Tag Archive for: networking

The Weekly BUZZ : Last Friday Coffee and New Art Exhibition

The Weekly BUZZ…

Networking:
What’s better than a Friday networking event at The Hive RI, in the Spring, with Allie’s Donuts & Coffee?  Not much!!!  Join us for our monthly (most months anyway) Last Friday Coffee with Uncle Jay’s Traveling Network this Friday morning from 8:00-9:30am, $5.

Community:
Hive members, Hub Digital Marketing will be presenting their ‘Digital Discourse: Marketing Q & A’ at our ‘brother’ coworking space over in Middletown, Spire Space, co-hosted by the Newport County Chamber of Commerce from 11:00-1:00 (*it’s a free BYOL – Bring Your Own Lunch event) for details and directions, click here!

Art:
Forests of Emotion Art Exhibition by Zachary Prosser (with complimentary pieces by Cindy Wilson Photography & Lori Delfosse/Eden Studio) is live at The Hive.  Stop by anytime Monday through Fridays 9-5 for a self guided tour and be sure to mark your calendars for the official Opening Celebration on Friday, April 28th from 6:00-8:00pm.

We still have 1 office open in The Hive!
Seriously, we usually have a waiting list!!!  It doesn’t happen often but we now have 1 of our coveted 4 private offices within The Hive RI available.  Unlike elsewhere throughout our lovely Mill at Lafayette, these offices are rented month to month, no deposit and no lease required…we just ask for a 30 day notice when you’re ready to move on (or up, as many tenants end up moving into larger spaces within the mill).  These offices are great if you like privacy but also like to be within a community setting.  They are just $300 per month and will go quickly so if you (or someone you know) is interested, please let Tuni know ASAP: tuni@hubdigitalmarketing.com.

Coworking in The Hive RI:
Have you been thinking about ‘coworking’?  We only charge $100 per month and you’re welcome to come ‘test drive at The Hive’ for zero, zip, zilch for the first couple of days!  Come on by, make yourself at home and see if this might be a good fit for you!

The Mill at Lafayette:
Check out the rest of our amazing businesses and community members here: business directory .  Read the blogs to learn more about what’s going on in the historic (and innovative) Mill at Lafayette and if you’re interested in joining us you can see what we have for available spaces too!

Be social:
If you haven’t already, be sure to ‘like’ and visit our Fb page to keep up on the day to day musings and goings on here in The Hive RI coworking space, as well as throughout our mill and local communities!

Have a great week everyone,
Tuni, Mike & Larry

Friday is BUZZing at The Hive RI…

BIG Event Friday

Networking opportunity to GROW your business… 

Friday morning from 8:00-9:30, we have Uncle Jay’s Traveling Breakfast Network here at The Hive RI.  Come on by (tell your friends too) & don’t forget your business cards.  We’ll have Allie’s Donuts and coffee PLUS some seriously fun (and worthwhile…talking ROI here!) networking so it’s a win/win and you won’t want to miss it!  For more info, click HERE

If you can’t make it this time but you are interested in coworking…grab your work and come on by.  We won’t charge you anything the first day or two…seriously!  So swing in, grab a seat, settle in and crank out some serious work in a relaxed yet professional environment!  Here’s a video that kind of nails what coworking and connectedness is all about, click here to watch!

The Weekly Buzz: Community Based Economy

The Weekly BUZZ…

Community Based Economy
Community is what we’re all about…whether you’re a member of the coworking space here at The Hive RI or whether you’re a tenant in our larger mill community, a person or a group in our local community or part of the RI business community…

We often refer to our on-going growth as a ‘Community Based Economy’ and I know that might sound confusing to some so here’s a basic definition: ‘Recently, the more mainstream approach of Independent Business Alliance organizing has spread across the U.S., helping independent, locally owned businesses compete effectively and countering the spread of corporate chains at the local level.’ for more of an explanation, click here. But, either way, you get the idea – basically ‘together we are stronger’. We are so proud of all the amazing people and businesses that make up our community here at The Hive RI and the Mill at Lafayette and can’t believe how we continue to grow as new members are joining weekly! We are very excited to welcome back Janelle Blakely Photopoulos & her Blakely Interior Design team. Janelle moved her new business into one of The Hive’s 4 private offices a few years ago, outgrew that space, moved to Wakefield for the last couple of years, has outgrown that space and will be moving into their permanent (hopefully anyway) space here within the Mill this week. Pictures and official announcement coming soon.

