Networking is all about identifying Friendly Forces (allies and colleagues), creating trusting relationships and helping each other achieve your goals. You can do that on Instagram!

I resisted joining Instagram (IG) for a long time. Mostly because I think in words and not in pictures.  I assumed that I’d have to be an accomplished photographer before posting on IG.

Late in 2020, I joined Instagram with the goal of following a bunch of phenomenal Indigenous women entrepreneurs I’d met through the NWAC #BeTheDrum Entrepreneur Navigation Program. I happily started following people and liking posts, adding an occasional comment or emoji.

Disclaimer: I’m a Gen X person, also known as a Digital Immigrant. Communicating with emoji’s doesn’t come naturally to me. I generally stick to a thumbs up, smiley face, or heart.

I’ve been actively networking for almost 4 decades. I knew a lot of people used Instagram, but I had a hard time imagining how I’d use this social media platform to network.

When I began writing a phrase or a few sentences as a comment on people’s posts, it started to feel like networking.

Then I discovered the joys of direct messaging (DM) people I’d come to know online, for real time text chats. I’m not talking about dating DMs! Any DMs that even hint at being someone or some bot looking for romance is blocked. No explanations, no apologies, just a simple block.

You’d be surprised at how many predators there are out there looking to misuse social media. To learn more about how to stay safe online follow Matt Richardson, Director: Intelligence and Investigations. 

Some examples of networking I’ve participated in using the Instagram DM function are chat’s about growing your business, accessibility, and books. I now feel like I know some of the people I DM with, they’re a part of my network.

In February 2021, I created my first IG post, a picture of what my office looked like at that time. As of the writing of this blog, I’ve posted 110 times on IG, and even managed to share some stories to my timeline! 

So far my IG network is the smallest of my social media networks, with over 500 followers – some of which I’m confident are bots. Even taking that into consideration, I’ve met and learned from some really intriguing people, with fantastic stories to share, and I’ve grown my overall network.

As I write this piece it occurred to me that I should post a new picture of my office, and up my game when it comes to networking with others on IG. Tasks to add to my “to do” list.

I encourage you to explore networking opportunities on your preferred social media platforms!

What's your favourite way to network?

If you enjoyed reading this post you may also enjoy:

​Virtual Networking: LinkedIn
Growing your Network Online 

To get a free copy of my eBook “Networking: Identifying and Connecting with Friendly Forces” click here (note it’s easier to sign up using a laptop than a phone).

In 2021, as I prepared to launch my first online courses, “Networking: Identifying and Connecting with Friendly Forces” and “Navigating your Career Route Map: Designing Courses of Action to Help You Achieve Your Definition of Success” I decided to invest in help from professionals whose strengths complement mine.

As you can likely guess from the long titles for my courses, I think in words! I have a really hard time visualizing images in my head. I reached out to Jen Detlor Kerr, from DetDesigns, and asked her to create a logo to represent the signature course “Navigating your Career Route Map.”

Jen created a glorious image, that exceeded my expectations, and looked nothing like anything I could have possibly visualized on my own. It represents a treasure map for living a good life. Many things are uncertain, there are no charted paths, opportunities are all around us, and there is more than one definition of success.

The jewels represent opportunities, which are sometimes hidden. The blocks represent obstacles. The network image represents an inclusive network of Friendly Forces, people who want to help us achieve our goals. The 3 concentric circles represent the circle of influence. The silver trophy and the silver medal with a purple ribbon represent different definitions of success. The compass represents each individual’s capacity to seize control of discovering, exploring and navigating a path to their unique definition of success.

The Beta version of an 8-week group session of the Navigating your Career Route Map course ran between June and August 2021. The feedback was fabulous, 100% of the participants would recommend this course to others. By the time we held a reunion in December 2021 all of them had found and were in or about to take on new jobs.

Now I’m putting the finishing touches on the on demand asynchronous version of the "Navigating your Career Route Map" course, in a 3-part series. During our reunion I learned that my explanation of how the homework worked was the only part of the course that needed improvement. I’ve drafted the new Homework slides and speakers notes. Now all I need to do is sit at my laptop and press record. After which I’ll send the series of edited videos to CCS Inc. for closed captioning and transcripts. This process is taking longer than I expected, and that’s OK!

What kinds of projects are you working on?

If you enjoyed reading this post you may also enjoy:

A Rave of Squirrels and Being a Solo-preneur
​Time Spent in Recce is Seldom Wasted
​Promises to Myself 

To get a free copy of my eBook “Networking: Identifying and Connecting with Friendly Forces” click here (note it’s easier to sign up using a laptop than a phone).

This year’s aspirational word is “health” as in changing some of my habits to bring more health and wellness into my day-to-day life. Part of creating a healthier life is making better food choices.

