My overall message is that of networking in general with an emphasis on face-to-face networking, so I began my challenge of meeting 100 people in 50 days as a way to lead by example and to demonstrate how it can be done. Most of my examples thus far have been people I have met in person at business meetings and business events. But I am also an avid online networker and can be found commenting on posts and participating at numerous groups at LinkedIn, Facebook and other online communities. So today I am blogging about three new people I met at LinkedIn. The caveat for an online meeting is that I must have a live conversation with the person and we should each learn a little about each other.

In the past two days I had three very interesting conversations. In each of the three meetings we decided to meet via Skype which is great, because let’s face it why pay if you can have a free conversation? In the case of my meeting with Linda Lord she was brave enough to use her camera whereas the three guys (me included) opted for the headset voice-only mode.

The Pitch - Business Lessons Learned on the Soccer Field

Linda Lord was my most recent conversation ending just about a half hour ago, so I’ll begin with her. She is the author of  The Pitch – Business Lessons Learned on the Soccer Field.  This book is a business parable following the experiences of her fictitious hero Liz Roberts the owner of a struggling event planning business who is also struggling to connect with her teenaged son. Liz attempts to make a connection with her son through soccer and in so doing finds business lessons in the practical realities of the sport. This book can be enjoyed by those interested in soccer, business, parenting or anyone just looking to read an interesting story.

My observation is Linda is part of a new breed of business book authors trying to make business lessons more accessible by making them more enjoyable to read. Stories are helpful in learning because they are like pneumonic devices that help you remember what you learn because they are presented within a context that you are likely to remember. For instance I can ask you to recall a list if items such as cat, beer, mail and computer. You could simply memorize these or I can say “my cat was laying next to the computer drinking a beer and reading my mail.”  That short story and the image it creates has a greater likelihood of you recalling that list later. Likewise in books such as The Pitch you have a greater likelihood of recalling the lessons learned within the context of the story. Learn more about Linda J. Lord and her book at www.thepitchbusinessbook.com .

Don Osborne

This morning I chatted for about an hour with small business educator Don Osborne, presenter of the Profit Puzzle focusing on eight business basics that are the foundation of profit in any business. Don says his approach is akin to a Business101 class and is the place any new business owner or entrepreneur should begin. I immediately downloaded Don’s free checklist of 32 Action Steps you can take to make more small business profit now. This looks like a good guide any business owner could use to see if you are doing all of the things that might help your business to grow and prosper. I invite you to go to profitpuzzle.com and download a copy for yourself. Don and I spoke about the possibility of my producing a short video with a few business card marketing tips he can offer as a resource to his students. This is what is nice about networking. Meet new people and create new opportunities for everyone.

Lonnie Sciambi

Yesterday I spoke with Lonnie Sciambi who bills himself as “The Entrepreneur’s Yoda” because he is ready to reveal the age old mysteries of business success to willing and eager Business Jedis. We had a great conversation sharing ancient business history and war stories. Though Lonnie is willing to mentor budding entrepreneurs (usually for free) he makes his money working with seasoned business veterans, assisting in turning around wounded and damaged businesses and helping mature business owners to successfully transition their business to the next generation of owners. Those of us who have witnessed this done badly understand there is a right and wrong way to see to it that your business survives you, and that the other stakeholders such as employees, customers, family and you, survive your exit. I look forward to learning more from Lonnie “Yoda” Sciambi and you can do the same by visiting his blog or follow him on twitter @yodacanhelp.

As it turned out these three discussions were with individuals who provide help, assistance and guidance to small business owners. Linda J. Lord through her book  The Pitch; Don Osborne through his self directed online business education and Lonnie Sciambi who provides a more personal one-on-one approach to more established entrepreneurs. I hope my readers will benefit from my new contacts by clicking through to understand each of their offering more thoroughly. Continue to follow my networking adventures in the world and on the world wide web. The count stands a Day 23 with 38 new people met.