Ceilings of Hope Networking

In this summer vacations I had the opportunity to know and visit a little about the project Techos de Esperanza  (Ceilings of Hope) that is carried on by the Panama government at urban and rural communities. The idea is simple, give decent housing to families that have a piece of land where to place it.

The interesting part about this project, and what catch my eye is the networking type you could do, in this communities they have to give support to each other so the project function. Imagine that one day you receive the offer for building your own house, the only thing you are asked for is to have papers of your own land, and that such place has some basic conditions to build on, like having a level ground beneath or that the place is not in a risk zone.

Once you have your part done, then you receive the visit of the government deputy and the building company inspector (this time *Atlantic Projects, S.A. invited me to review the project), once every thing is in order, then if both sides authorize the material is sent to the zone and the crew of builders are selected to build the house. In 15 days the place is in black work and in one month the house could be delivered to the family.

Another interesting side business is the economic impact that this project bring to the communities where the building is done. Since its expected that the landlord brings the basic features, once a group of people from the community get to know about the project, they usually go for job hunting to make themselves useful and productive by building the houses. This job may last form more than one year in the same region. Furthermore their experience gets better, and they have jobs for considerable time periods.

Once the region is selected for the house building, there is a rising demand on side services like road use, transportation and feeding, this becomes an indirect way to improve the economy of the place.

During my visit I get to know Doralis Reina, who works at the Salamanca town hall, and she became our guide and contact with the members of the community. Doralis identify and get to know pretty well all the places and families that have asked for the government support. She told me that one important part of her job was to help the people to hand in correctly the paperwork so they could be considered for the support.

The Ceilings of Hope project, at the beginning, was planned to help 20 thousand Panamanian families, but it has had that much success that the government is now thinking in allocate more economic resources so the number could be raised to 40 thousand houses. The project now is thought to reach families that are in further rural communities and also for families that have a member with some impairment.

What type of social work you think your government could do in support of the community? Tell us about it.

*Atlantic Projects, S.A.

Dirección: Plaza Altos de Panamá, local 10, primer piso, Panamá

Contacto: Juan Antonio Belden

Teléfono: 507-3922213

Fax: 507-3922216

Networking Benefits

One of the objectives of this Blog is related with the process of living a Networking Mindset, meaning, to be aware that each time we interact with people, we have a interest attitude for the people in a way that each opportunity will become a networking activity. I want to dedicate this post to talk about the benefits you may have if you practise a networking mindset:

1.- Strengthen your contacts: Each interaction with people may give you the opportunity to enhance your relations, even if you have just meet the people. Offer yourself to perform a service, even if it is small, and your acquaintance will remember you for the attitude you have.

2.- Project your personality or became well known: Do not be afraid to make a fool of yourself, the people generally look up to people with projection skills. Stay with a cheerful attitude and you will see that your personality transcend and your possibilities of increase your network be bigger.

3.- Publicize your business idea: One of the most important values of networking is to meet people that are interested in your idea, by investing time, money or more ideas. If you share your vision it will easily get people to contribute in it.

4.- Look for business opportunities: While you are contacting more people, and the ideas start to flow, it will became easier to find some inspiration sources for start ups, remember that if you do not have an idea maybe someone else will.

5.- Meet possible customers or partners: The same that happens when you meet people, if you have developed a networking mindset, it will be easier to identify possible customers or partners, you are in the mood and this process will allow you to find them easily. 

6.- It will help you to sell your products or services: The delivery of products goes along with the relationship, if you have enough contacts to get customers, employees, maybe you will find a way to sell your products. Just be aware of the way you approach the people, every networking activity its easily done when you get it to a personal way rather than an impersonal way.

Considering this last point: Have you participated in groups or chats where someone starts selling its products? In my experience not everyone receive well this information and some people just abandon the groups to avoid getting information or messages that were not asked for.

What is your attitude toward this situations? Tell us about it.

Universe Networking

Have you ever wished something with a lot of desire and eventually you get what you want? There are people that call this "launch your request to the universe". Today I want to explain you how this type of queries can make you get some benefits or eventually fullfill your dreams.

Some time ago I heard the phrase: "launch your request to the universe" and I understand that you have to make aware the people around you what are you looking for. It's important that you have a clear vision of what you are searching for and who you want to ask, in order to your friends have you in mind and consider your request when the opportunity arrives.

I have some female friends that wanted to get a boyfriend, I do not have male friends with this requests, but a lot of girls. So they are "launching their request to the universe" when I get to know their business. At the the moment I find a match, I try to get them to know each other and make him to ask her out or at least have a nice conversation.