Coworking in The Hive RI
Have you been thinking about ‘coworking’? We only charge $100 per month and you’re welcome to come ‘test drive at The Hive’ for zero, zip, zilch for the first couple of days! Come on by, make yourself at home and see if this might be a good fit for you!

The Mill at Lafayette
Check out the rest of our amazing businesses and community members here. Read the blogs to learn more about what’s going on in the historic (and innovative) Mill at Lafayette and if you’re interested in joining us you can see what we have for available spaces too!

Be social
If you haven’t already, be sure to ‘like’ and visit our Fb page to keep up on the day to day musings and goings on here in The Hive RI coworking space, as well as throughout our mill and local communities!

Tuni, Mike & Larry

The Weekly BUZZ: Our Last Lunch and Learn

 Our last Lunch & Learn this Thursday

We have been hosting weekly Lunch & Learns for a couple of years now but have decided that we’re not going to produce/host this program anymore.  We’ll continue to offer the space for any of our members to use for their own presentations, workshops, etc…though!  And, for those of our tried and true attendees, have no fear as there are still many monthly Lunch & Learns throughout the state and we’ll try to share that info on our Fb page!

For our last official Lunch & Learn we’re proud to present Carol Scalzo of Hit The Web Marketing as she shares 10 Ways to Convert Web Visitors to Customers!  Click the link to register and learn more!

Holiday Gift Giving Idea!
Looking for ideas for holiday gift giving?  How about dance lessons?  We have such amazing businesses within our community here at the Mill at Lafayette and iDance Academy is one of them!  Check out Kelly’s schedule here!  We’ll share more ideas in next week’s Weekly BUZZ!

Need Office Space?
We’ve got some great options starting at $100 per month for open coworking space to $325 & $340 per month for private offices and more!  Contact Mike at401-255-7413 or email Tuni at tuni@hubdigitalmarketing.com for more info!

The Weekly BUZZ: Allie’s Donuts and Uncle Jay’s Traveling Breakfast

Announcement…no Lunch & Learn scheduled this week BUT we have Allie’s Donuts and Uncle Jay’s Traveling Breakfast!!!

Mark your calendars for a GREAT networking event this Friday morning right here at The Hive RI with the infamous Uncle Jay!

Uncle Jay’s Traveling Breakfast series is always worth your time so come on by this Friday morning from 8:00-9:30 for some coffee and Allie’s Donuts!

Increase & expand your network…
Invite your friends and business associates. Let everyone know about you and what you have to offer the business community. And…remember to bring plenty of business cards!

A Working Community:
Come join our awesome community! We have office space available – one of the 4 coveted ‘Hive’ offices is opening up on 12/1. It’s $300 per month – no deposit & month to month, we just ask for 30 days notice if you’re leaving. We also have a couple of private offices in The Rodman Bldg., $325 & $340 per month – both include heating/cooling/electricity/general WiFi and both require a one year lease and deposit. We have other larger spaces available – 1,000 sq. ft. and up – check those out here.

Coworking:
Stop in and ‘test drive at The Hive’ for free a day or two to see if our environment might be a great fit for you and your team! Our monthly rate is super affordable at $100. We also have a private flex office available at $75 per day, $50 for 1/2 day and $200 per month for 1-2 days a week (monthly contract), as well as a private conference room available at $10 per hour. Email Tuni Schartner if you have questions or want to schedule space or a tour: tuni@hubdigitalmarketing.com.

Don’t forget to check out The Hive RI’s and Pause at the Mill’s Facebook pages regularly as we post all kinds of interesting things on both, including events and happenings here at the Mill at Lafayette, as well as around the state!

Networking Tips – How to Make it Less Painful & More Beneficial!

Our friend Amy of Hub Digital Marketing is away on vacation this week, so The Hive queen bee Tuni filled in on Amy’s weekly newsletter & blog with some networking tips! 

