about Chamber of Commerce again. Do you belong to the local Chamber of Commerce?
Vikki:That is an interesting question. We actually did for a short period of time and then stopped. I just wasn't connecting well with with some of the the group. I wasn't feeling like I fit in kinda how we were talking about on that previous question. So I stopped being a member, and I found other groups.
Vikki:And I'm not to say that all chamber all different chambers are that way. It's just how I felt at the time. And I also had a a business that was mostly focused on candles and women. And so what I found a lot of times, the many chambers of commerce, have more men than women, and that's totally fine. I'm not one way or the other.
Vikki:But they definitely weren't buying candles necessarily, and they would kinda take my card, and I could tell they were just gonna toss it all, give this to my wife. And so it just wasn't a really great connection for me. So I found some women's networking groups.
John:Yeah. And you know what you're you were saying too about the chamber of commerce. I was I had noticed too that it seemed like, at least back then, I don't know if it's the same way now because I haven't researched it in the last several years, But it seemed like there were more I guess, there were more they tailored more to brick and mortar businesses Yeah. Rather than online businesses or businesses run from home. So it Right.
John:Right. I think maybe who knows? Maybe they pivoted a little bit. Maybe they're they're including more home home based businesses and and and online businesses. And hopefully, they are because I think there's that that seems to be the growing trend right now anyhow.
John:I don't think people are, you know, knocking on the door trying to find a an industrial complex or a retail retail location to open a brick and mortar business. That doesn't sound like fun to me.
Vikki:I know. We know all the trappings, all the costs involved with that. Yeah. It's it's crazy.
John:Yeah. So what do you think of BNI and some of the others? And you've mentioned
Vikki:some And not not putting down any of them at all. But, yeah, I just found that I know that I buy from people that I know, like, and trust. That's kind of a universal example of, you know, of the buying process. For most people, they buy from people that they know, like, and trust. And what I was finding at the some of these others, and I I I don't wanna point names, but I wasn't connecting deeply with them.
Vikki:It there wasn't a time in the networking process to really interact and get to know each other. There was always a speaker, and that was wonderful. But then there wasn't a lot of time to really get to know each other with and women, to be honest with you, need some time. You know, we're talkers. We just are.
Vikki:We know that. And men know that too. And we need more than just thirty seconds or a minute to kind of get to know people. And so I have found some other groups that I love because they focus more on the building of the relationship. It's not about handing your card out.
Vikki:In fact, you know, I've coached a lot of people, Don't bring your card because, that's not the cut type of networking group that it is. Have some information about your business with you, of course, and maybe maybe a card in your purse or wallet or what have you or bag, but don't have it out ready to hand out. No. You wanna get to know each other first. So I found other groups that I like so much better for getting to know each other that in in a deeper connective way.
John:Yeah. And that makes sense. If you're gonna be networking, you really need to know the the people in your network. Mhmm. Right?
John:Otherwise, it's just like an advertising group.
Vikki:Right. Exactly. Yeah.
John:Because it like, today, this morning, I even asked Vicky about a a possible referral for a rodent person. So we have these squirrels in our front yard, and they run up and down the trees, and they're constantly playing, and they keep setting up the motion deal on our cameras. I keep getting these alerts. There's motion in your front yard. There's motion on your driveway.
John:There's motion whatever. And I look at the little screenshot, and it's always like two or three squirrels just chasing each other around and playing. And they seem like they have a great time. And we'll we'll watch them from the front window.
Vikki:I oh gosh, aren't they cute? Right?
John:Well, no. They're not so cute anymore. I just noticed one's trying to break into the into the house. So I'm hearing some noise out in the front on the roof, and I thought, what the heck is that? And I noticed little pieces of the tile, the roof tile, little chunks were coming down.
John:And so I look up there, and sure enough, there's a squirrel on the Second Story up by one of the dormers in the front of our house, and he's trying to get in through the top of the where the stucco meets the some of the block near the fascia. He's trying to get in so he can get into the into the house. So I thought, okay. Great. I contacted the pest control people we have that do the spray for the bugs and whatnot, and they can't handle.
John:They have to have a special license for that type of rodent. And so I asked Vic. The first thing I thought of was, Vic, who in your networking group do you know that's that does this, that
Vikki:Right.
