14: Running in Heels Successfully with Jenny Powers

Jenny Power’s background is in special events, marketing and PR. She used to work in the non-profit sector raising millions of dollars for worthy causes but working mostly by herself. She didn’t have anyone to bounce ideas off of so she started going to networking events. That’s when she noticed two types of people at these events, neither of which she was looking for. It was either the old boys club, guys drinking beer and hanging out, or it was a sorority mentality where you walk in and feel awkward and look for someone to talk to. She thought there had to be a better way. That is how she came up with the idea for Running with Heels, one of the top exclusive women’s networking organizations in the city.

It started out as a dinner party series and has now branched out to a lifestyle business. They do lunches and workshops and masterminds and social events. They are invitation only. They take a lot of time to curate the event and make sure the right people are there. The right people for them are senior level women executives and established business owners. There are a lot of networking events out there. If someone that applies is not a fit for them Jenny will direct them to one of the other events that her friends run. In terms of revenue streams they do ticketed events and an annual membership. Members are invited to events earlier and the events are small so everyone gets personal attention. Members have the opportunity to be profiled in their newsletter and to participate in masterminds called “Running in Circles” which are circles of women that get together in New York once a month.

Networking tips

Jenny wrote an article “The Secret Networking Tip” for Motto by Time, Inc. She was tired of seeing articles telling people to “fake it till you make it” and “just act like the best version of yourself”.

Don’t do that imposter thing and pretend to be someone else. It’s too hard to remember all of these acts you are playing. Jenny’s #1 networking tip: love me or hate me, I’m always myself. If you don’t know something, ask a question. So many people are afraid if they don’t understand some industry lingo or someone is talking about something a little out of their range. Ask questions. People love to have those teaching moments. They love to have the chance to teach someone something they know. Act like yourself all the time. It’s okay to be vulnerable. It shows confidence to say I don’t know something and I want to learn it.  

Advice

Hire a virtual assistant. You might not want to have a salaries person or someone in your house when you are just starting out.

Immerse yourself in a community of entrepreneurs.

Contacting Jenny

Website: www.running-with-heels.com

Facebook: Running with Heels LLC

Twitter @heelsandspiles

Podcast: Broadcast Broads Building Businesses