This is my cat Annabelle (yes, she really does have only one eye, and no, it doesn't slow her down at all). Since we adopted her four years ago, Annabelle has been my faithful and constant companion, happily sitting by my side for hours while I work in my home office.
As cute as she is though, Annabelle doesn't exactly qualify as a business partner. When it comes to offering helpful suggestions, let's just say she hesitates to articulate her opinions beyond the occasional well-timed meow.
Unfortunately, as a home-based business owner and hands-on mom, there have been too many days when Annabelle is the only warm-blooded mammal I see during my normal business hours. Sure, I routinely connect with my clients by phone and e-mail, but when it comes to getting out and about, I've gotten a little too comfortable with the "home-based" part of my business model.
That has been a mistake.
Don't get me wrong. I enjoy the benefits of using home-based technology as much as the next person. I love that clients round the globe can work with me by phone to reinvent their careers. I sell my books via instant downloads while I sleep. As of this week, fans of my work can follow me on Facebook and Twitter (still a real newbie at this Twitter thing). In between conducting business, I can video chat with my daughter in her dorm room or text my husband while he is traveling on business.
No question that technology makes my life infinitely easier. It's a pretty cool thing to be able to earn an income while sitting in sweat pants, especially when you're a parent trying to balance work and family.
But as wonderful as technology is, it can lull you into thinking you're being more productive than you really are. As I like to remind my career coaching clients, the internet may host amazing tools to power their job search, but at the end of the day, it is old-fashioned high-touch activities -- like meeting people for lunch and attending conferences --that are going to provide the greatest return for their networking efforts.
As an entrepreneur, I know I could have grown my business faster if I had gotten out more. I chose not to in order to always be there for my family. But in hindsight, I should have been more proactive about getting out of the office. I really didn't need to be around quite as much as I was and the kids (including my husband) would have been just fine with eating a little more pizza and a little less spinach.
It's time to swap out some high-tech for high-touch in our lives.
Taking a bit of my own advice, this past weekend I attended the Tribal Authors summit, a weekend class in NYC for book authors. I knew the content of the class would be valuable, and it was (Thank you, Jonathan Fields!) but the added bonus was the chance to meet my fellow students.
Wow, what a group! I sat between a Broadway actress and a top-shelf social media strategist. Over lunch, I chatted with a magazine editor, a university professor, an advertising exec and a woman who runs several very interesting blogs. During the classroom discussion, we swapped tips on dealing with the media, social networking and the professional speaking circuit. The energy in the room was palpable. I departed with a notebook full of business ideas, a dozen new friends and a community of resources that I can enjoy, both online and off, in the years ahead.
This weekend reinforced what I've known for a long time, even if I haven't always practiced what I preached. Whether you are looking for a job, networking for business, or simply trying to learn more about potential careers, nothing replaces the power of meeting people face-to-face. Nothing.
I'm not waiting until January 1st to resolve to spend more time away from the computer. Moving forward, I'm aiming for a better balance of high-tech and high-touch in my business life. I'll find time to tweet and then go out to eat. I'll blog, but I also hope to remember to write the occasional hand-written note. And next time I have a chance to take a class online or in person, I'm heading out the door.
I just hope Annabelle understands.
