Sourced from Dubois County Free Press
Speed dating for business owners; that’s how the founders of a new business networking group in Jasper describes their event.
According to Tyler Shields, one of the organizers, Network Jasper is designed to bring business owners and business leaders together twice a month over coffee and pastries to quickly learn about each other’s businesses and client goals.
“You get to go around a table and talk to three or four people about your business, what you are looking for, what kind of clients you are looking for and bounce ideas off each other,” Shields explained.
Shields and his partner Chris McBride are associated with Hopster Insurance in Jasper. They work in Owensboro but travel extensively up to Jasper to work with local clients.
“It has been really good for us in Owensboro and we attend it religiously every week,” Shields said. “We are hoping to get enough interest that it becomes a successful networking event that just isn’t there in Jasper now.”
According to Shields, the events have helped them build new relationships and gain new clients. “Networking is necessary to grow your business,” he explained.
So about the speed dating. Attendees are split up into small groups and each person is given two minutes to talk to the other folks at their table. The groups rotate three times during each meeting. “For example, if 20 people are attending, then you would get to talk to nine other people about your business and hear from them during one meeting,” Shields said.
In addition to the groups, sponsors for the bi-weekly event in Jasper are given ten minutes to talk about their business.
“You get some basic interactions but as you continue to attend, relationships are built as people learn they have common interests,” Shields said.
The first meeting is Tuesday (tomorrow) at 8 a.m. and will be held at Brew in Jasper. Two weeks later, the next networking event will be held at Mad Batter. Network Jasper is free to attend.
“The traction is there to grow this in Dubois County,” Shield said.