Dynamic Gathering

I just got back from a great networking event. Dynamic Edge, a fast-growing local IT company hosted the quarterly member reception for the Ann Arbor Chamber of Commerce. As an Ambassador to the Chamber, I like to attend these events whenever I'm in town.

What a party! Dynamic Edge really threw a tremendous bash. Great food, fun music, and an awesome crowd of guests and "DynEdgers". I saw a lot of friendly faces -- Angela De Smet of Vintage Financial Services, a classmate from my Leadership Ann Arbor group, Mark Schory of mschory consulting, LLC, whom I had welcomed to the Chamber when he first joined and who is now a fellow Ambassador, and, of course, my good friend Rebecca LopezKriss, the Director of Business Development at Dynamic Edge and the hostess of the party (yes, Rebecca, I did snag a few cookies on the way out the door ;-) ). Of course, this list doesn't even include all of my friends from the Chamber.

I met several new folks and reconnected with old acquaintances left and right. Some of us had crossed paths at prior networking events. Others I had met through friends. One of the DynEdgers even came up and shook my hand and told me that I had been his daughter's Karate teacher.

The funny thing is, prior to a year ago, when I first joined the Chamber, I didn't know any of these folks. If I hadn't made the effort to join and participate in the activities that this wonderful organization supports, my life (and my business) would have been that much poorer.

So, I guess it all comes down to this one question:

Should I be having this much fun building my business?

So, what groups do you belong to and how do they support you in your business and your life?