Author: Joules

An example of when business casual is a bit TOO casual

Want to know a little secret about me? Well, I’m one of those hot weather people.

Ok, it’s not that much of a secret, but I’d so much rather it be 95 degrees outside (even with the Maryland humidity) than deal with that windy 20 degree crap we get in the winter.

I love to indulge my inner lazy person on the weekends by throwing on a pair of gym shorts, tank top and flip flops. Add in a pool or beach and I’m ecstatic about lazing around in my swimsuit with a drink in one hand and my kindle in the other.

However, please note that this is how I dress on the WEEKENDS – not when I come to work.

I’d like to take this opportunity to share a true story with you. At one of my previous jobs I worked with a lady that we’ll call Ms. SassyPants. She worked in a customer service position and was quite sassy (hence the name) in her dressing style, even changing things up with natural-ish looking wigs every now and then.

Well, one beautiful summer day she decided to wear a strappy tank top with her work pants. The light and silky tank top was so strappy that her brightly colored bra straps were quite visible as they stuck out on her shoulders. Sounds like a situation for Clinton and Stacy, right?* Well, I guess she must of thought so too, because a few hours into the workday she decided to keep those distracting bra straps from ruining her look. By taking off her bra.

So, now she’s running around the office and meeting with customers braless. And she wasn’t exactly a little sprite of a girl. Oh, and the office was cold.

Totally inappropriate, right? Well, she must have thought so too because she decided that the best course of action was to put some Band-Aids on top of her nipples in order to ‘hide the chill’ she was so obviously feeling.

For the rest of the day, she bounced around the office in a thin, silky tank top with weird square nips sticking out from her body. Classy.

Did I mention that Ms. SassyPants worked in the customer service department? She was the person that represented our company to a customer.

*Sigh*

Ok, I admit that I laughed my butt off at the time. I still giggle a little as I remember the look on the bosses face when he realized that he needed to speak to her about her interpretation of business casual.** But I wonder even years later, what the hell was she thinking? You know that old adage, “dress for the job you want, not the job you have”… was she aspiring to be an exotic dancer?

I know I’m not the only one who has noticed that some people’s business casual attire is a bit more, um…casual than others. The morale of the story is, don’t be THAT girl (or guy). If you’re digging around your closet in the morning and your fingers land on something you wore to the club a few weeks ago, put it back and keep searching.

* This is a “What not to Wear” reference. If you did not know that, you really need to park your butt on the couch and watch more TV.

** The funny part is that the boss was too afraid to say something to her and instead sent an email to the entire company about how “beachwear” was not acceptable for work. According to the rumor mill, she grumbled that her outfit wasn’t beachwear because it was expensive…

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Do I really have to go to networking events to build my business?

I touched on the ‘how to’ part of networking in this post which dealt with how to turn a networking acquaintance into a friend. However, I didn’t really get into why it’s a good idea for you to spend the time and effort to network.

If you’re anything like me, you drag yourself out of bed to get yourself ready for work, fight the traffic to get there, work all day long, then hop back in your car to face more traffic. When you finally get back home, you need to throw yourself in to your home commitments which may include working out, making dinner, taking care of children/spouses, etc. So why do you really need to add a networking event to your busy day?

Do you want your business to succeed? Do you want to succeed? Well, then you should probably throw some networking events into your mix. It does take time, but if you use that time efficiency the benefits could definitely make it worth your while.

For most types of business, you’re not really selling your product (even if you do have a product-based company), you’re selling yourself. No, not in a Pretty Woman kind of way, but in the way that people want to be around/purchase from people they actually like.

Think about it, you could be an account representative for a printing company, a photographer, an insurance agent, a mechanic or even a dog walker. If people don’t like you, they’re not going to purchase something from you.

Tips on How to Network:

  • Choose your venue wisely. There are tons of networking events out there, from chambers of commerce to industry-based associations. Make sure you pick one that is a good fit for both you and your business.

 

  • Don’t Glide in Like a Shark. Deals are rarely sealed at a networking event, but are frequently born there. Don’t walk in with the intention of throwing a business card at everyone in the room and adding appointments to your calendar. Come with the goal of building a relationship with someone.

 

  • First Impressions Count. Dress appropriately for the type of event you’re attending and don’t huddle up with people you already know. Make sure that you’re open and approachable. Also, this is not the time to throw back at the bar, you want to be sharp and not be the drunken fool that people are pointing at.

 

  • Be Yourself and Be Curious. Everyone likes to talk about themselves, but don’t make it all about you. Ask questions about what their company does, what types of clients they service, what sets them apart from the competition, etc.

 

  • Don’t Forget to Follow Up. Make yourself a note on their business card so that you remember who they are. If you feel like they’d be a great connection, follow up with them a few days after the event to invite them to lunch. If you spoke about something in particular like a 5k that’s coming up, shoot them off an email with the information

Remember, a network of contacts is not a collection of business cards, but of people. If you take the time to build lasting relationships with your contacts, you will not only earn their business but often they will refer you to others as well.

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The Good and the Bad

You know when someone asks you if you want the good news or the bad news and you have to choose which one to get first? Most of the time I pick the bad news, because then I don’t ruin the good news by wondering what is coming around the corner.

Well, here’s the bad news: Potter’s sick again. After a whole 10 days of him doing well and feeling great, he’s started with some new symptoms. Mainly, he excessively drinks his water like a frat boy at a chugging contest. This doesn’t sound like such a big deal, but upon googling I found out that it is actually pretty serious. It could be any number of illnesses, from doggie diabetes to Cushing’s disease.

I called my trusty doctors at the animal hospital and apparently this could be very bad news indeed. One of the things that they thought might have been wrong with Potter when he was so sick was pancreatitis. His new drinking issues could mean that the pancreatitis may have lead to diabetes. I took him to the vet this morning for testing and luckily there is no glucose in his urine, which means that this is not diabetes. Yay!

However, due to his protein levels they wanted to do an additional urine and blood test to check out a few other possibilities. We should have all of the results within the next few days. Since it was too late to go into the office after this latest adventure, Potter and I are taking a sick day and hanging out on the couch.

So, what was the good? Well, I can’t really tell you that yet. However, much like my ‘moving into a house in my imagination’ fiasco, I’m getting my hopes up about something. Something that would be really, really good.

So, cross your fingers for me and Potter and let’s hope for the rest of this week to be happy and healthy!

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