Networking.  It’s who you know, not what you can do.  You gotta get out there and meet people.  Schmooze.  Enjoy late night parties at conferences and have war stories of getting drunk with strangers in bars.  It’s all part of the game of launching a new business.

Or so they say.

I hope they’re wrong.

Although I enjoy social media and writing on-line, at heart, I’m really an introvert.  I enjoy working ten hours+ a day, but only if part of it is within the comfort of my own home at my own pace.  I like to travel, but only a handful of times of year so I can maximize time with my husband and family.  I can count on one hand how many times I’ve been drunk, and it was never at a business conference or with people I had just met that day.

So yeah, I’m definitely not the life of the party. But if you ask me to get something done, I’ll present you with a plan and keep you updated on progress.  I listen to people and try to change my writing, my approach, and my end product to fit the needs of the team or the customer.  I love watching people play with something I’ve worked on and adapting on the fly.  I’m not truly happy unless I’m doing something challenging, and even though I dread it a little, I also love taking risks and putting myself out there on a limb, even if I fail.

Getting people to notice your new business is hard.  And while I’m enjoying writing blogs and connecting with people I’ve met in the past professionally, I’m not really passionate about flying across the country spreading the word. Instead, I’m going to leverage the Internet and try to do it without all the networking and travel.

I honestly don’t know if it will succeed.  I may be shooting Fellowstream in the foot by not being more proactive about growing my Twitter following by 100+ in a day by going to South by Southwest.  But as an entrepreneur, I have to play to my strengths as much as I can.

And my goal is to create a strong team management product that at least 200 people are willing to subscribe to for a reasonable monthly fee.  I’m hoping if we build it, they will come, even if I’m building it all from home.

-Deborah Fike

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