With only a couple days to go until I land in Nashville, I've obviously started to think about my trip. In fact, I tend to be like a child waiting for Christmas Day to come so I can see the people who I only get to see once a year. As the time has drawn closer, I have started to contact my friends. As usual, many who said last year they "will make it next year" are not coming one year after we talked.
I've been in the process of re-establishing myself in a new town down here in sunny California and business is growing, but not the same as Modern Tech Floors, which was very established. I'm not going broke by any means, but I still have to watch my spending as I grow things down here. While going to Nashville may seem like an unnecessary expense I could skip to some, it is actually my highest priority every year to attend the Expo. Will I learn things? Yes. Could I learn from reading a book instead? Yes. What I generally cannot do as well is reconnect with my network of valued colleagues all at one spot for a few days.
What you know is important, but not nearly as important as who you know, in my opinion. People can problem-solve and provide information, but more importantly, my network gives me the drive and enthusiasm to stay on top of my game. Besides, after a few years in a row of sharing stories and beers with my friends, we've built the type of connection I value most, TRUST. I've learned who the genuine people are, the people with an agenda, and the pure BS'ers.
So this leads me to my next observation about being at the Expo: Don't be TOO serious! Seems funny, but when you're so high strung that you end up becoming judgmental of the fun everyone around you is having, it's likely to exclude you from meeting new people. Running a business is like this, too, because some customers don't like a cocky contractor or the pedantic maven, either. So if you see me at convention, let's have fun and maybe drink a beer when the day is done. I think there is a perception that those who write for the blog are overly serious, and I will be the first to step aside and say it's not me. I know how to maintain professionalism, obviously, but the end of the day becomes my personal time where I socialize.
Last year I said this in a post and I will say it again: If you are within driving distance, make the time to show up at least for a couple of days. If you're booked for two months, find someone in town to sub part of the project while you go advance your network. Our line of work becomes pretty repetitive, and I need to get away just for a change of perspective. If you're reading this and gonna be at the Expo, then send me an email and we'll connect. I'll introduce you to all of my great friends.
