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Ultimate Networking Tips Entrepreneurs Can Use


Ultimate Networking Tips for Enterpreneurs

Helpful networking tips for startups, job seekers, entrepreneurs and small businesses from Sandbox Suites, the coworking space for everyone.

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1. Take it online

When you meet someone and receive a business card, unless you are building an impressive business card collection, take it online. Find the person on LinkedIn; if they don’t have LinkedIn, send them an invite! Find them on Twitter and respond to one of their tweets- even if it’s personal and not professional. Follow them on Instagram, or Pinterest. Personally, I’d draw the line at Facebook friend request until after you’ve logged a few real time hours. (However, if they have a company Facebook page, DO like that.)

Protip: if you are lurking a few years deep on their Instagram, try not to like their photos. There’s a thin line between ‘cool new connection from networking event!’ and ‘I think this person is online stalking me.’ Invite them to another similar meetup or event instead where you can take new pictures!

Networking for entrepreneurs

2. Make Authentic Connections

Unless you are the host or an extreme extrovert with the attention span of a toddler (and if you are, you do you) DO NOT work the room. If you are having a great conversation with someone who matches or complements both your personality and your professional interests, stick with it. If you start chatting and realize that this person is your mortal enemy, or simply the most annoying person you’ve ever had the displeasure of making small talk with, then politely excuse yourself and move on. If you look around and realize you’ve only made one solid connection, that’s okay! With a really authentic connection, you’ll feel much more comfortable following up and connecting with them in the future.

 

3. Follow Up

When you tell a potential colleague, ‘let’s get coffee!’ follow up and actually invite them to coffee. Offer to make an intro email? Do it! If you find a meetup, networking event or class similar to the one where you met, ping that person and ask if they’d like to meet you there. At minimum, refer to step 1 and connect online after your real life connection. The new contact will remain current and viable.

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4. Host Your Own Event

Are you an expert in a field? Strangely good at knitting? Always wanted to make your own zine? Interested in starting a podcast or teaching people the basics of digital photography? Search for meetups or events in that category and in your area through networking websites like meetup.com. If you find an existing event, offer to host, teach, volunteer or just go!

No upcoming events? Be proactive and message the event organizer and submit your idea, or ask to host the next event. If you are a member of a coworking space, many times meeting rooms and common areas are available on evenings and weekends at no cost to members. Coworking spaces are also a great way to learn about events and classes!

5. Quality Over Quantity

I cannot emphasize this point enough: one authentic connection can be infinitely more valuable than a stack of random business cards. If you click with someone right away, don’t feel guilty cultivating that conversation all night. It will be much more rewarding in the long run.

And keep in mind that you may not hit a networking home run at every event you attend. Sometimes you’ll get nothing more than a drink and a good meal. But meeting a new investor, a valuable business resource or your new boss only needs to happen once!

If you’re having a great chat, but don’t want to seem too exclusive, introduce yourself and your new found connection to someone nearby. Make sure to connect online and follow up with your new colleagues and friends.

 

Put your newfound networking skills to work at our Grand Opening Party for our brand new Palo Alto Sandbox!

Register HERE!

Good luck out there! Networking can be rewarding and fun.

WatchKit Workshops: Learn to build apps for WATCH

WatchKit Workshops at Sandbox-Learn to build apps for WATCH- December 16

RSVP here!

Like the iPhone and iPad that came before it, the Apple Watch is a whole new platform for users, which will hit the market in the spring of 2015.

On Thanksgiving, Apple released WatchKit, the software development kit (SDK) that will allow developers to build apps for the Watch. That same week, our meetup group held a hackathon where 33 teams built and presented their ideas. A few fun ones: an app that shows you when it will stop raining outside and an app that changes the speed of the music based on how hard you’re exercising. The developers who are there early have the most to gain should their app catch on.

However, in true iStyle, there are currently several limitations on what we as developers can do. We don’t have access to the hardware sensors yet, and a Watch app isn’t standalone — the code actually lives on the iPhone.

But I see these limitations as a form of focus. In the words of interactive designer and front end developer, Jason Weaver, it is a bit like giving an artist three crayons and seeing what they can create. For one thing, when Apple announced the Watch on stage, the company showcased several partners that are using the SDK to do awesome things. The popular website Pinterest is a good example. Their app will tap you on the wrist you when you’re near a spot you’ve favorited and give you walking directions to get there. So imagine you’re in San Francisco and you’re near the Painted Ladies; one subtle tap and you’re on your way to see the picture in real life.

Another great use is an airplane app that you can use mid-flight to ask, “Where am I?” The dictation feature of the Watch will convert your voice into text and send a signal to an API. Because the airline knows your flight number, they can then send back the result to the watch —“30,000 feet.” So cool!