Its important that you know that there should be a big desire to get what you want, not just saying it, but placing all your commitment and enthusiasm until you find the right possiblities to get what you are searching for. I had a friend that used to tell me that she want to find her significant other, so one time I find a perfect guy and they had a phone call and reach to an agreement on a date, but the same day, my friend call me to cancel with some lame excuse. I really think that my friend didn't have a full commitment to meet that guy.

Other case I have with the people that would like to travel and see the world, so each year they have the idea to get some vacations. But when the time comes to make reservations, look for offers, they look to other type of events like concerts, tournaments and definitly they lack the vision of traveling. It would be worthless to "launch the request to the universe" if you are not willing to make some concesions. I had a friend with two passions, travel and cook, and as soon as she realized that maybe a business trip could be done, she canceled her cooking class and ask them to reschedule or give her a refound, so she could get the best of the both worlds. That is the attitude!!!!

Finally there are some examples of people that hate their jobs and every day they get up to work, at a place that they don't like and get bored. Until they have the enlightment and decide to make a change in their lives, and search for a new job, so they are "launching their request to the universe" and start to move contacts and look for a better job that make them to develop their potential.

So decide, start organizing your priorities and "launch your request to the universe", at least you will have some contacts in your path to get to your objective. Tell us how you have done with your own launchings.

The weird case of the squirrel attack

Maybe you remember that 2 years ago I share the case of the falling duck inside our CEDES offices in Monterrey. Well this year I had a closer encounter of the third kind with an impertinent squirrel.

The summer break at Santa Fe Campi started on the first of July, when the last students of the summer period ended classes. This has made the Campi feel quite alone and empty and some of the services are not available.

I think that the lack of students, has made that the amount of wasted food available for the animals is less, and in the case of the Bulling Squirrel the hunger have given her the courage to approach the tables with the diners eating their meal.

The weird case of the squirrel attack, started when my eating meal group aproach to the eating zone with our trays and our food, and the squirrel decided to jump over the umbrellas that cover us at the moment. The squirrel jumped from umbrella to umbrella, looking for a way to get down to the table and I suppose grab some food. The problem was that the people hasn't eated yet and we wanted to eat first.

The chipmunk jumped several times, so I decided to move to a table that was farther from the umbrellas, and the rest of my eating group decided the same thing. Later the PhD Porras and Romero arrived to the same table that we just left. The squirrel decided to jump at them by surprise and try to take something from their trays.

Dr. Porras has at the moment a knife and try to chase off the impertinent squirrel but it didn't alter, so both Doctors decided to move to an adjacent table nearer us, and thinking that the squirrel would not attack at the same space.

The Bully Squirrel, did not give up and landed to the next table trying to reach again for the food trays. All of us were between nervous and worried, respect to the reaction we would have if the squirrel decided to step up on our table. All of a sudden, a lady near us, think about a solution, she approach the chipmunk with a tortilla and give it to her. The squirrel decided she had enough and get on her tree again.

The reflection this incident left on me is the following:

1.- The animals in the cities do attack when in hunger, so try to consider hand some of the food that could save us a good scare.

2.- The group solidarized in front of a threat, that was not big but aggresive enough, I think all the people around started to think on several solutions to the case, so sharing a little of stress with the adjacent people could bring some options to solve the problem in a faster and effective way.

3.- Share the food could be useful in tension moments.

How many times have you seen the need to share your meal to get out of a stressful situation? Tell us.

Networking and the Fruit Market

In the last weeks and months May and June, I had visited frequently Texcoco, where my family has a ranch, I take advantage of this visits to make some other errons like visit the supermarket, shopping for school supplies, getting some hardware, among others.

In this travels, I watch out a little market place that is on the sideway of the road and where you can find some fruits. This place is so popular that every day it's there receiving customers and selling Michoacan fruit.

The first time I stopped, my dad tell me that the products were the best of the region and the fresher, so I went there and buy some Chile and Peppers and get to taste them. My second visit, the owner decided to gave me a lot more product that I was buying. To give you an idea on what happened, I share you the list of what I buy and what he give me:

I buy this	He give me this
1 Kg de Mango 1 Mamey ½ Kg de Oaxaca Cheese ½ Kg de Limones ½ Kg de Prunes ½ Kg de Lyches	¼ Kg de Cherries ½ Kg de Higos ½ Kg de Guayaba 2 Mameyes ¼ Kg de Creme 3 Mini Mangos

Of course the result was my eternal fidelity, so now each time I have the opportunity, I came back, the last week I went with Marilú my friend, and we get a lot of fruits I had not the chance to taste. Papaya, Lyches, Aguacate, Mango, Mamey, Apple, Bananas, Onions, Fresh Cheese and Cream Cheese. Also they let us in their personal space and share with us some Tortillas with Mole. A real delight!

