Meetup Time in Panama. The Importance of Networking Where You Live.
Networking is an Important Aspect of Any Entreprenuers Business.
As I sit here and El Charro Mexicano waiting for the crew to show up I thought I would remind everyone about the importance of networking in your local community.
For the first three years of our business @AnaHilarski and I built out business predominantly online. Being introverts we much preferred to stay home and build our personal brands on the internet. This led to a very successful business being built but in our own backyard we were largely unknown.
The expat community knew me because of my blogging about Panama but the rest of Panama had no idea who I or @AnaHilarski was. Then in late 2015 we decided it was time to start getting to know people in our country. First up we took a client locally that forced us to come to Panama City Monday through Friday. Due to traffic in the evenings we were left with many extra hours to spend hanging out at coffee shops and attending happy hours. People this is where the magic happens!
Now almost three years and our business is booming locally. @AnaHilarski was written up in the local newspaper regarding Bitcoin. We are launching multiple Crypto Currencies from here. We are friends with everyone in the Bitcoin, Dash, Steem and Guld communities and we have finally built a name for ourselves locally. Just two weeks ago @AnaHilarski and I were walking down the street when someone yelled out, "Randy and Ana!" The guy said to us, "you guys are famous in Venezuela for Bitcoin!". We exchanged information now he comes to us when he has questions.
Something Magical Happens When You Get to Know People in Person.
I have hundreds of thousands of followers and friends online but we are missing that one thing. The hand shake and hug. I believe this is what solidifies trust in business. We have done multiple deals 100% online but when you actually meet a person face to face it really reaches a new level.
Clients We Have Met in Person.
@JeffBerwick of @DollarVigilante and @Ned of @Steemit. We also get to hang out with one of the first gen Bitcoiners Ira Miller all the time since he lives here in Panama. He is the founder of Guld. We will be meeting one of our first clients ever @Goldseek when we visit Prague in October.
This Does Not Mean Abandon Your Online Efforts.
Currently @AnaHilarski is promoting her Bitcoin and Steemit course for the Spanish community. In just two weeks she has had nearly 4,000 sign-ups. This will open doors for personal brand and will hopefully lead to more interviews and more face to face opportunities.
Every day we wake up and build our personal brands online. This is not work to me, it is part of my life, more like a habit. I know that within ten years we will have millions of followers online and we will never have to work another day in our lives.
Keep Steeming and Keep Building Your Personal Brands and Don't Be Afraid to Venture Out and Meet People in Real Life.
Heck yes, We can never replace the magic of a face to face! Wonderully written.
Haha yes building a name for yourself is important in any business ! It's good to feel appreciated and known for everything you do :)
This is definitely true. I previously held a few bitcoin meetups in my area, and even though the results didn't match my expectations, I met lots of nearby people with similar interests. I also learned about local history I previously hadn't known, including alternative monetary systems.
There is just no replacement for face to face interactions. Maybe it's time for me to start a local Steemit group!
Sure man we are more powerful when we work together and when we exchange ideas
You guys are all about the Entrepreneur Hustle! Respect 😎🤑
I'm waiting for someone to write 'STEEMIT meet up in San Francisco' !!! Maybe ill start one for winter. Sounds awesome!
I would love to visit Panama someday. You article is really inspiring especially for a noob like me just getting started! I hope your dreams come true one day and hopefully sooner than 10 years from now! 😁
I was on here scouring the site for good stuff to curate and wish I could do so but just as yourself I'd been looking for people who get little to no recognition time and time again. I'm on acidyo's OCD curation team.
Regardless of that I will be following your story as I am from the states and randomly lived in Serbia at one time and have been thinking of moving to South or Central America. For me the states are overvalued in too many ways outside of the currency value. Thanks for motivating and inspiring others and I agree it is good to do things IRL.
Also, I see we both are into social media marketing/management. All of the best.
nice postt
Hi Randy...WoW... Just been here a couple of months but I remember about a month ago the article You/Ana wrote about getting a new VW...AND now after reading this Post... am realizing how very important it is to just get out there to meet people and help introduce them to the cryptos.
Almost couldn't believe that people in Venezula know about You & Ana...and Bitcoin.
I want to do some similar things here where I live, if for no other reason, but to have people to physically talk to about Steem, Steemit and the crypto markets in general.
ALSO... this pullback is really a great opportunity to not only buy in for ourselves BUT also so many that we can individually help introduce into Steem for the very 1st time...
Thanks Again 4 sharing... Cheers !!