I know many of you out there HATE the thought of having to network.  I bet some of you might have even gotten to the door of an event and literally turned around and headed back home?  I’m also willing to bet there are some of you out there, like me, that actually look forward to networking events?  Whether you’re an introvert, an extrovert, or even an ambivert – that’s actually a thing, ambivalent are those who fall relatively in the middle of being introverted and extroverted, it’s almost like being ambidextrous, but with your personality…whatever your personality type, we can all probably agree that networking to grow your business (or professional career) is important.   We’re here to give you some simple tips on how to make it less painful (for those of you that dread it) and more beneficial (for all).  Your time, money and energy are valuable – networking can and should be both fun and provide a solid ROI at the same time!

Let’s start at the beginning, peel back the layers of this onion and get right to the heart of the topic…what does networking really mean?  One definition of networking that is perfect in this context is: to interact with other people to exchange information and develop contacts, especially to further one’s career. Pretty simple right?

Go away pain…

If you’re the type of person that is painfully shy, just isn’t super comfortable being in groups of people, or maybe you might find the mere thought of going to a networking event causes you anxiety – here are a few tips on how to alleviate the stress:

1. The Buddy System – How about finding someone to go with?  You might be able to find a colleague, a coworker, a friend or even an employee to tag along with you!
2. S.O.S .  Ask for Help- Talk to the organizer, director, or someone involved with the event – let them know that you see the potential value in attending their event but be honest about your stress. You are not alone, they’ll understand and they’ll probably be more than happy to help!  They might connect you with one of their veteran members or an ambassador in their organization that can introduce you around and sort of stay with you.
3. Practice Relaxation Techniques – Whether you’re skilled at mindfulness practices like breathing techniques or meditation (you can easily search for tips on these) or maybe you just need a glass of wine…find something that helps you relax a bit!  I know some great networkers that are comfortable around people and even enjoy events like this but we’re all human and sometimes we’re wound a little tight…even the best of us can benefit by having some tools in our toolbox to help us relax and ease into an event!

Time is money, make it count…

Now for our top 5 tried & true tips on how to use networking to grow your business (or career):

1. Find Your Tribe – The first thing to be mindful of, and something I often recommend to colleagues or clients, is to ‘find your tribe’.  I often suggest that it’s best to try before you buy – identify different organizations that might make sense to join and/or to get involved with then see what kinds of events are available for you to attend.  Go visit, make sure the people that attend seem like the type of people you can see yourself fitting in with, the events are run in a way that works for your personality and you can see that the investment might provide a return on investment.
2. Show Up – It’s more than just signing up for an event and physically being there.  When you’ve invested the time, money and energy to attend…you need to really be present, open and ready to make connections.
3. Be Authentic – I can’t stress this one enough!  Don’t be ‘that person’ that shows up to take 10 business cards and give 10 business cards…yucko!  We’re all people and I guarantee that if you’re authentic and open, you’ll make some pretty cool connections that turn into lasting relationships.  Most people are interesting if you take the time to listen – ask questions and be curious!
Not Everything is Black & White – Something that I believe wholeheartedly to be true is that not everything is a straight line!  For instance, you might meet me at an event and just because I might not need your service doesn’t mean I don’t know someone who does or will in the future…
4. Follow Up – You’ve identified different groups and picked events to attend.  You’ve attended, been present, authentic, curious, and you’ve made some great new connections…now what?  Follow up!  We are all different and all have different time management algorithms, habits and so on, right?  What works for me might not work the best for you but there is a basic routine you can follow then tweak along the way.  Let’s say you get home from an event, you’re energized and you’ve met 5 people that you’d like to stay connected with in hopes that it’ll develop into a lasting relationship of some sort?  Maybe you’ll become referral resources for each other or maybe it’s a great potential client for you?  Whatever the scenario, here are a few basic tips on follow-up:

5. Enter contact info into your database(s).
– Do a little social research – follow, like or connect!
– Send an email/note – I like to send an email that night or within a couple days myself letting them know ‘why’ I enjoyed meeting them (or seeing them again) and might suggest we meet for coffee, a business meeting, etc…to continue the conversation ?
– Then stay in front of them with email campaigns, social shares/likes/favorites or retweets.

I try to go to any event with the mindset that I’ll probably run into someone that I maybe haven’t seen in awhile (yay) and that I’ll probably meet at least a couple/few people that I’ll authentically connect with – I know it also helps that I truly like people (most anyway) and find business in general fascinating.  I get that I might not be the norm, but I do know that many of these tips have helped dozens of friends and colleagues ease into networking and make it beneficial in their businesses.  I hope you’ll find a take-away here and that you’re future networking events are stress-free and bountiful!

