Brown Girl Magazine
  • Home
  • Trending
    • In the News
    • Feminism
    • Politics
  • Entertainment
    • Bollywood
    • East-Meets-West
    • Filmy Buzz
    • Music
    • Cinema
    • BG Poetry
    • Good Reads
  • Culture
    • Social Activism
    • Breaking Taboos
    • Colonial Effects
    • Humanities
    • Identity
    • Indo-Caribbean
    • Tradition
  • Lifestyle
    • Beauty Buzz
    • Fashion
    • Foodie
    • Career
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    • Women’s Health
    • Clean Eats
    • Fitness 101
  • Relationships
    • Dating
    • Love
    • Parenting
    • Marriage
    • Sexuality
  • Community
    • BG Youth
    • Black Lives Matter
    • USA
    • United Kingdom
    • Canada
    • South Asia
    • Spotlight
  • Brown Boy
  • Listen
shop
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Trending
    • In the News
    • Feminism
    • Politics
  • Entertainment
    • Bollywood
    • East-Meets-West
    • Filmy Buzz
    • Music
    • Cinema
    • BG Poetry
    • Good Reads
  • Culture
    • Social Activism
    • Breaking Taboos
    • Colonial Effects
    • Humanities
    • Identity
    • Indo-Caribbean
    • Tradition
  • Lifestyle
    • Beauty Buzz
    • Fashion
    • Foodie
    • Career
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    • Women’s Health
    • Clean Eats
    • Fitness 101
  • Relationships
    • Dating
    • Love
    • Parenting
    • Marriage
    • Sexuality
  • Community
    • BG Youth
    • Black Lives Matter
    • USA
    • United Kingdom
    • Canada
    • South Asia
    • Spotlight
  • Brown Boy
  • Listen
shop
No Result
View All Result
Brown Girl Magazine
No Result
View All Result
Home BBOTM

Network Efficiently with LOTUS

Brown Girl Magazine by Brown Girl Magazine
July 21, 2014
in BBOTM, BGBlog, Body and Soul
0 0
0
0
SHARES
4
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

by Sindhuri Bhi 

LOTUSNetworking: What is it and how do we do it?

Many of us undermine the benefits of networking, or many of us go into a networking event with the goal to collect as many business cards as possible, but there is so much more we can gain from this tool. Networking the right way can lead you to your next big gig, your significant other or a long-lasting relationship, but don’t take our word on it. Just listen to Sameer Desai, President of LOTUS, a group that aims to connect and empower young professionals in Texas to collectively serve and strengthen their community.

In addition to running LOTUS in Dallas, Desai is the senior marketing analyst at PepsiCo/Frito-Lay and founder of The New Hire, which offers free and simple career marketing mentorship. So with a background in marketing and the will to connect like-minded people, Desai and a group of friends took it a step further by founding a service and social initiative in 2013.

I was very involved in the Indian Students Association and the South Asian college demographic. After a year of working, I didn’t really have a good group of people to do events with and impact the community. I asked myself, how do we engage this young professional community who graduated college, to connect, network and grow with? Why don’t we start LOTUS in Dallas and see how this goes.”

Desai and his executive board created a model for LOTUS where they hold  a social and service event every other month. Sameer notes, this is a way for them to drive engagement, while making sure people learn how to balance between social and service.

We have about 25 people at each event come out from Lotus and a total of 100 people from all different parts of Dallas, who work for companies, such as FedEx. We get to meet a bunch of different people and really get to know others in our community.”

Recently, LOTUS held a garden service event, which focused on making a change in their community, and networking was easily implemented through their service.

 The word networking has a negative connotation to it. It seems too formal,” Desai said. When people do things together, it’s easier to find something to talk about. Let’s say I am meeting you one on one, its harder to find something to talk about. If we are doing an event together and working side by side, it’s much easier, it comes naturally.”

Monthly events held by LOTUS are a simple way to meet young professionals and have fun while connecting, Desai said. He goes on to say, this is what the best kind of networking is – overcoming the anxiety of meeting people, while not having to impress someone in a formal setting.

My goal is not to hand out this many business cards. It’s more about how can I meet like-minded people? How can I meet people who are more ambitious  and who love living in Dallas? That’s the main goal.”

In terms of LOTUS’s expansion, Desai said his executive board is excited to announce the launch of the Austin chapter, which took place on July 2.

 The need and interest of different chapters is catching on, and expanding,” Desai said. “The South Asian Young professional organization idea is spreading and we could not be more excited. We are hoping to see this grow double in the next year.”

Networking is developed by practice, and once you get out there and start meeting people, it becomes much easier.

Aditi Mehta, founder and director of Brown Girl Magazine shares a few tips on networking from her experience:

1. Networking isn’t always about landing that job or getting someone to do something for you. It’s about forming relationships and learning about different people from different backgrounds. You maybe have a goal in mind about whom you want to talk to and why, but remember that there doesn’t always need to be a “why.” Down the road, you never know how a connection could help you.