John:Would have that license and can maybe take care of this little problem for us. So you can see how the networking thing works because Vic off the top of her head couldn't think of anyone, but all she has to do is the next talk to someone or even at the next meeting. Right?
Vikki:Because tomorrow I have another meeting. Yeah. You can
John:just bring it up. And if someone there, if they're not like, if there's not a a company that does that, that's part of the networking group, I'm I'm sure someone knows someone that can refer. And that's isn't that the greatest part of it? As I like you were saying again, it's like free advertising.
Vikki:Right. Word-of-mouth. It's
John:free word-of-mouth advertising. Yeah.
Vikki:Referral marketing. Yeah. Absolutely.
John:Yeah. For sure. So what do you think of, meetup.com, Eventbrite, some of those?
Vikki:You know, those are excellent. Those are some excellent resources where you can find free networking groups. And, you know, I I I was gonna say who doesn't love free, but I I do wanna talk about that as well. But but before I get into that topic, remind me to talk about free networking. But, on Meetup, you can go on and search your city or surrounding city if you live kinda rural area, some of the bigger cities, and and type in business networking.
Vikki:And it is shocking how much pops up or women's networking, you know, if you're looking for just a women's group. But business networking is great, and you can find so many groups and there's happy hours. You know? We went to some. We hosted our own ourselves on Meetup during the COVID time because we, you know, we're all locked down, and then we are just starting to come out of our cocoon, if you will.
Vikki:And people weren't necessarily wanting to be get get full back together, but some people were. And we did that really great, happy hour networking. So there's so much. There's beer and brew networking, and they're they just type in the the keyword networking if you want to get in a a networking group, and you'll find tons with different themes. And those are great.
Vikki:Same with on Eventbrite. Same thing. And, generally, they're free events. So you can go and meet new people, maybe wind up joining the group. But I highly recommend both of those.
Vikki:So so good if you're looking for free.
John:Yeah. And then you spoke a little bit about, how men and women network differently.
Vikki:Yeah.
John:And I've noticed because you're in you're involved in several networking groups, and a lot of them are are women's networking groups. And I've been to some of them, and it's not that they don't have men involved in there. There are a few members that are men, Mhmm. But it's predominantly women, and it's for women to to I think it's if I if I get this correct, that you guys are just it's kind of a group of like minded women entrepreneurs who want to support each other.
Vikki:Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. Well, our key phrase is how can I help you? Yeah.
Vikki:How can I help you?
John:I've been to a few that I've seen, and in fact, you actually run one of them. Right. Right? And then I it's it's phenomenal what they do. So if there are women that are watching this and you're thinking about that, I highly, highly suggest and recommend that you check some of the women's networking groups out and go to a local meeting or two, and just see what it's about and see if you're a fit for that.
John:If you think it'll work for you, I I I certainly think it will.
Vikki:Yeah. I do. Yeah. John's come couple times. Mhmm.
Vikki:Yeah. Yeah. They're they're really wonderful.
John:Yeah. Very impressive.
Vikki:Yeah. And what I would caution you, don't go overboard just like us. We we, with wine clubs. We we kinda when we first find out about wine clubs, we went overboard and joined, like, seven wineries, and we're like, oh my gosh. And that's the same with networking.
Vikki:When you start networking, you're gonna find a lot of great groups, and you might wind up joining them all. But what I found is you've got to schedule in time in your schedule for follow-up. And so if you're network networking five days a week and you have a family, you're running your business, there's almost no time for follow-up. So I highly recommend two networking groups. I'm actually at the three point in my career just because, I love the three that I'm a part of.
Vikki:I can't I can't pick one to, stop going to. But, that follow-up is key, and you'll wind up just churning through meeting people. And if you're not following up, getting to know them better, getting to know them, their family so that you can refer them and they you, it's pointless. You know, you'll start, like, beating your head against the wall realizing that I've kind of overextended myself. So my best advice, join two groups that you love and stick with them for a full year.
Vikki:That's something else that I get asked a lot. You know, how long did you come to this group before you started to see kind of a move in the needle in your business growth? And it's each one's different. But for for me, it came to six months to a year showing up every month consistently, getting to know everybody before I saw the the needle move. Because what I found too, though, if you just go once and you're all about you and you're you are handing out business cards and your cards and you're not caring about anybody else, learning about anybody else, we all see right through you.