Weekly BUZZ – Food Truck Thursdays!

Food Truck Thursdays

Announcing Food Truck Thursdays…
We are SO excited to announce Food Truck Thursdays are starting a week from this Thursday!  Mark your calendars, tell your friends & stop by the Mill at Lafayette for lunch!

Blog:

Have you checked out our blogs?  We have the www.millatlafayette.com website chock full of information (including our blogs) in case you’re in the mood to peruse!

Pause at The Mill Logo
Exercise at the Mill?

Classes have been growing & we have some fantastic practitioners and new classes like Yoga on the beach!  Check out our Fb page for Pause at the Mill and please feel free to share.  We have classes listed as ‘events’ – take a 1/2 hour or more to just ‘pause’ and recharge your battery… *New Schedule here!

speaking-of-success
Networking:

We’re going to keep promoting this event up until it happens NEXT Monday, August 8th… Total Exposure Networking (T.E.N.)

Our Lunch & Learn program will be back August 18th but in the mean time we’re hosting Richard Austin’s next T.E.N. event!  Total Exposure Networking…have you heard of it?

At most networking events you’re lucky if you get to talk to 9 or 10 people. Even then, are you delivering your message or just talking about the weather or the latest news headlines? At Total Exposure Networking (TEN), we make sure that you get to deliver your pitch to everyone in the room! Our unique TEN format consists of starting out with food, drink, and general conversation. Then, when everyone is there, we pick 5 people, and they each have one minute to give their pitch to everyone in the room. Now for the good part – we then take 10 minutes to allow anyone to talk with those who just spoke – to ask questions, learn more, and make appointments. Then we pick 5 more and do it again, and again, using the 5/10 format until everyone has had the opportunity to deliver their pitch to everyone in the room! A perfect TEN!
***Read more about this event and RSVP HERE!

Community:

Join our Mill at Lafayette community…we are offering a really great special – sign a lease by 9/1 and get your first month’s rent FREE! Reach out to: tuni@trsstrategies.com or call 401-255-7413.  Here’s a list of available spaces open within the mill.  There’s a video on this page that shows the 3rd floor that is now ready!

And…don’t forget we continue to offer our awesome deal at The Hive RI of $100 monthly memberships for our coworking space – total access Monday thru Friday 9:00-5:00!

Social Media:

Don’t forget to ‘like’ us on Fb – we share information there on a daily basis!

Art:

We are SO excited to announce…’it’s official, Cindy Wilson Photography (our photographer in residence here at the Mill) will be a permanent rotating show’ (on the left side where the internal office’s are) here at The Hive RI.  She is such a busy lady with shows throughout the region on a regular basis, teaching photography to individuals and classes, and traveling the world with her Profundo Journeys groups but somehow she manages to keep our walls filled with beautiful works of art.

Michelle Gradus Parenteau’s Soul Awakening Art Show is still up too.  We recommend self-guided tours anytime during regular coworking hours (Monday-Friday 9:00-5:00) and if you are interested in purchasing any artwork within our gallery – please email tuni@trsstrategies.com.

Weekly BUZZ – Networking & Updates!

We love our community here at the mill!  

the hive rocks
BIG Thank You to Tim Mahoney of Diversified Services (Landscape Materials Yard on Dry Bridge Rd.) for donating this gorgeous river stone and the granite slabs for seating (that we have yet to figure out how to lift into place when he delivers them).  We’re finally getting to our landscaping and we’re always so very grateful for our collaborative partners like Tim!  #WeLiveHere #lucky #TogetherWeAreStronger

Blog:

Have you checked out our blogs?  We have the www.millatlafayette.com website chock full of information (including our blogs) in case you’re in the mood to peruse!

Exercise at the Mill?

Classes have been growing & we have some fantastic practitioners!  Check out our Fb page for ‘Pause…’ here and please feel free to share.  We have classes listed as ‘events’ – take a 1/2 hour or more to just ‘pause’ and recharge your battery with a Kettlebell class or maybe some Pilates or Yoga? Start off your week with a whole bunch of great choices from Monday Morning Meditation to (2) 1/2 hour Kettlebell classes at lunchtime (what a workout) to Monday Afternoon Sanctuary to Mondaze Yoga… *Schedule here!

