Schmooze.biz

I still cringe when I think about it. When I was in grad school at Columbia, one of the ways to land a finance job was to go to networking events & chat up senior people from Wall Street firms. At every event, there'd be clusters of students, all gathered around some managing director from Bear Stearns or Morgan Stanley, chatting him up. If you didn't want to be unemployed after graduation, you'd better try to insert yourself into a conversation & ask a smart question that might get you noticed. Talk about stressful! I ended up getting a job offer because of a relationship. (Thank you Sharon Moore & Carolyn Buck Luce!) Building a network of business relationships is a must. But networking doesn't have to be so stressful. Schmooze hosts IRL networking events that we call "organized" or "structured" speed networking. Instead of being left to your own devices to connect with people randomly, we'll facilitate introductions & help you connect with people. Tickets for the next event are on sale now! ?? It's on Thurs, Dec 5 in NYC from 5:30 to 7:30pm. ?? Schmooze members can use the discount code they can find on the Schmooze website to buy discounted tickets. ?? Non members can buy tickets by using the Eventbrite link in the comment section.

I don’t think of myself as a thought leader. I'm more of a collector & a curator of receipts. In my career, I wasn't intentional enough about networking to be giving people advice on why to do it & how. But I wanted to keep women from making the same mistake that I made. So I started Schmooze.biz with a newsletter, interviewing women who have the receipts - whose careers have been successful because they built strong networks of business relationships. Relationships can close gaps between where you are in your career and where you want to be. To celebrate Women's History Month, here is just some of the good stuff they told us. Thank you: Susan Sierota, Kristy Wallace. Lauren Maillian, Maria Doughty, Anilu Vazquez-Ubarri. Alexandra Lebenthal, Sherrell Dorsey, Arianny M., Sherina Maye Edwards

"Luck favors those who show up." Taylor Zansberg - thank you for posting this Jay Alto X thread on LinkedIn! I'd never heard of Jay Alto. But he's right. Luck is when some random thing goes your way. And you can make your own luck. He calls it "luck maxxing". To maximize your luck, you need to: ??♀??? leave your house more often ?? show up ??♀? put yourself out there ?? embrace new stuff and ?? "allow yourself to run into randomness". That's why, in 2025, I've been taking every chance I get to network & meet new people. And I've been surprised at the opportunities that "found" me. Here's an opportunity for you to get out there: Whether you're a pro or a newbie, come hit some golf balls, network, & schmooze with Schmooze.biz, Zenith Wealth Partners, & Baddies in Tech! Join us this Saturday, March 29, from 12 noon to 2pm at Five Iron Golf, the Grand Central Station location in NYC. You never know who you'll meet. Use the discount code "Schmooze" & the Eventbrite link in the comments.

Because I’m the founder of Schmooze.biz, people invite me to speak about networking & business relationships. I’m on corporate boards, so people ask me to be on panels about being a director. I invested in distressed companies for 30+ years, so I teach classes on that. But no one ever asked me to talk about being a mom. So I’m delighted to join Jill Katz at Luminary to chat about adjusting to having an empty nest. Come chat with us: Tuesday, March 25 at 12 noon ET. The link is in the comments.

My dream job lasted about 15 months. After 10 years on Wall Street, I got an offer to run my own trading desk. The cherry on top was that my boss was a smart, deal-savvy woman who was well-respected at the bank. Unfortunately, I didn't know that the very same day I started, a new guy started too. He was my boss' peer. When I mentioned his name to another guy in the industry, he said "That guy? He's not as great as he thinks he is. He's like 20 pounds of poop in a 10 pound bag." I'm sure he meant it in the nicest possible way! The new guy spent his first few months undermining my boss. The next thing we knew, she was reporting to him. A few months after that, he convinced top management that they needed to fire her. Then the guy went after her people. I was on his hit list and he shut down my department. To be clear, I can't blame him for everything. After a shock in the bond market, all of the trading desks were losing money, mine included. And I had made no real effort to build relationships with other people at the bank. It might not have made a difference in that situation. But there are things that just makes sense to do when you start a new job and you want to keep it. I could have used advice from someone like Keri-Lynne Shaw, a former Chief People Officer at companies like BMW. The last class she taught for Schmooze.biz was amazing! On Thursday, March 20 at 12 noon ET, she'll teach a Schmooze Mini Masterclass on how to start building relationships when you start a new job. Her advice will help you - whether you’ve been in your role 5 days or 5 years. If you're a Schmooze member, this class is included in your membership. Just use the discount code provided on the Schmooze site or in my email. If you're not a member, you can take the class for a one-time fee. Use the Eventbrite link in the comments.