Vikki:We know that you're so you know, you focused. You're not we or helping each other focused at all, and people don't wanna do business with people like that. I gotta burst your bubble if that's you thinking, well, I'm gonna go out and tell everyone about my business, get all these clients. No. You have to show interest in other people first, and showing up is part of that interest.
Vikki:So you wanna go back and back and pack till so they get to know you. You always ask about them. I promise you, they will turn around and ask about you if that's how you work your business. And to me, that's the best form of networking when you kinda get to know everybody else first, because then, of course, they wanna know about you.
John:Yeah. That's that's really good advice for just about anything. Right?
Vikki:Right.
John:If all you do is talk about yourself, you know, you're gonna drive people away from you. Not just I'm not talking about networking. I'm just talking about friendships. I'm just talking about going to any event, going anywhere with anyone. If the conversation is always about you and yourself, when people do that, I just turn and walk away.
Vikki:Yes. Right?
John:I don't even say, hey, nice talking to you. I'm not even pleasant. I just turn around and walk away from that conversation, because I don't want to hear about you. I people always want to be they they want someone to ask about them. Right?
John:They want people just basic human nature. You want people to be interested in you. And when people ask about you instead of talking about themselves, you'll tell you'll answer that question. Right? And I think this is how most people are.
John:They'll answer it for at least for me. If someone asks about me, I'll answer the question, but I follow it up with a question about them.
Vikki:Right.
John:And then that's their turn to go ahead and talk about themselves. But don't volunteer it. Right? Because I think, like you said, you see right through it. You see how self centered some people are.
John:Then you think, gosh. I really don't want I don't even wanna be around that person. And why in the world would I wanna do business with that that person?
Vikki:Exactly. All they care about is them. Yeah. The Yeah. Thing not not wanting to help anyone else.
Vikki:Yeah. Yeah. It's really and it's sad, that it's not taught more in in group, the one that I'm the managing director for. We do teach it. We, just in a sweet way, sometimes with a story, we teach the right way to network.
Vikki:And sometimes we're bold about it too, to be honest. But it needs to be taught because a lot of people don't get it at all.
John:Yeah. I see that. Alright. I was gonna ask you something here is paid versus free.
Vikki:Yes. So back to I'm so glad. I'm so glad. Paid versus free. So what I have found, this is just my experience, the free groups are great, but it almost becomes like a little club, and it's not about rising to a higher level with your business.
Vikki:It's this this fun, warm, fuzzy group of, women. The ones that I'm talking about that are free have been women's events. And and not much business happens, and there aren't a lot of referrals. And it's just it it is what it is when you're not paying where, you know, you would think, ah, I don't really wanna pay for a business group, but I promise you the right people are in the room. If they can afford to pay for this business networking group or they see value in it, they will then have the money to buy your services or buy your products.
Vikki:They they are higher level thinkers. They are business women. It's not just a club for them. So so yes. So I firmly believe in paid women's networking groups as much as I know.
Vikki:You know, I'm frugal, and I know that might, you know, bother some of you too. In the beginning, I only wanted to go to the free ones. I it's kinda like that credit card episode that we talked about. Only get a free credit card, but you don't get a sometimes you hardly get any value with those free credit cards. Where same goes with a networking group.
Vikki:You pay some, but you get so much in return. Your bit you your business starts to thrive. It's higher level people that you're hobnobbing, if that's, like, the word with that you can ask questions of how they grew their business. So it's it's completely different. So I firmly believe in paid networking groups.
John:Yes. True about almost anything. Right? You get what you pay for. Yeah.
John:And if all you want is a social club, then do the free ones. Don't don't pay to get into involved in a social club. But if you really want to advance your business, and you're serious about your business, and you treat your business like a business, not a hobby, if you treat your business like a hobby, then save your money and just be in a social club. But if it's a business, treat it like a business, treat it with respect, and yeah, you're right. Get involved in a paid for
Vikki:Yeah.
John:Networking group because you're gonna get so much more out of it. Like you were saying, it's a whole different mindset. It is. Because I've seen them and I've I've I've watched and it's easy for me because I can watch from kind of an observer. Right?
John:So I'm I'm much more objective because I'm not involved in it. I'm not paying anything. I don't you know, it's not my thing, the the the women's networking thing. And I can see it, though. I've seen I have seen you in these different groups, and I've seen the different groups, and I've seen how they how different they are.
