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New Power Girls Feature Amy Swift, Founder of SMARTY.
When Amy Swift puts on an event, it’s on. Not only does she find and bring in the best of the best in terms of thought leaders and guests, she also draws the kind of crowd that you want to do business with. Meghan and I have seen her chatting with Sprinkles founder Candace Nelson, and we’ve seen Amy lead hundreds of thousands via her former post at Ladies Who Launch. Not long ago, Meg and the networking dynamo connected at no other than Arianna Huffington’s house during a party. When it comes to meeting the who’s who in women’s business, nobody does it quite like Amy Swift. Amy’s current project is Smarty, a cool, chill business education and networking organization that’ll put some of the most successful women in business in your ears on everything from scaling a company to whether or not you should trademark a logo and when. This week, we sat down with the talented Mrs. Swift to find out how entrepreneurs and executives need to operate to leverage the people connection in business. Her tips:
1. Find Your Communities: Identify and connect with who you need to know and where. Don’t just focus on the first line of who’s who but go beyond to vertical networking events as well.
2. Know Your Elevator Pitch: You must be able to quickly and effectively explain what your business is to make the most of networking. It’s not about the 140 characters on what you’re doing — develop the short version of what you’re about instead.
3. See Value in Everybody: You represent your company and brand in every aspect. People notice when you’re looking over their shoulder, etc. You never know who it is you’re meeting — treat everyone with respect.
What are YOUR tips for networking? We (and the other entrepreneurs) would love to hear your insight below in the comments section!
SMARTY Founder, Amy Swift, Shares How to Network in Business
- Patricia Handschiegel, Huffington Post
It’s often said that it’s “not what you know but who you know.” Within ten minutes of being around Smarty People’s Amy Swift you completely why people say just that. Amy’s events in Los Angeles and beyond have brought in some of the most successful high profile women entrepreneurs in the country to teach, learn and network. She was a force behind the events hosted by the high profile organization Ladies Who Launch and has since become one of L.A.’s preeminent business social butterflies. One minute you’ll see her at a private party at Arianna Huffington’s house, the next she’s rubbing elbows with female business visionaries like Candace Nelson, founder of Sprinkles Cupcakes.
Power Girls know who to know — and are the people to know — in business.
Headed up by Swift, Smarty is based on success from three essential elements for women: solid foundation/solid practices, support and collaboration from community, and ongoing education and opportunity for expansion. It comes in the form of highly chic, low-key but high impact events networking some of the most recognized and accomplished women in business. I’ve attended one of Smarty’s events and was a panelist under her charge while she was with Ladies Who Launch. Amy packs the kind of cool sensibility and no-nonsense logic. As a moderator, she asks the questions everybody wants to know and engages the audience every step of the way. It’s not a surprise that she’s one of the most successful connecters in women’s business.
This week, fellow entrepreneur and New Power Girls co-creator Meghan Cleary and I sat down with the networking expert to find out her three top tips for meeting people and making contacts in business. Shot at the gorgeous Oceana hotel in Santa Monica, CA (with gifts from Alltop.com, Bliss, Cosabella, Sortingwithstyle.com and John Kelly chocolates), we asked the big question: How she does it.
Check out the interview and Swift’s top tips for networking in business.
