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The
East Valley Networking Group was
formed in October, 2002, by Mona Moore and Taryn Schultz.
Mona and Taryn each own their own small businesses and realized
quickly that even though their businesses provided very
different services, they had many of the same questions and
concerns. As they talked with other small business owners,
they realized that they were not alone.
Mona
and Taryn considered joining other networking groups, but ran
into certain obstacles. The time and frequency of the
meetings wasn't convenient. The membership fee was too
high. The demographics of the membership wasn't conducive
to the kind of networking they needed. The group focused
too much on quantity of referrals instead of quality of
referrals. There just didn't seem to be a networking group
that fit their needs.
The
East Valley Networking Group was formed to meet the needs of
small business owners like Mona and Taryn. It is based on
the following principles:
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No
membership fees! Small business owners watch their
pennies carefully. We didn't think they should have to
pay to join a networking group. We do ask all members
to help pay for incidentals such as copies, postage, name
tags, etc. The total for these things is just $30 for 6 months. And, the restaurant we meet at asks that
everyone order a drink and something else (appetizer, meal,
dessert).
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Reference
checks for all members. Before membership is
granted, a check for any complaints at the Better
Business Bureau is done. Any complaints that are found
must be explained thoroughly. Also, all potential
members must provide three business references.
All references may be checked before membership is granted.
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One
business of each type. This is a standard practice
in most networking groups. Accepting only one business
of each type into the group reduces competition and allows
more visibility and potential clients for all
members.
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Evening
meetings once a month. Small business owners are
busy. They don't have time to meet weekly, and many of
them start work early in the mornings. Our meetings
are the second Thursday of every month at 7 - 9 pm. Attendance is required at the meetings to hold your position in the group.
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Utilize
the internet. It seems everyone is on the internet
these days. Many people search for services right on
the internet. Why not use this great tool to get more
visibility for our group and all it's members? For a
small one-time fee, each member gets listed on the front
page of the East Valley Networking Group website, with a link
to their website.
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Focus
on getting to know members and quality referrals.
Many networking groups tout the number of referrals they
pass along per month, per quarter, or per year. This
quantity means nothing if these referrals are not quality
referrals. At the East Valley Networking Group, we
focus on getting to know each other and feeling comfortable referring
each other. This leads to quality referrals for
all members.
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Membership
Qualifications. Although the East Valley
Networking Group values all small businesses, we do not
accept certain home-based consulting businesses geared
mostly towards women. These include, but are not
limited to, Mary Kay, Pampered Chef, Creative Memories, Gold
Canyon Candles, Discovery Toys, and Tupperware.
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