Monday, August 16
The Network is the Product
Mick Fleming, President of the American Chamber of Commerce Executives, at www.acce.org has often noted that for that organization the key product, the key offering is the network of people that the organization creates and the value that the peer to peer learning that occurs can provide.
COSE also strives to create that same opportunity for entrepreneurs. Earlier this week, we rolled out a first step in a partnership with Plexus, Northeast Ohio’s LBGT chamber. With about 45 attendees at a networking event at Fit Technologies in downtown Cleveland, we announced a series of programs through year end for which Plexus members can attend at the COSE rate. The work of Plexus to create a network of LGBT business owners and connect them with the corporate community and their supplier diversity efforts is top notch.
Last week in Akron, more than 100 minority entrepreneurs were a part of a night of networking and a showcase of resources that can help their businesses. COSE partnered with the Akron Urban League to host the event. One of the most notable parts of the evening was the obvious culture of connection that the Urban League and its network of Minority Business Development resources have fostered. One of the standout organizations at the event was the Partnership for the Minority Business Accelerator (PMBA) that was there showcasing about 30 minority owned small businesses in Akron. Beyond their own collateral about what they do, the testimonials I heard as I talked with about ten of these client companies leads me to believe they are doing a very effective and much appreciated job in supporting, connecting and growing their client businesses.
Business gets done by reaching out to each other – that’s why the network is the product!
Posted by:Steve Millard