2. Don’t be afraid to ask! The saying “you can’t get what you don’t ask for” is especially true for networking. If you want someone to introduce you to someone or give you advice about a particular issue, you have to ask.

3. When networking, its important to not only focus on “what can this person do for me?” It’s much more valuable to ask, “What can I do for this person?” You’ll be surprised how much more genuine your conversations and relationships become.

4. You don’t need to be an extrovert to be good at networking. It’s hard to put yourself out there and strike up a conversation with random strangers. But take it slow and remember point #3. Sometimes the best networkers are introverts because they are good at listening and not the one to dominate the conversation.

5. Keep organized. Collect business cards, create a spreadsheet, or make notes somewhere about the people you meet, what they do, and how you want to keep in touch with them in the future. In order to maintain those relationships, you need to follow up, send thank yous, or short emails about a news article. It is never a one-and-done conversation!

So all you ladies and gents, get out there and start networking, one step at a time! For more information on LOTUS, ‘like’ their Facebook page, follow their Twitter and sign up for their newsletter!

All photos are provided by Sameer Desai. 

Sindhuri Bhimavarapu is a young writer, lover of all things pure-hearted and a fan of exceptionally made coffee. She aims to inspire and motivate young women around the globe. She is a writer and a member of the social media team for Brown Girl Magazine. Among her achievements are graduating from Stony Brook University with a degree in Economics and writing rap, which can be considered “Jay-Z” material. She enjoys light reading on modern economics, current events and latest business ventures. Sindhuri finds happiness in the simple things in life, occasionally indulging in Chipotle. Follow Sindhuri on Twitter @sbhims.

Tags: eventsnetworkingprofessionalssouth asian

Recent Posts

  • Sun and Skincare: South Asian Beauty Influencers Share Their Summer Season Must-Haves
  • Kayan Opens up About her Music Artistry
  • Decoding Dopamine Dressing This Summer
  • In Conversation With Ashok Amritraj: Celebrating his 40-Year Legacy
  • Enduring the Fight for Freedom

Recent Comments

  1. Op-Ed: Rihanna, Savage X Fenty, and the Continued Misuse and Disrespect of Hinduism on Dark Goddesses and me: Religious Colorism in Hindu India
  2. Celebrating International Mother Language Day and Multilingualism on On Language and Home: Revisiting Jhumpa Lahiri’s ‘In Other Words’
  3. What International Mother Language Day Means to British Bangladeshis on Celebrating International Mother Language Day with Self Reflection and Reclaiming One’s Bangladeshi Identity
  4. Book Review: Understanding Public Health on Deeper Level with 'Health Care of a Thousand Slights' by Anjana Sreedhar on Pursuing Inspiration: Former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on Health Care, and Self-Care
  5. Book Review: ‘ZOM-FAM’ by Kama La Mackerel on Grazing Over Pages of Identities Unmilked: ‘The Cowherd’s Son’
Facebook-f Twitter Instagram Youtube Envelope

About

Founded as an online publication in 2008, Brown Girl Magazine is a multimedia company based in New York City with global reach dedicated to South Asian self-expression, cultural anchoring, and dialogue.
Through diverse, multimedia content and community building, we empower and engage those who identify as a part of the South Asian diaspora with a hyphenated identity.

Subscribe To The Spark

A curated newsletter full of dinner-table worthy topics, thought provoking stories, promo codes and the spiciest memes straight to your inbox.

Categories

  • Entertainment
  • Culture
  • Lifestyle
  • Health
  • Relationships
  • Community
  • Brown Boy

©Copyright Brown Girl Magazine Inc.

  • Company
  • About
  • Contact
  • Join
  • Advertise
  • Sponsored Content
  • Privacy Policy
  • Term of use
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Trending
    • In the News
    • Feminism
    • Politics
  • Entertainment
    • Bollywood
    • East-Meets-West
    • Filmy Buzz
    • Music
    • Cinema
    • BG Poetry
    • Good Reads
  • Culture
    • Social Activism
    • Breaking Taboos
    • Colonial Effects
    • Humanities
    • Identity
    • Indo-Caribbean
    • Tradition
  • Lifestyle
    • Beauty Buzz
    • Fashion
    • Foodie
    • Career
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    • Women’s Health
    • Clean Eats
    • Fitness 101
  • Relationships
    • Dating
    • Love
    • Parenting
    • Marriage
    • Sexuality
  • Community
    • BG Youth
    • Black Lives Matter
    • USA
    • United Kingdom
    • Canada
    • South Asia
    • Spotlight
  • Brown Boy
  • Listen

© 2023 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?
Go to mobile version