Networking:

We’re going to keep promoting this event up until it happens on Monday, August 8th… Total Exposure Networking (T.E.N.)

Our Lunch & Learn program will be back August 18th but in the meantime we’re hosting Richard Austin’s next T.E.N. event!  Total Exposure Networking…have you heard of it?

At most networking events you’re lucky if you get to talk to 9 or 10 people. Even then, are you delivering your message or just talking about the weather or the latest news headlines? At Total Exposure Networking (TEN), we make sure that you get to deliver your pitch to everyone in the room! Our unique TEN format consists of starting out with food, drink, and general conversation. Then, when everyone is there, we pick 5 people, and they each have one minute to give their pitch to everyone in the room. Now for the good part – we then take 10 minutes to allow anyone to talk with those who just spoke – to ask questions, learn more, and make appointments. Then we pick 5 more and do it again, and again, using the 5/10 format until everyone has had the opportunity to deliver their pitch to everyone in the room! A perfect TEN!
***Read more about this event and RSVP HERE!

Community:

If you’ve been thinking about joining our community…now is the time as we are offering a really great special – sign a lease by 9/1 and get your first month’s rent FREE! Reach out to: tuni@trsstrategies.com or call 401-255-7413.  Here’s a list of available spaces open within the mill.  There’s a video on this page that shows the 3rd floor that is now ready!

Social Media:

Don’t forget to ‘like’ us on Fb – we share information there on a daily basis!

Art:

We are SO excited to announce…’it’s official, Cindy Wilson Photography (our photographer in residence here at the Mill) will be a permanent rotating show’ (on the left side where the internal offices are) here at The Hive RI.  She is such a busy lady with shows throughout the region on a regular basis, teaching photography to individuals and classes, and traveling the world with her Profundo Journeys groups but somehow she manages to keep our walls filled with beautiful works of art.

Michelle Gradus Parenteau’s Soul Awakening Art Show is still up too.  We recommend self guided tours anytime during regular coworking hours (Monday-Friday 9:00-5:00) and if you are interested in purchasing any artwork within our gallery – please email tuni@trsstrategies.com.

Looking for a professional space to settle in and get some serious work done?  The Hive RI and the Mill at Lafayette have very affordable options, from open coworking space(s), to individual offices of differing sizes, to a private conference room, or you can even reserve the larger space(s) for your own events, presentations or workshops! 

 

Weekly BUZZ – We Love Our Community!

We love our community here at the mill:

Gail Hallock Architect

Blog:
This month’s edition of our Community Spotlight shines on superstar Gail Hallock, of Gail Hallock Architect, Inc. Gail Hallock Architect, Inc. is an architecture firm specializing in coastal residential architecture for new construction, additions, and renovations. They have over 30 years of experience under their belt and work closely with clients to make their dream home a reality!

Gail and her team have been a part of the Lafayette Mill community for a year and a half. “We truly enjoy being part of such a thriving community!” said Hallock.  Read more here!

Exercise at the Mill?

Classes have been growing & we have some fantastic practitioners!  Check out our Facebook page for ‘Pause…’ here and please feel free to share.  We have classes listed as ‘events’ – take a 1/2 hour or more to just ‘pause’ and recharge your battery with a Kettlebell class or maybe some Pilates or Yoga? Start off your week with a whole bunch of great choices from Monday Morning Meditation to (2) 1/2 hour Kettlebell classes at lunchtime (what a workout) to Monday Afternoon Sanctuary to Mondaze Yoga… *Schedule here!

Networking:

Check this out… Total Exposure Networking (T.E.N.)

In lieu of our Lunch & Learn program (back August 18th) we’re hosting Richard Austin’s next T.E.N. event!  Total Exposure Networking…have you heard of it?

At most networking events you’re lucky if you get to talk to 9 or 10 people. Even then, are you delivering your message or just talking about the weather or the latest news headlines? At Total Exposure Networking (TEN), we make sure that you get to deliver your pitch to everyone in the room! Our unique TEN format consists of starting out with food, drink, and general conversation. Then, when everyone is there, we pick 5 people, and they each have one minute to give their pitch to everyone in the room. Now for the good part – we then take 10 minutes to allow anyone to talk with those who just spoke – to ask questions, learn more, and make appointments. Then we pick 5 more and do it again, and again, using the 5/10 format until everyone has had the opportunity to deliver their pitch to everyone in the room! A perfect TEN!
***Read more about this event and RSVP HERE!

