The Power of Changing your Scenery: Networking at Panera
I enjoy working in my office, sitting directly in front of a window with ample sunlight, plants to my left, and whatever music I'm craving playing in the background. I am what is now referred to with pride (or loathing/contempt/curiosity depending who you are) as a digital nomad. My work is based solely on my computer, meeting with clients through a screen, connecting across time zones, states, and sometimes countries. I also travel to various areas in the United States and the World as I meet new clients and continue to work with existing clients.
And although I set-up a cozy office environment - sometimes I crave a change of scenery and a good cup of coffee that didn't come from my Keurig. I have found that although I LOVE checking out small coffee shops where ever I go, if I'm going to hunker down for 3-5 hours of work; my best option is Panera Bread. Now I'm not saying there aren't other options but I have found their combination of fast WIFI, cushy seating, ample plugs, and free coffee refills do it for me. But this isn't an ad for Panera - I promise.
A few months ago, at Panera, I was plugging away at my computer when I noticed a man plugging away at his computer at the table next to me. How long he had been there I have no idea... I was lost in my work but we started chatting. He had his own company as I have mine. While he's not a digital nomad, he does do a lot of driving for his work and we laughed at our shared appreciation of Panera. We were both open to having a conversation about each other's respective business. I learned about his business and he learned about mine. His name is Chaim Gewirtzman and he founded NCE Homecare, a fast-growing home care service agency in Connecticut. We talked about company goals and marketing ideas. It was a great conversation and we agree to connect over LinkedIn.
I followed up with Chaim to let him know if he wanted to discuss how I could help him implement some of his ideas; I'd love to help. He responded and we got started working together on his company's first ever email marketing campaign.
We are a couple months into working together now and I can't help but consider the missed opportunity - if that day - I had chosen to make my own cup of coffee.