Everybody’s a beginner at this stuff, but through the meetup group we’re working to become a resource so that anyone can learn. We have a couple of events coming up at Sandbox Suites, including December 16th when we’ll be in Sunnyvale for Hello WatchKit. This event will provide an overview of the concepts and then cover the nitty-gritty details like working with API data. There will also be a more in-depth Bootcamp in both Sandbox Silicon Valley and Sandbox Union Square in San Francisco in January.

Ben Morrow is a developer, author, and hackathon organizer. With the Apple Watch community, he’s been teaching tools and techniques for the past six months and is ready to launch apps when the new device is released. Find more video and code at http://happy.watch­ →

5 Blogs for Entrepreneurs- in no specific order

5 blogs for entrepreneurs

5 Blogs for Entrepreneurs

1. Hacker News https://news.ycombinator.com

The hub of Silicon Valley’s first and most well known incubator and VC is Y Combinator. It’s not technically a blog. But it is bubbling over with great information for anyone starting a business, in the the thick of getting funding, or anyone looking to find a VC. It’s the pulse of VC culture and any entrepreneur, whether technically a startup or not, can find valuable resources here. Still not sold? Their companies have a combined valuation of over $30 billion. See also, Paul Graham.

 

2.”Both Sides of the Table” http://www.bothsidesofthetable.com

Mark Suster, is a seasoned entrepreneur and Silicon Valley native who has been on, well, both sides of the table. A 2x entrepreneur who joined Upfront Ventures in 2007 as a General Partner after selling his company to Salesforce.com. He provides startup lessons, marketing/pr topics, sales help and more.

3. Seth Godin’s Blog http://sethgodin.typepad.com

He writes about the post-industrial revolution, the way ideas spread, marketing, quitting, leadership and most of all, changing everything.* If you are an entrepreneur, early stage startup or a one man band, you’re probably wearing all the hats in your company. This would include marketing your product. Seth’s blog is great resource for marketers and independent professionals alike.

*(borrowed from his bio.)

4. How to Change the World http://blog.guykawasaki.com/

With a previous job title like Chief Software Evangelist at Apple, Guy understands not only how to be the hype guy for someone else, but how to strike off and start his own company. (Which he did after his departure from Apple.) He’s a prolific author and like several others on this list, understands all aspects of running a business. The content is a bit heavy on the marketing and product evangelism side, but as any new entrepreneur will agree, marketing your product can mean the difference between instant success and sudden failure.

 

5. Steve Blank http://steveblank.com/

Before there was the Customer Development methodology, and thus before the Lean Startup movement, there was a serial-entrepreneur Steve Blank (real name.) In 2013 Blank was named by Forbes as one of the most 30 influential people in Tech of 2013. Through his down-to-earth writing, Blank leads readers through the issues of entrepreneurship. The blog is considered a “must-read” and is syndicated by UC Berkeley, VentureBeat, and Huffington Post.

 

Why Try Coworking?

Why Try Coworking?

The couch is no place to build an empire.

It is said to be the working man’s ultimate goal- no cubicle, no dress code, no authority, no schedule. You are the boss and the employee combined. You can spend your day perched on a park bench with your laptop or tucked up in the corner of a cafe. You can wear nothing but your favorite pajamas and claim the couch as your new domain.

Yet the couch is no place to build an empire. Working for yourself can be liberating and satisfying- but without the right facility, it can also be unproductive and lonely.

With its three locations in San Francisco as well as Downtown Berkeley and Silicon Valley, Sandbox Suites provides full-service coworking, shared offices and meetings spaces for freelancers, software developers, nonprofits, consultants, small business owners, and more. Interact with like-minded individuals in a laid back and effective co working environment designed for all types of progress.

And in case you miss your couch, we have those too.

We offer free trial days if you are new to coworking, the Bay Area or want to test out what coworking and shared office space is really about. We also offer virtual office plans in SOMA, Union Square, Berkeley and Palo Alto.

Sneak Preview of Sandbox South Park

Painting, furniture building and cleanup is under way in the new South Park office in preparation for Opening Day | Startup Waffle party on Sept. 7.

Last week, some lucky companies got to put dibs on the private offices and I’m excited to report that we have a great group anchoring Sandbox Suites South Park, including Ayopa Games, Promethium Marketing, Red Giant Software, RockIT Recruiting, Analyte Health, Sparta Consulting Group, M2Media360, Cherry.com and a few other great companies.

After more than a month of listening to drilling, polishing and hammering, it was awesome to finally have new members running around! And even better to hear how much they loved the colorful private offices:

We’re opening the private desk waiting list, so if you’d like first dibs on a dedicated desk or a cluster for your team, write us a note - [email protected].

For conference rooms, we’ll have 4 different sizes seating from 4 to 12 people. If you’re not a member, you’ll be able to rent meeting rooms in South Park after Sept. 12. Here’s a fun meeting room for 6 that we just finished:

Can’t wait to see you all in September!!

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