Hello, my gorgeous Venusians, first and foremost ‘Happy New Year’ – I trust you’ve all had a good break, hasn’t the weather been simply wonderful? Thus far I’m giving summer a big 10 out of 10! Loved having some downtime and catching up with friends and family.
Venus HQ is back on deck with meetings well underway for 2021. I think we’re all agreed 2020 was ‘special’ – I’m personally determined to take all the learnings that COVID gave us, apply them, and make this year a great one all round.
Hoping you’ve all taken the chance to run yourselves through Summer School, check in with your business via Venus Business Essentials and use our ‘Your Network is Your Net Worth’ workshop to put together a networking plan for the new year. If not, you’ve still got time to run yourself through those and set yourself up for a very successful 2021.
So what have I been up to?
December saw me moving into our new premises, and January has seen me busy setting it up – we have 400 sq metres of space which is wonderful – (although a little daunting when you’re used to living on a 45-foot boat!).
We have a big space with a huge boardroom, a communal kitchen/lounge area and then two offices. It’s open to anyone to book for meetings/workshops etc, and if you are based outside of Auckland, I’ve set one of the meeting rooms up with a very comfortable sofa bed (according to my 92 yr old Dad who slept on it when he came up for Xmas) – if you’re coming to Auckland for a couple of days, book it as your base, and stay as well!
Why premises? Well apart from needing somewhere to live myself, I wanted to provide something for our members, somewhere you can come for meetings/workshops or RAVES, a home for the community. Spaces that can be used to help you grow and develop your business, and a place to go where everyone knows your name and is pleased to see you! I’m already working on a plan moving forward – we’ll be doing a few more social things at the premises as well and once the model is proven it’s something I’m going to look at doing in the regions as well if I can (let’s get year one done first!)
Here’s the link to register for the Launch Party at Venus HQ – make sure you register by Friday 12th of February otherwise you’ll miss out!
Marketing Plan/Education Pillars
This year we launch our new communication strategy – our Education Pillars! We have created a total of 6 ‘themes’ or Pillars that we will be working through as the year goes on. These Pillars are the main foundations of any business that need to be working well in order to be successful. They will drive the content you see coming from Venus – from the meeting and education topics to our social media posts to the events, we hold throughout the year.
You’ll see a coordinated approach (at least that’s the plan!) and be able to spend a bit more time on each Pillar in order to really dig in, and gain the most benefit from it by reflecting on how that Pillar impacts you in your business.
Jennifer Myers will be running ‘Preview’ webinars prior to the launch of each new Pillar or theme. (You’ll see the registration link for the first one a bit later in this newsletter.) These are a short training session on the upcoming Pillar and will give you a sneak peek at what education events/workshops are coming up. For non-members, they are a way for us to showcase the quality of our training and give them a feel for what Venus Businesswomen is all about!
This new plan won’t work without YOUR help! Please put your hand up to contribute an article to the content library we’re building this year by getting in touch with Jennifer at jennifer.myers@venusnetwork.co.nz – she’ll provide you with some guidelines and specific topic suggestions. You can help us by engaging with our social media posts when you see them, we want to make more businesswomen around NZ aware of all the great stuff we have to offer, highlight you our members and expand our Venus family!
We’re here to support you any way we can. If you have any questions around the Pillar concept, or if you’d like to contribute content, get in touch.
Venus Businesswomen – Going for Gold
As I announced last year, we’ve made a change to our branding, dropping the bright pink and going for gold this year – literally! We are also now presenting ourselves as Venus Businesswomen, dropping the ‘networking’ and ‘academy’ differentiation and bringing it all together under one umbrella.
You will see the branding appearing on social media and on our website. (amazing how many things need to be changed so please be patient – behind the scenes, all the changes are getting organised!)
We’re doing a new run of Member and Facilitator Handbooks with the new branding and have taken the time to go through those and update them as the last print run we did was 2 years ago – and a lot’s changed in that time!
