By Alison Baringer, Founder of Salt & Rally
Well, friends, here we go! November is here, and if your calendar looks anything like mine, the holiday season has already pulled up a warm, comfy fireside chair. Ribbon cuttings, holiday lunches, ball games, festivals, and coffee dates stacked three to a day. It's a lot, it's wonderful, and if I'm not careful the whole month turns into a blur and Christmas and New Years are here.
However you do or don't celebrate the next couple of months, I keep coming back to this: human connection is the root of every celebration. A holiday is just a date on the calendar until people show up for each other. Networking and business partnerships work the same way. The business card and the LinkedIn connection are nice, but what sticks is how you made someone feel when you sat down with them. How you connected with their dreams, goals, and desires.
Remember that the person across the table is probably carrying more than you can see. Some of us are heading into this season excited, some of us are grieving, and a lot of us are stretched thin between work and family and everything in between. We all may need a little more grace right now, and I'd like to be someone who hands it out freely.
That's the heart of Rally ILM. Show up in the community. Show up for people.
Here's where I plan to be this November. If you see me out, please come say hi!
And if you want more information on Rally ILM, check it out HERE.
My November Rally Stops
Drift Coffee Shop & Kitchen, Autumn Hall | A new connection is brewing.
Bitty & Beau's Coffee | A mentor who entered my life just a few months ago; our weekly check-in.
Trask Coliseum, UNCW | UNCW Women’s Basketball Game. #wingsup!
Social Coffee & Supply Co. | Another new connection, thanks to Beth at Vistage!
Four Core Law Ribbon Cutting | Celebrating a new downtown neighbor.
Cape Fear Kite Festival, Carolina Beach and Fort Fisher | My 2-yr-old is going to be SO CURIOUS!
Fall Feast, Canterbury Stables. | Food, friends, and fall weather…OF COURSE I’ll be there!
Halyburton Park. | A walk with a friend I reconnected with through starting Salt & Rally.
Concorde Espresso Bar, Porters Neck. | WILMA Elevate & Celebrate!
Junior League of Wilmington Touch-A-Truck, The Pointe at Barclay. | I was lucky enough to be the President of the JLW in 2015, so I’m happy to support this group of amazing women. Plus, my daughter LOVES trash trucks and other large vehicles, so we can’t wait!
1 Million Cups, UNCW Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship. | I try to attend at least once a month, and this month, my friend is presenting…so of course I’ll be there to cheer her on!
Fractional Meetup, The Ibis. | As I was starting my fractional business, I was introduced to a lot of folks already in this space. We decided to start up a monthly meetup to hangout, talk business, and support each other.
Wagsgiving, UNCW. | If you know, you know. A family tradition!
The Half, downtown. | Meeting with a local nonprofit leader; I love her organization and am excited to meet her and learn more about their big plans for growth.
Looking at that list, I see a little bit of everything: new connections and old friends, a ball game and a kite festival, a ribbon cutting and a support group! That's real life, and honestly, that's networking too. It isn't a separate thing we do on Tuesdays at 9 a.m. It's just showing up for people.
So here's my challenge for you this month. Schedule one coffee, one lunch, or one walk on your calendar and give it your full attention. Ask how they're really doing, and then listen to the answer.
I'll be posting from each stop along the way, so follow along on Instagram and tell me your favorite Wilmington meeting spot. I might just borrow it for December!
Keep Rallying!