Don’t just buy shoes, develop a friendship.

I have been buying fabulous shoes from Jamie for years. Sure, I could order them online, but I love going into the store and talking to her. She lets me know when sales are upcoming, she helps me find designs I like, she even knows my husband when he comes into the store and waves hello. My daughter follows her on social media to stay up on trends. She has become a friend and a resource. She makes the entire process more enjoyable and we have talked about business and personal during our time together. 

When you build relationships with the people you interact with in your offline business life, you develop a friendship that can be a cross-sector to your business life. The number of friends and followers you have online doesn't mean anything if they aren’t genuine, authentic connections. If I need a fashion resource or want more information about the retail world, I can go directly to Jamie. She knows so much about her craft and in turn, her customers are high-level women leaders and she shares what I do with them and offers introductions as needed.  

Every person you meet brings unique knowledge and a valuable network with them and when you don’t open up and connect to everyone, you miss out. 

I recently noticed a woman leader in the automobile industry and I was fascinated by her accomplishments at a young age in a male-dominated field. I reached out to her online and we connected with a conversation. It led to a wonderful interview on my podcast, Her Success Story, and now we have drinks scheduled. It is not an either-or, great relationships cover all connected lines, online and offline.