I’ve known about the power of vision boards for several years; last February I was assigned creating a vision board as part of a course I took. During a winter solstice celebration with Brenda MacIntyre Medicine Song Woman, I finally completed my very first vision board, it’s about 29 inches (74 cms) tall and about 20 inches (51 cms) wide. My main motivation was to create a teaching aid for the homework section of the online courses that I’ll be launching soon.

I love pictures of food, and I happened to have several resources on hand with lovely images of healthy meals. Since I knew my goal for 2022 was to become healthier, I went with the theme of healthy food for my vision board. It’s currently resting on top of the large printer in my office, and I see it every time I walk to my desk.

I also like to buy locally whenever possible, so I selected a page from a free calendar with the words “Love Local Food” as the central image. In the interests of being kind to the environment, the images are glued to what used to be a project board for one of my offspring’s grade school assignments.

Have I mentioned that I’m a bit of a hoarder? I tend to hang on to things that may serve a useful purpose at a later date. Which was why I also happened to have a bunch of images of healthy foods in a crafting portfolio.

My first goal for life and business for 2022 is to increase my personal health and wellness. This includes taking regular breaks from sitting at my desk, moving around the house (I’ve worked from home since 2012), taking semi-regular walks, moving my body through Chi Kung and Tai Chi courses with Greg Magwood, Magwood's Martial Arts and taking Yoga classes from Julie Sweeney, Insight to Action Coaching Services.

What is one of your goals for 2022?

If you enjoyed reading this post you may also enjoy:

It's OK to Take a Break 
A Rave of Squirrels and Being a Solo-preneur
Thoughts on Why?

To get a free copy of my eBook “Networking: Identifying and Connecting with Friendly Forces” click here (note it’s easier to sign up using a laptop than a phone).

This post is to share my Gratitude for many of the strategic partners and colleagues that I collaborated with in 2021. I’m looking forward to working with you all again in the future!

If you’re interested in upping your game when it comes to Inclusion Diversity Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) especially if you’re interested in connecting with Indigenous peoples across the lands we call Canada, with job opportunities, bursaries, or surveys, then consider partnering with Indigenous Link – they’ve been successfully connecting with Indigenous communities and organizations since 1999.

If you’re interested in setting up a Mentoring program powered by Canadian software, consider partnering with MentorCity. The software platform was created in 2011 and is incredibly easy to use as a Mentee, Mentor, and/or Administrator for your organization.  Added bonus, the MentorCity servers are in Canada and the platform is available in English and/or French.

If you’re a First Nations, Inuit, or Metis woman or non-binary person living and/or working in Canada, and you’re interested in becoming an entrepreneur, or you’re looking to up your game when it comes to running your business, consider the programs offered by NWAC.

If you’re a woman or non-binary person living and/or working in Ontario, and you’re interested in becoming an entrepreneur, or you’re looking to up your game when it comes to running your business, then consider becoming a PARO member. PARO is a not-for-profit organization that’s been helping people find meaningful employment, start and grow businesses for 27 years (and counting). They offer a number of programs including individual meetings with a Business Growth Advisor (like me); weekly Wednesday webinars, and several business camps (BizCamps).

If you’re a woman or non-binary person living and/or working in the Greater Kingston Ontario area, and interested in learning more about running a business, you may also be interested in the WE-CAN Project at Queen’s University. They offer a number of coaching programs and webinars.  I’m honoured to be presenting a webinar with WE-CAN on January 20, 2022.

I’m grateful to Lisa Isaac, from Lisa Isaac HR Professional Services, Carrie Calder, from Nakanagis Consulting Inc, and Elizabeth Nicholas for being part of the “Dream Team” on Empowered Path Inc.’s biggest project to date. I’m also grateful to Brad Labadie and the CFWD team for choosing our bid for their project.

There are so many more to list: Girls Inc. Limestone and District, Build Marketing, The National Research Council of Canada, Assist in Time, The Computer Store, Signable Vi5ion, CCS Inc., Thinkific, Zoom, and the list goes on.

I’m also grateful to my family and friends for supporting me as I leaned into my business and expanded both my offerings and partnerships. You know who you are!

Lastly, but definitely not least, I’m grateful that my loved ones and I remain relatively healthy and well, in spite of the challenges that 2021 placed in our paths.

Wishing health, joy, peace and abundance for you and all your loved ones as we move into 2022.

If you enjoyed reading this post you may also enjoy:

Gratitude, the Gift that Keeps on Giving
Gratitude Plants the Seeds for Abundance
Gratitude: Noticing and Appreciating the Little Things in Life
Gratitude and the Need for a New Normal

To get a free copy of my eBook “Networking: Identifying and Connecting with Friendly Forces” click here (note it’s easier to sign up using a laptop than a phone).