All Small Business Owners Will Want to Read This: PinPoint Networking — The Denver Spotlight

Born and raised in Westchester County, NY (New York), Julie Schumann has now lived in Denver, Colorado for 23 years. Her passion is to assist small business owners to network, collaborate, connect, and form trusting relationships with one another. Julie is a co-owner of PinPoint Networking. She and Nick Altomare formed a small business networking group in January of 2021. It is a group of small business owners who meet regularly to problem solve, connect with one another, support one another, and fundraise together. They have meetings on their website that you can register to attend. The meetings are an affordable forum for small business owners to interact, gain confidence, and grow their businesses through collaboration and networking. Formerly a physical therapist and small business owner, Julie shut down her solo practice during the pandemic. She decided she wanted to help the community and other small business owners by forming this networking group. The group is made up of “industrious, visionary, creative, analytical, intelligent, introverted, extroverted, intuitive, hypnotic, meditative, realist, medical/health-minded, restorative, and statistical entrepreneurs. We bring these people together to enable small business growth, connection, and communication.”

The meetings they offer range from individual, virtual, coffee chats with one another, to larger meetings filled with small business owners from diverse backgrounds, industries, and niches. Join them for coffee or a cocktail by registering on their website. You can try the meetings for free for one week to see if it is beneficial. Similar to what Strasser Writing and Marketing does with the Denver Spotlight, they feature small business owners and highlight them in blogs, video interviews, and broadcasts on social media. Their mission is to “make your small business stand out. Standing out can be in the form of a blog, a networking meeting, a one-on-one conversation, a broadcast on social media, or connecting you with people who can help your business. We provide a space for communication and marketing boosts to assist your everyday worry about business visibility.”

Running a small business, especially in the isolated virtual world we currently live in, can be challenging and you can feel alone at times. Running a business requires long hours, experimentation, marketing, and getting your name out into the community. Doing this alone is not a good idea. It is better to pair up with other business owners who have experience and learn from what they suggest. You cannot run a business in isolation. Connect with others from divergent backgrounds, industries, and communicate about what works and what does not. PinPoint Networking is an excellent opportunity for business owners to learn from others, pool resources, refer clients to one another, and stay up on the latest trends. The group is based out of Denver and Boulder. However, the meetings are virtual so anyone can attend. The group has virtual meetings, writes blogs about small businesses, does Facebook Live interviews, and communicates via social media. They support freelancers, small businesses owners, solopreneurs, and consultants. Their membership includes a diverse group of professionals who are serious about growing their businesses.

Their advice to other small business owners out there is to take time and slow down. Listen to what others are doing. Learn from them. Interact with other small business owners, do not live out on an island of isolation. If you are an experienced business owner then mentor other people, help them to learn. Share your wealth of knowledge and experience. Refer when appropriate. We are not competing against one another, we are on the same path, walking the same journey. Develop trusting and helpful relationships. I have personally found the Denver small business community to be exceptionally helpful, collaborative, and supportive. No one has slammed a door in my face yet! We are in this together. The group can be found on Instagram by clicking here. Support the group, and they will support you back!

In 2020 there were 653,639 small businesses in Colorado. Competition is steep. However, there are many customers to serve and plenty to go around for all of us. The group’s values include teamwork, relationship building, charitable giving, and paying attention to what others are doing wholeheartedly. Their membership fees are affordable, and they provide a wealth of resources for business owners. There is no shame in asking for assistance. Their events can be found by clicking here.

One of the beautiful things about this group is they also support local non-profit organizations. Each quarter they choose a local nonprofit to raise money for. The businesses in the group support this initiative. In Julie’s spare time she loves to do hot yoga, walking, reading an enjoyable book, seeing live music, and visiting the beach when possible. She is a supportive and guiding parent to two adult children, ages 19 and 21. The group meets primarily virtually right now, but they do also coordinate small get-togethers. You can save money by purchasing a six-month or year-round membership. It is easy to get lost in running a small business. You may work long hours, be glued to your computer for hours on end, but do not isolate yourself. Go to events, join networking meetings, talk to other businesses, and learn from one another. When you network, come in with the mindset of “how can I be of service?” Previously, I wrote a blog on how the best approach to networking is to “be of service” to others. You can read that blog by clicking here. Rather than thinking “what can I get out of this” change your mindset to “how can I be of assistance to others?” It is more effective. Sharing, giving, receiving, collaborating, are all beautiful things. Small business owners unite with one another. It is hard enough out there to be successful, there is no need to make it more difficult for one another. So, I sign off, highly recommending PinPoint Networking group for all small business owners. They are a trustworthy networking group that is affordable, effective, and they are making the Colorado community a better place! Julie’s email is juliepschumann@gmail.com if you would like to contact her.

Happy Marketing to YOU!