John:And like you said, the ones that were the really impressive ones for me, where I'm seeing these really powerful women speaking and and talking in in breakout sessions, then one on one with, some of the other members, and how they're actually helping them. And it's amazing, and it's always the ones that were some of the more expensive ones to be involved in. But I'm thinking they're getting a lot of value for that. Right. Right.
John:They're absolutely getting their money's worth.
Vikki:Yeah. There's not just the meeting. There's so many things behind the scenes. Like, there's some premier success coaches that go a lot, so you can have some coaching for your business. And we know as entrepreneurs, you're all alone.
Vikki:If it's your baby, your business, you're alone. There really aren't mentors out there just freely willing to help you. You know? It's it's rare that you can find someone that you could just sit across the table with and and ask questions of. We're in these groups.
Vikki:That's a lot of times part of it.
John:So Mhmm. Yeah. Yeah. For sure. And then I was gonna ask you about because you had mentioned, and you've said it a couple of times throughout this this interview.
John:You were talking about word-of-mouth advertising. So why is that so powerful?
Vikki:Gosh. You know, I'm not great on all the studies, but I know studies show that when a friend has used a service or a product and that friend shares it with another friend, it's huge value there where that friend trusts that their friend who referred it. And so it's not just an advertisement on TV that you see with some celebrity, you know, holding a product or sharing about a service, and they probably don't even use that product or service, but they're getting paid to talk about it. Right? Where if a friend is referring someone, you trust that friend has used the product or services service and believes in it.
Vikki:So, I think that's all the psychology behind it that it hey. If it's good enough for your friend, it's good enough for you. And a lot of times it does go with the trust factor that you do have to trust that friend usually, of their opinion of things. If you don't, then ask a different friend that you do trust. Right?
Vikki:True. But big, big difference. Yeah.
John:And I mean, I it's so true about the word-of-mouth. Because if you think about it, if you're watching TV and you see an advertisement for maybe a movie, right, and you'd see it and say, yeah, it's okay. It looks alright. Maybe I'll go, maybe I won't, maybe I'll just wait for it to to be released on our streaming service, and I can watch it for free. Then you talk to a friend, and a friend says, oh, my gosh, I saw that whatever movie was last weekend, it was awesome.
John:It was one of the best movies I've ever seen.
Vikki:Yeah.
John:I would bet chances are you're gonna say, you know what? I'm gonna go see that movie now. Right. And pay the money and go see
Vikki:it. Exactly.
John:Based on your friend's recommendation.
Vikki:And I've had friends go, you don't wait for it to be streamed. You have to see it in a theater. You've got to see have the full, sound experience. I've even had people go that far. It's like, as if they were getting paid something.
John:Yeah. Right.
Vikki:You know? As but but they're not. They just they loved it. Yeah. Wouldn't that
John:be cool, though, if you think about it? Wouldn't that be cool to have some sort of program that paid all of us regular people some sort of a commission for when we refer people? Yeah. Like, they had some way of tracking that.
Vikki:That'd be great.
John:How many times have you recommended a restaurant? A a nice a good a decent bar somewhere.
Vikki:Right. And there's
John:so many like Exactly. There's so many movies. It could be resort.
Vikki:Many things that Country to visit.
John:Yeah. Just anything. Right? And how many times have you recommended something to a friend or a family member, and they've went ahead and either bought it, did it, went there, visited, whatever whatever you were recommending? Wouldn't it be cool if you get like a little
Vikki:What? Referral on that? Yeah.
John:Would be nice. Yeah. That would be nice. Well, let me ask this then. What is your personal favorite networking group?
John:Oh. And why? Yay. It's a two parter.
Vikki:My favorite question. Well, I told you I belong to three, and I I feel like I should talk about all three, that I've kinda whittled it down to over time. One is called Global Woman Network. And, what I love about that one, different than the other two, is that it is really focused on international. And you all know that John and I travel all over.
Vikki:We love to travel. On my Instagram, I talk about travel too on top of my normal business and life. And because of that and our business is in multiple countries. So why wouldn't I wanna be part of an international women's group? The cool thing about Global Woman also is their motto is give a woman a mic.
Vikki:Oh, shoot. I forgot the rest of it. Give I should know that by heart. But, basically, when you give a woman a microphone, you're unlocking her business power in a sense. And, and so they really focus on speaking.
