I want to share with you this story
Of somebody I know
And got to know from my time on social media at a site named LinkedIn
I won’t be sharing her name for today but if you ask nicely, then I will drop her link to you
I remember we first met online
About a year ago or so
And we got talking briefly about what she does for a living and what I am doing on this site
There was something that struck me immediately about her profile
She clearly indicated that she operated her own business venture
Where she sells clothes; men’s clothing and wear
So, I am like….who does this?
What is she doing on this site?
How is she even here?
I thought about it for a while and I discovered….this site was her major communication platform online
If you have been using LinkedIn for a while now, you must know about the number of connections one ought to have for the algorithm to classify them accordingly above many other accounts or profiles, right?
I also discovered that she changed the so-called rules of these platforms and made her own, altogether
She is maximizing on a platform that many would think is for simply updating your CV alone or job-seeking
She is building far better and more connections on and off this platform than many of us has done in years
And on the business-side of things, it is clear that she is having things go her way!
Fast-forward to March 2019, when she got in touch with me on my Whatsapp
She shared with me pictures of her latest stock available in her shop and lucky me….
That afternoon, I was in shopping-mode
For some footwear and vests, to be particular
So, I ask her if she has got what I need and just like that, she says yes!
I walked to her shop and found her there….eating her lunch
There were two other young men there with her
Later on, I discovered they are her colleagues
One look at me and she recognized me immediately
She springs up from where she was seated
With a huge smile on her face, she says to me, “Wow, I didn’t think you were going to make it. I thought you were joking”.
To which I say, “No, I actually meant it. I am here now. How are you?”
Back on the Whatsapp chat, she asked me what my size is and I just couldn’t tell what it was exactly. I just knew I am in extra-large, you know….
With my weight and all…it’s gotta be somewhere there
One of her colleagues pulls down the pack of vests from the shelf and hands them to her….at first sight, they look like they fit me but not really
A larger size is pulled down and this is it!
So, comes the part where I need their assistance the most….open shoes
For my quick mobility
I really need them
So, in unison, they all inform me that they don’t sell shoes but on a quick thought, she could have her sister close-by deliver a few samples to me
Sadly, her sister isn’t there but she manages to get me 3 samples of different wear and make
None of them did fit me and the designs, too….not my style of choice
But an arrangement was made to get back to me with my preferred shoes, perhaps
After all that, we had a talk about social media, how we are making use of it, future prospects and where we are right now
She asked me what I do for now and I gladly shared that I am a blogger
I just prefer putting it as a writer…depending on who is asking
She recalled the picture I have on my LinkedIn profile where I am in a class
And asked if I am a teacher and I said no….that was a random one-time gig with Faces Up Uganda
You should have seen their faces when I mentioned it out that I am a blogger…hihi….that word stirs up waves of curiosity
They did ask what I blog about and I told them….anything ranging between food to travel to sex to motivation to the SDG’s to politics….anything that my heart desires to be written down, I will write about it
I was so eager about how she has made LinkedIn work for her
Yyyyooooo….the things she shared with me!
At one point in time, a leading daily here in Uganda approached her for an interview because I guess, she stood out from the huge crowd
Just as they say….strive to come to the top, there is a lot of space there and few of us
At another point in time, she has been able to fly out of the country to bring in her own merchandise…..damn, that’s a girl securing her bag right
She is having all these huge names and persons on her finger-tips and inbox now….literally, no one is out of her reach!
One or two things struck me at that moment…the account belongs to her but they operate it as a group….how many of us can actually develop that sense of trust and closeness?
Secondly, their way of interacting with their connections as clients and potential ones, one-on-one, time after time
I will be honest; very few people manage to do this….I included
Guys, you left me quite a lot to think about….about LinkedIn as a whole
And business, as a whole
I hope you have picked something from this interaction
Your post and energy into it matters….always!
That shoe plan….let’s get to it, then!