Our workshops are becoming more and more popular – obviously like me a lot of you have had time to contemplate your navel, and figure out the parts of your business where you need upskilling – you’re really getting on board! Remember the best investment you will ever make is in yourself, as the says goes ‘success is never resting on your laurels’! If you want to discuss a bespoke training and development plan, drop me an email.
Power Raves
One of the things I love doing is brainstorming with you gals about how you can get more out of Venus, and how we can help you. I’m always busy with POWER RAVES and working with members on our Business Boost packages and 90 Day Coaching programme.
I love, love, love working with you our members helping you grow and develop yourselves and your business. Wish I’d had some to do that for me as I was growing up in the business world! It’s like a drug to me! You simply don’t realise how amazing you are, and I’m the lucky one that gets to remind you of that, give you a bit of support, do a little brainstorming with you, and watch you take off – it really is the best job in the world!
If you are keen to POWER RAVE drop an email to jessica.lim@venusnetwork.co.nz and she’ll book you into my diary. Don’t be surprised if she books you a month out – there’s only one of me and a lot of you!
How to rock 2021 in Venus?
- Do a Member Success workshop if you haven’t done one in the last six months – it’s a great way to network whether you’re a newbie, or an established member. We do these in person in all the regions, and also run some via Zoom so you can network nationally. They are a great way to network not only with people inside your region but also with the wider national network.
- Go to your meetings – basic I know but some forget. Remember you made a commitment to yourself, and your group, when you joined. Your Venus meeting is a business meeting – would you not turn up to a meeting with potential clients?
- RAVE & Refer – this is where the magic happens – learn about others in the network and in your group – how can you help them and how can they help you. Is there an opportunity to collaborate? Tell them who your ‘ideal client’ is so and find out who is theirs – it’s by understanding one another,r and our businesses, that we can then help and REFER one another.
- Who do you know? Who do you want in your group? Are there any businesswomen you’ve met who would love to become part of this wonderful community? Who are you meeting in your everyday life and how can we help them? Remember as our community grows we all benefit – and the bonus is you get a month for each person you refer who joins!
Remember networking is like exercising – you don’t get the result unless you put the work in! (More’s the pity – who wouldn’t want a bikini body by eating chocolate and drinking wine!)
Do all the above, rinse and repeat and you can’t help but succeed in Venus!
Venus Events for February
We’ve decided to include the events nationwide for all members so you can see what’s happening in your surrounding regions in case you’re around. Expand your network and get to know your fellow Venusians outside of your region! And of course, this can also be easily done by attending the virtual workshops from anywhere you are.
Venus Virtual – Member Success Workshop – 5th February 2021
Venus Hawkes Bay – Business Essentials Support Sessions – 10th February 2021
Mindset and Personal Development Preview by Venus Businesswomen (Non-members are welcome!)
Venus Bay of Plenty – Business Essentials Support Sessions – 17th February 2021
Venus Wellington – Business Essentials Support Sessions – 17th February 2021
Venus Auckland – Member Success Workshop – 22nd February 2021
Venus Waikato – Business Essentials Support Sessions – 23rd February 2021
Venus Christchurch – Business Essentials Support Sessions – 23rd February 2021
Summary
So, here we are at the beginning of 2021 – what are your goals for 2021 and what can Venus do to help you achieve them?
I’m excited for 2021 – 2020 has given me the opportunity to look at the ‘on the business stuff’, look at how we could do things for 2021 and how we could better serve you, our members. I’m going for gold this year – literally and figuratively!
You are a very important part of our network, and we care about you and your business. We are here to support you in any way we can. Contributing, getting involved and working together that makes it that little bit easier – and a lot more fun as well! 😊
Finally, to you all, thank you for what you contribute to Venus, to your group and to the wider community – we love having you onboard and value the unique skill set you and your business bring to Venus – we really couldn’t do it without you!
😊
Carolyn x
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