Vikki:So if you would like to speak in front of groups I don't know. I was always scared of that. I'm a I'm a scaredy cat. I've gotten better over time. It it shows you you can learn to do things you don't wanna do.
Vikki:That's not my comfort zone to speak in front of people. But, you get two minutes in front of the room in that group in any club that you go to. So, like, I'm a member here in Orange County, but I can go to the Los Angeles club, and I get two minutes just all on my own where the group gets to hear from me. If I we fly to London, and actually we're thinking about that. I get two minutes in front of the group in London if we fly to Florence, Italy, which we're talking about that too.
Vikki:Same thing. So you get the idea. So it is all about connecting as well and, not as much a focus on referring each other, but because I do that naturally, I do. I refer people in that group all the time. So the global woman I love, check that out.
Vikki:The other one is the HeartLink Network. And, I am good friends with the owner of that, and she actually, she and I were both chapter leaders of the HeartLink Network when we used to do them in our homes. And there were, gosh, I feel like over a hundred chapters all over The United States. Well, during COVID, that dwindled down. Now it's growing again.
Vikki:And HeartLink is wonderful. They actually used to give you three minutes in front of the room because the philosophy, behind their, founder her her philosophy was that women need a longer time to connect. It's really hard to do in a short in two minutes or one minute. So there's that, and that's such a great group too. So if you have a heart link chapter near you, look into that.
Vikki:And then my absolute favorite, my number one that I chose to become a managing director for. So I run the chapter in Orange County, California's E Women Network. You can look that up. Ewomennetwork.com. You could start your own chapter wherever you are.
Vikki:We're in growth mode right now. Tons and tons of chapters are opening up. I just found out I didn't tell you any of this, but New Zealand, we're getting a chapter there. London, we just opened, like, Houston, Chicago. So we're in full on expansion mode too.
Vikki:And if you'd like to talk to me about it, definitely, the show notes will have my information. I can give you, you know, my experience so you have an understanding of all that it takes to be part of it. But we we are given we do two rounds of networking at our meetings, but we really encourage each other to get to know each other outside of the the eWomen network meetings. We have what we call an afterglow at our, events every month. So after the meeting's over, and it's typically two hours, and that's with kind of all the networking groups that I'm part of.
Vikki:It's about two hours. But ours is the only one I know of that does this afterglow, and John's come to those. And it's super fun. We do it right after the meeting at the same hotel in the bar. It's just let your hair down, relax time.
Vikki:The husbands come. You've gotten to know some of the other husbands. Mhmm. And, honestly, that's where the connections really start to form and grow. And so, I really absolutely, love eWomen Network.
Vikki:You've got to check it out in your area. You know what else I love is we are on a mission right from our CEO and founder, Sandra Yancey, to help 1,000,000 women each achieve $1,000,000 in annual revenue. Boom. Let that sink in. That when I walked into the room, at that meeting, I saw that on a big banner, and I thought, woah.
Vikki:Because nowhere else had I ever heard will women talking that big about their businesses. And yet John and I, I've always felt that big. We're big dreamers. We have a big vision board, big goals, you know, million dollar earner. Yes.
Vikki:You know? Yes, please. And now we've done that in our company. We are million dollar earners with Neora. But, having being part of a group that's all about helping others do the same, that's powerful.
Vikki:So that's really what got me and just all the connections that we have. And and I take that back. We also not take that back, but I I need to add on. We have two meetings a month where I don't think the other groups do two meetings a month. I'm not quite sure.
Vikki:They one of them might also do a side meeting, but we meet at a smaller scale, a second time a month where we can really spend more, like, five, six, seven minutes on your business, and we only have 12 people come to those. So we have our bigger luncheons, and we have the 12 person. So boom. I know that was a lot, John.
John:No. Yeah.
Vikki:You kinda need to know what's out there.
John:Yeah. That shows you how much time, you know, that you can spend. And and like you were saying, you wanna you wanna do this for a year. Yeah. You want it's like it's like going to the gym.
John:Right? You have this new program, this new workout routine, you go, you sign up for a gym, and then you show up once or twice, and then you don't get any results, and you think, wow. What why did I do this? But if you did it consistently, persistently for the entire twelve months, you you would see the needle move at the end of the twelve months. Right?
