Let’s Do Lunch
I went on 156 lunch meetings in the past year. Here’s what I’ve discovered…
BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT TYPE OF INSPIRATION YOU COULD RECEIVE WHILE LEISURELY BREAKING BREAD WITH A FELLOW HUMAN BEING.
I’m a big believer in the power of people. I know that might sound cliche or corny, but there is something to be said for sitting down with someone and hearing their story. So much so, that I’ve made an effort to sit down with someone new at least once a week. As a self-identified introvert, you can imagine this a difficult task. Over the past year I have had 156 meetings. 156 times I have met over lunch (or coffee) with what some people would call a “stranger” (someone outside of my social circle) in the last year. Potential clients, freelancers, business owners, randoms from social media, I met them all. Some to discuss business, some to discuss collaboration, some just to discuss weather and sports. Contrary to what you might think, I don’t do to drum up business. I’m not flailing business cards like a poker dealer or perfecting my elevator pitch. So why take what some would call “precious business time” to meet so many people? The answer is quite simple.
It Helps Solve Problems
Have you ever been effective in staring at a screen for forever trying to figure something out? Not likely. Often we can sit for hours beating our heads on our desks trying to solve the world’s problems. While there is proven value in taking a productive pause, many of use continue to work, head down, for hours on end. What’s much more effective? The role of serendipity. Even though we may have had lunch hundreds, or thousands, of times before, a lunch with a new contact can help trigger something, whether it be through conversation or environment, that could be the answer.
It Provides Time to Reset
Running a business is hard. There is so much to think about on a daily basis, from administrative work, marketing, sales to client management. On top of that, our brain is a competitive space. When we start thinking of specific problems or issues, certain thoughts jump to the forefront and suppress others. Constantly working in this state of competition is exhausting and even though we can take a break solo from it all, that usually doesn’t help our mind reset. What does? Thinking about something else, like how to not sound like a caveman while having a somewhat engaging conversation with another person.
It’s Inspiring
In my opinion, the key to a valuable meeting of this type is less talking and more listening. Entrepreneurship ebbs and flows, and sometimes when we are in the weeds, it’s hard to feel inspired. So what helps? Listening to others share their story. Passion is infectious, and often just by hearing somebody talk about what they are working on, what they are passionate about and why they do what they do can be enough to pull us up and feel inspired to work again.
It Provides Perspective
You ever try to explain what you do to someone outside you circle? I have many times. It’s hard. At first, many didn’t get it (and some days I still don’t either). Meeting someone new, especially in an unrelated field, can help us determine if we actually know what we are doing (it’s ok to not know by the way) and how to describe it. Additionally, the feedback can provide extremely valuable for us to know whether we actually know who our product, service (or whatever it is we are creating) is targeted for correctly.
It Brings to Light New Opportunities
Three years ago, I had a lunch conversation with a business owner of a local retail shop. She mentioned to me that she was struggling managing both her online store and physical store. This conversation prompted me to begin digging into whether other shop owners were experiencing the same problems and what options existed to solve it. Since then, we have worked with many store owners to help solve these same issues. The takeaway? I never would have even known about this if it wasn’t for the casual lunch conversation. The moment we step back from trying to sell and start listening, we can uncover new opportunities to solve real problems.
It Sparks New Ideas
A bit of a backstory here — The Launch would not exist today if it wasn’t for a impromptu meeting between my co-founder Riley and myself. While we weren’t complete strangers, we were acquaintances at best. Even though the launch has iterated several times (and likely will a few more times) since that original idea, the key moment was that initial conversation. While it’s likely not all conversations will spark co-founder relationships, it is likely that a conversation will trigger us to think (which may lead to a new idea).
So before you turn down that “let’s do lunch” request in favor of eating at your desk or hesitate in sending that email because you think you are “too busy” to meet, wait and give it a second thought. Even if it gets you away from your desk for a few hours and that’s it, it may still be worthwhile.
Bon Appetit!
Looking for an easier way to meet new people? Sign up for early access to project lunchspark, an upcoming platform designed by The Launch team as a simple way to build and expand professional business relationships.
Originally published at www.thelaunch.ca on September 28, 2015.
