Thirty-One Days of Blogging - Day 27
The last five days of blogging in 2020 will be my “Top Ten” for 2020 and my business's first year. Today I will reveal Numbers Nine and Ten. Number Ten is my Retirement. I know you are probably thinking, wouldn’t this be Number One. I am excited about being able to retire early, but retirement had to happen first. Without retirement, there would not be the top nine or my new business. My entire career was spent at Mutual of Omaha, and the last 16 years were spent as a Senior Business Systems Analyst. When I became a BA, I knew that I had found my passion in life. After being a BA for two years, the IIBA Heartland Chapter was formed, and I found something to complement my passion.
Getting involved in IIBA was the best thing that ever happened to me. I didn’t have any real expectations when I joined IIBA, but it was only a few years before becoming Heartland Chapter President. I wasn’t a typical BA since most of them don’t work for the same company for over thirty-five years. There were far more happy times for me at Mutual than sad times. Their benefits are what allowed me to retire early to pursue my passions. I knew I couldn’t just retire and do nothing, but I am not sure I realized everything a solopreneur goes through. Some of my friends have teased me that I have failed at retirement.
Number Nine is All the New People I Have Met on LinkedIn. I soon figured out that to expand my business network, I need to put myself out there on LinkedIn. I have connected with people who have been of business help. One of my friends has told me repeatedly she doesn’t know how I do it by putting myself out there. I hadn’t thought of it that way until the first time she said something. The fact that she noticed meant a lot more than I am sure she knew. I have increased my network by about six and a half times since April. I haven’t been quite as active on LinkedIn recently as before, but I will get back to it. I have joined several groups that I would recommend to anyone wanting to expand their network.
There are several groups of people that I have met who have become friends. I know that I need to make a trip to the UK to meet a certain group. I have many new contacts all around the globe. I would mention some by name, but I would forget someone, and I don’t want to do that. Each of these groups is special in its own way. Some of these contacts are not directly involved in the business analysis world, but you connect with their networks when you connect with someone. The power of networking is what I have found is one of the best things from LinkedIn. Tomorrow I will return with numbers seven and eight from my Top Ten. Until then, remember to keep your glass at least half full.