John:Totally. And then you were saying earlier too about limit yourself on the number of of groups that you get involved in because you want to you don't want to just scratch the surface on five or six of them. You wanna do a deep dive into maybe just one or one or two. And the other thing too is it's easier for you, I think, because you don't have another job.
Vikki:Right.
John:Right. You work for you.
Vikki:And our kids are grown now.
John:That's the other thing too. The kids are grown. They're out of the house. So it's it's easier. So if you're if you're a woman that has young children in the house, or you're working a full time job, or you're, you know, you're spinning a bunch of plates already, then maybe you should just focus on one one good.
John:Exactly. Right?
Vikki:Yeah. That's Group. Perfect. Because now when I think back to when the kids were home and I was the busiest, especially in high school because they weren't driving, driving them to all the different practices and events, It was one. Maybe I squeaked in two, but not every month.
Vikki:You're you're absolutely right.
John:Yeah. Yeah. And if you if you try and just scratch the surface on several of them, you'll get you won't get the results. It's just gonna be a it's a waste of your time and your money.
Vikki:I agree. Yeah. Yeah. So focus on that one or two tops. And then when you're like me, you can do three.
John:Yeah. I'll tell you that. I've seen a big difference since you've been involved in these networking groups. Because I do think that that, like you were saying earlier, like, about the afterglow, they during the event, they do teach you the skills that you need. Right?
John:And you do do this networking and through the through the networking that you do during the luncheon, during the training portions. Again, I think they do really treat you teach you the proper skills. And then the afterglow is kind of a your opportunity to to maybe put some of those to good use. Right?
Vikki:Right. Kinda close the deal if you want.
John:I see everybody at that afterglow, and they're all talking, and it just it's it's not the normal I don't know how to put this. It's not the normal group that just goes to a bar and hangs out and watch and they were staring at the TV watching some game. Right? True. That they're probably not even that interested into it.
John:It just happens to be on. With this group, everyone's interested in each other. I mean, there you can tell it's an evolved group.
Vikki:That's really cool. I like hearing that you noticed that. Yeah.
John:You can tell. It's it's a very, very evolved Evolve business. Right. Group, and it's it's it's really enjoyable to be around. Yeah.
John:It is. Because everyone's engaged in meaningful conversations. Yeah. And there's a lot of laughing, a lot of
Vikki:It is. It's it is really great. And if you're listening, maybe you're thinking about becoming an entrepreneur and listening, That's great. But if you're already an entrepreneur, you know how lonely it can be and also how your friends and family don't get you. I think we talked about that last week.
Vikki:If you didn't listen to last week, listen to that, the seven tips, you know, for business entrepreneurs. But you you will see that your friends and family don't understand you.
John:Yeah. We w two employees. Yeah. And you're an entrepreneur. Right?
Vikki:Doing something on your own, venturing off on your own, and it's completely different. Yeah. And these afterglow, it's like, woah. You think like I do. Like, you're talking to people.
Vikki:It's awesome. Yeah.
John:Alright. So if you if you haven't figured it out yet, I think we're pretty positive on networking groups.
Vikki:Yeah. I highly, highly recommend it. Seek them out. Go check them out, and just get going.
John:Do you have anything else you'd like to add?
Vikki:Not really. I don't think so. Just start networking. Amazing, Larry. Start networking.
Vikki:Just do it. And if you're somebody I've been talking to about networking and you still haven't, I'm gonna dare you or and double dare you.
John:Double dog dare you.
Vikki:Double dog dare you. Just do it. Do it, and you will be grateful that you did.
John:Yeah. And if you have any questions, by all means, reach out. Right? Reach out because you'd be happy to answer questions that people might have.
Vikki:Definitely. Please do.
John:Yeah. But you won't be sorry when you do.
Vikki:Yeah. Alright. Well, we'll see you on the next one. Have a great day. Bye bye.
Vikki:Thanks for joining us on Dig the Well.
John:We hope you feel empowered and ready to take on new challenges.
Vikki:Remember, if we can do it, so can you. Keep learning, keep believing, and going after your dreams.
John:And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with someone who needs a little inspiration or maybe a nudge in the right direction.
Vikki:Help us grow this community of go getters. Together, we can achieve greatness and get back to family.
John:Thanks for listening, and let's keep digging the way.