Community:

If you’ve been thinking about joining our community…now is the time as we are offering a really great special – sign a lease by 9/1 and get your first month’s rent FREE! Reach out to: tuni@trsstrategies.com or call 401-255-7413.  Here’s a list of available spaces open or opening up soon within the mill.  There’s a video on this page that shows the 3rd floor that will be ready in July…wait for it!

Social Media:

Don’t forget to ‘like’ us on Facebook – we share information there on a daily basis!

Art:

Michelle Gradus Parenteau’s Soul Awakening Art Show is still up in The Hive’s space and if you missed the open house… don’t worry, she’s sold a ton and has all new pieces up – it’s like two shows in one! We recommend self-guided tours anytime during regular coworking hours (Monday-Friday 9:00-5:00) and if you are interested in purchasing any artwork within our gallery – please email tuni@trsstrategies.com

Weekly BUZZ – Exercise at the Mill

Exercise at the Mill?
Yes, we will now be offering all kinds of exercise and wellness classes and ‘one on one’ sessions here at the mill down in Joanie’s old Lotus Fire Yoga space (she’s up on the main floor of the Rodman Bldg. now).  Check out our new Facebook page for ‘Pause…’ here.  We picked ‘Pause…’ as the name because that’s exactly what we’re hoping you’ll all do…take a 1/2 hour or more to just ‘pause’ and recharge your battery with a Kettlebell class or maybe some Pilates or Yoga.  It’s basically a ‘pop up’ for July and August and the hope is that a core group of the practitioners will take over and create a more permanent health, wellness & exercise space there. Check out the Facebook page for class times. Come on by!

Lunch & Learn:

We are taking a short break to line up a stellar new series of interesting & educational business development presentations for you all.  Richard Austin of Speaking of Success, the Hiver leading the Lunch & Learn program, is working on a Food Truck Thursday program to begin when we start up again…we are shooting for the beginning of August.  Stay tuned but in the meantime, check out his next Total Exposure Networking (T.E.N.) event here.  And, in lieu of our Lunch & Learn program, we’re hosting a great informational event here on Thursday, July 14th.  10,000 Small Businesses is a fantastic program designed by Babson College and hosted here in RI by CCRI.  Check out the invitation and share the event with any of your colleagues that you think might be interested. RSVPs may be sent to Tuni by July 11th at tuni@trsstrategies.com.

Community:

If you’ve been thinking about joining our community…now is the time as we are offering a really great special – sign a lease by 9/1 and get your first month’s rent FREE! Reach out to: tuni@trsstrategies.com or call 401-255-7413.  Here’s a list of available spaces open or opening up soon within the mill.  There’s a video on this page that shows the 3rd floor that will be ready in July…wait for it!

Blog:

The Mill at Lafayette blog this week really talks about what The Hive RI is all about.  It’s a repurposed article from 3 years ago that was featured in the RI Small Business Journal and that our Hiver, Amy Fields of Hub Digital Mktg. pushed out this week on her website/email.  It was written originally by me, Tuni Schartner/co-founder here at The Hive…it’s fun to read it now, to see how far we’ve come in 3 years but to also know we’re still hyper focused on building an organic sustainable community based economy here. We continue to grow and are home to so many dynamic and innovative companies and entrepreneurs!

Social Media:

Don’t forget to ‘like’ us on Facebook – we share information there on a daily basis!

Art:

Michelle Gradus Parenteau’s Soul Awakening Art Show is still up in The Hive’s space and if you missed the open house…have no fear!  We recommend self-guided tours anytime during regular coworking hours (Monday-Friday 9:00-5:00) and if you are interested in purchasing any artwork within our gallery – please email tuni@trsstrategies.com

Looking for a professional space to settle in and get some serious work done?  The Hive RI and the Mill at Lafayette have very affordable options, from open coworking space(s), to individual offices of differing sizes, to a private conference room, or you can even reserve the larger space(s) for your own events, presentations or workshops!