I understand perfectly the selling process of this man, who is not able to give me his name yet, but his selling technique is wonderful:

1.- Offer products of the best quality.

2.- Give up some product samples, sometimes big samples.

3.- Be willing to change the products for better quality, bigger size, fresher.

4.- Have a service attitude to customers.

5.- Always being in good mood.

And you, have you experienced something similar? Tell us.

Innovation Networking

The past week I was invited to the event: Innovation Rockstars, it will be held the next week here in Mexico City and I want to make a reflection on some activities I do when you have this type of invitations. 

The first thing I did was to visit their Facebook page, I wanted to know how many people will be invited also to the event, how they do marketing, how many visits does its site has. In general, information that could make me figure if I was going to have some fun at the event. Bravo MX 

Also I make some research on how many events they have done before, where, how many people assisted, I was quite interested on the information they share on this event.

Another theme of my research has to do with the event name, of course it has to do with the rock music and with the Rockstar image that now you want to give the entrepreneurial leaders. I understand that being an innovator means that you have the personality of Mark Zuckerberg or Tom Szaky, and getting a little far from the traditional leaders such as Warren Buffet or Carlos Slim.

Last but not least, my understanding of the new business models, the rock bands that are presented, started by launching their music platforms in different systems such as Crowd Funding, and of course are better known in digital media (spotify or rdio)

So if you want to learn about this new way of network among innovation, get some new business ideas, start a new business, I encourage you to come to this event and develop your competencies and integrate to the new business innovators.

Antinetworking (2)

Lately I assisted to some events where the ladies behavior has been quite rude. I don't know if this is lack of knowledge on basic behavior rules, or due to their feminine characteristics the believe they can do whatever they want. So you will find the following real stories:

Case A: I was at one of my information sessions. Commonly this events are held in a hotel room or in a reserved space at our school, and even if it is not mentioned, the code dress usually is "Business Casual". The specific session started at 9:00am and at 10:00am arrived a girl dress up in sport Lycra shorts and a sweatshirt, it was obvious that she was working out and came directly to our session. She was still sweating, her hair was on a messy pony tail, without makeup. Then she sit near me, ask for her breakfast, eats it and leaves the place. She didn't ask for information, didn't take notes, she came, eat and left.

Recommendation: If you are going to a social event, use the same dress code than the rest of the people. Take notes, do not go to the event just for the food. It is of really bad taste that your clothes smell, so if you do not have the chance to get a bath, at least put some more clothes on you and avoid your neighbors the bad odors.

Case B: A girl sit on the side of one of my candidates, during the complete event she was chatting with him, the people around her didn't hear well the information session, but she continue to get this boy attention. At a specific moment, she take out the presentation card of one of  my advisers, place it on its back and write herself information. Later she do the same for the guy's information.

Recommendation: Do not use the information events as a platform to a social/love encounter. If you want to meet people, wait until the event is over so you can personally interest in someone else. Avoid getting out of the session with the picture that you only were there to get a husband.

Case C: Other girl came to my information session in a very inconvenient state, she had on yesterday's clothes, and she was notoriously sleepy.

Recommendation: Do not visit an information session if you are not at your full percent, this means, bathed, sober, combed and make up. You are giving your best impression and that was not the best way to do it.

Case D: I was at the Foro Forbes de Mujeres Poderosas with Ofelia and we came back from the first break, and when we entered the room, our seats were taken by other people that arrived earlier, so we circled around and almost every seat has some papers on top, we decided to push to the sides 2 magazines and the conference started. Almost 20 minutes passed when 10 women came to "take their places" and they annoyed because we took 2 places. I have to clarify that the conference has no assigned places, and we get teases from about 5 women that those places were from them. We didn't move and ask them to be quiet because they have arrived late, and we haven´t taken anything from them.

Recommendation: If you are going to an event, and there are no assigned seats, do not try to move anybody from their seat, you will lose your style, there are no rules on this. If you want to be seated at a specific spot, arrive early and take your seat on time, do not think that is going to be held by anyone on the event.

Some of my readers, know me personally, so I would like to read your opinions and know, What else you would do different on my suggestions?