Should You Host a Cocktail Party?

Happy Sunday!?

Should you host a cocktail party?

You might think this is an unusual question for a newsletter about careers, but it turns out, hosting a "cocktail party" could be your secret weapon for building your local network and acquaintances.?

I moved from Seattle (where I had many friends) to Spokane (where I knew one person) back in 2016. My wife and I both worked remotely. Turns out, in all of the cities I've lived in (Denver, Seattle, Los Angeles), most of the friends I had made were people I worked with.?

?Fast forward to 2022 and I'm still working remotely, I now have three kids (the latest addition was born a week ago):

...and I only know a few more people than I did when I moved here in 2016.?

A few months ago, with the imminent arrival of our third son, my wife and I talked about how we needed to make a bigger commitment to meeting people and building relationships locally. I can't be driving four hours to Seattle or flying to Denver whenever I want to hang out with friends. I'm kidding (kinda).

At the time, I was also engaged in a three-month asynchronous coaching program with Jenny Blake (I will be offering the same thing- more on that later). I knew she had moved from California to New York under similar circumstances - working remotely in a new city - so I asked her for advice.?

She mentioned several things, but one, in particular, caught my attention. We both know Dorie Clark and she reminded me of the dinner parties she hosts. She also recommended a book -?The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, by Nick Gray.

Within the first few pages, Nick challenges you to schedule a party in three weeks. So I did.?

It was a test run with a combination of neighbors and people I knew, acquaintances, and also a few people I had never met before who saw my post about it on LinkedIn and wanted an invite. I hosted the party in my backyard and tried to follow Nick's framework as closely as possible.?

Well, 12 people showed up, and we had a great time. Some of the guests included the mayor of the city I live in, a morning reporter for KREM2, the local CBS affiliate, a retired F-15 fighter pilot, and more.

?You're probably still wondering what this has to do with your career??

What I realized is that hosting events like this can open the door to creating and nurturing deeper professional relationships, too. As I mentioned, the party I hosted last month was a trial run to test Nick's framework with people I knew - and some I didn't.?

Now it's time to step outside of my comfort zone and host a party with mostly people I don't know. Over the next two months, I plan to host two more parties- this time at a local hard cider brewery called Trailbreaker- and each will have a theme as far as who I invite.?

In October, I plan to invite local alumni from my alma mater, Indiana University- all strangers, but with something specific in common. I have a list of 21 people I found on LinkedIn, and I expect about 5-8 to show up. A perfect number.

In November, I plan to invite local marketing and revenue operations professionals - I already have two verbal RSVP's from people I recently connected with on LinkedIn; one person is a Marketing Ops Manager at GrubHub, and the other actually works at HubSpot; both are local to Spokane.?

If this has motivated you to host a party, I would encourage you to buy Nick's book and email me for any tips or guidance ([email protected]).?

Please let me know how it goes if you end up hosting one.?

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New Podcast Episode 40 - Fast-Tracking Your Marketing Career with Christopher Roche

Chris Roche has gone from an intern to CRO to founding a successful business (Catalyst Consulting)-?all in about 6 years.

In this episode, he shares how he moved up the marketing career ladder so quickly.?

He also shares insight into why he thinks starting his career in sales has made him a better marketer.

Listen to the full episode here.?

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What I'm Reading*:

I've found it's easier to read books on Kindle while holding a newborn, so I've started reading a few new books this week.

?? -?Company of One by Paul Jarvis;

So often, we think the metrics of creating a successful business are hiring employees and hockey-stick revenue growth. Paul Jarvis disputes that and claims that "companies of one" will be the future.?

Here are a few things I've highlighted in the book:

"Technically, everyone should be a company of one. Even at a large corporation, you're essentially the only person who looks out for your own best interests and continued employment. No one else cares about you keeping your job as much as you do. It's your responsibility to define and achieve your own success, even in a larger framework of employment."

"Sometimes "enough" or even less is all we need, since "more" too often equates to more stress, more problems, and more responsibilities in both life and business."?

"Although purpose and money are not mutually exclusive, you're more likely to be resilient when you know that even in awful or stressful situations, you're working toward a greater and larger good."

?? -?Pioneers by David McCullough;

I used to read books about U.S. history all the time; in fact, that used to be the only genre I read. Over the past few years, I've almost exclusively read business or marketing-related books.

Last week, I decided to branch off from the business books I've been reading the past few years and dive into a history book again. The cool thing about this book is it helped me connect the dots of a question I've had since I was a kid - how was it that people who fought in the U.S. Revolutionary War were buried in a cemetery in the small Indiana town I grew up in.

I learned that instead of monetary payment for their military service (since money at the time was worthless), they were awarded land in the Northwest Territory, which was made up of what are now the states of Ohio and Indiana. I can now check off a 37-year-old mystery as solved.??

*Reading” doesn’t mean I’m reading everything cover-to-cover. Some books I use as a reference- flipping to the appropriate chapters/pages that apply to what I’m doing at that time; I usually have an audiobook or podcast queued up to listen to when I run, ride my Peloton, or am working in my yard, and usually AM reading a book cover-to-cover.

I’ve found that “reading” multiple things simultaneously helps generate ideas- especially since there’s no such thing as something new, only combinations of things that already exist.

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Asynchronous Voxer Coaching

About 400 words ago, I mentioned the asynchronous coaching I did with Jenny Blake this summer.?

We used the app, Voxer, to send weekly voice messages to each other for a span of three months. I really loved the format and the experience and want to offer it myself.

How it works:

• Download the Voxer app on your phone
• Each week, you send a voice message with one big question or problem you'd like help with related to your career management or a pivot you're contemplating
• I respond to your question by the end of the week.?
• Rinse and repeat each week.

Why it works:

• It forces you to reflect on one specific topic at a time that we can dive deep into
• It allows me to have time to think about your question and pull together a thoughtful response
• It also allows me to send links to helpful resources through the app

I will be accepting applications soon and will only be offering it to a small number of people to start with. If you're interested, DM me here or email [email protected] and I'll add you to the waitlist and send you a link to apply.?

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Thanks for being a subscriber to my newsletter! I appreciate you!

-Travis

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