Latest / Networking Unleashed: Building Profitable Connections / Networking Unleashed: An Interview with Ann Lopez and Michael A Forman, Professional Speaker

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Networking Unleashed: An Interview with Ann Lopez and Michael A Forman, Professional Speaker · Networking Unleashed: Building Profitable Connections

0:16
Welcome to Networking Unleashed, Building Profitable
0:19
Connections. The show where the right conversations
0:22
don't just grow your business, they change your
0:25
direction. I'm your host, Michael Foreman. Most
0:29
people think networking is about meeting more
0:32
people. But what if the real impact comes from
0:35
something deeper? The rooms you choose, the relationships
0:39
you build, and the way those experiences shape
0:42
who you become. My guest today... Built her business,
0:47
Studio 790, through intentional strategic relationships.
0:52
She believes that connections don't just create
0:55
opportunity, they create identity. The people
0:58
you surround yourself with influence how you
1:01
think, how you show up, and ultimately, what
1:05
you believe is possible. We're diving into how
1:07
relationships turn into revenue, why you should
1:10
step into rooms before you feel ready. Let me
1:15
start that again. Why you should step into rooms
1:17
before you feel ready and how choosing the right
1:20
environments can completely shift your trajectory.
1:24
So if you're ready to grow, evolve, and build
1:28
connections that move life forward, not just
1:31
your business, you're in the right place. I'd
1:34
like to welcome to the podcast today, Ann Lopez.
1:38
She is the expert in all of this, and she's going
1:41
to tell us all about her business. But first,
1:44
Ann, first of all, welcome to the podcast. And
1:47
could you give us the cliff notes of how you
1:51
got here today? Yeah, thank you so much for the
1:53
warm welcome. I appreciate that. How I got here
1:57
today, cliff notes. Grew up in a farm town and
2:00
realized... There's more to this world than this
2:03
little town. Went to college and then ended up
2:06
in New York City where I started my hospitality
2:09
marketing career, which fast forward the whole
2:13
time I'm in that career, I had this burning sensation.
2:16
I'm supposed to be a business owner. I'm supposed
2:18
to be an interior designer. Ended up in Miami
2:21
in my mid thirties and made a decision. Life
2:25
is not getting any shorter and I'm called to
2:28
do something more with my life. And I, I knew
2:31
that burning sensation was going to yield something,
2:34
yield really good fruit. And so I took the plunge
2:38
at 39, quit my corporate job and all of the bells
2:41
and whistles and 401k and stock options to say,
2:45
I'm going to start this business with no MBA,
2:49
be an interior designer with no interior design
2:52
training to do what I'm doing today. It's been
2:55
seven years and I have not looked back and I
2:58
feel like I haven't worked a day since. That
3:01
is great. What a wonderful story. I just, the
3:05
whole story from moving from New York and, you
3:08
know, New York is the main place where everybody
3:11
wants to go to show. Now, I grew up in New York,
3:14
right? Amazing. About 30 miles north of New York
3:18
City in the suburbs of, and everybody wants to
3:21
get to New York to start their careers. But I've
3:24
been podcasting now for a little over a year.
3:27
And it seems that all the greats. have left New
3:31
York and gone to other states. Yeah. Probably
3:35
for a number of reasons, but that's where it
3:38
is. Okay, let me start. You built Studio 790
3:43
through relationships. What was the moment you
3:46
realized networking wasn't just helpful, it was
3:50
the driver of your growth? Yeah. There's a key
3:55
moment, and it's fun to talk about this because
3:57
it was actually part of my vision casting for
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2026 for my team. What I would say is I had this
4:04
moment when I was in corporate America many years
4:08
ago where I worked for the same woman who is
4:11
still a dear friend and mentor of mine. I shared
4:16
with her my passion to be an interior designer
4:18
and I would talk about it and, you know, share
4:22
what I was doing on the weekends related to design.
4:24
Meanwhile, like I had a different job working
4:27
for her. And a lot of people would ask me, you
4:30
know, were you like nervous to tell your boss
4:33
you really wanted to be doing something else?
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And I'm like, I never even crossed my mind because
4:38
we had such a good relationship. And I. I was
4:42
doing a great job working for her. It wasn't
4:44
it had no reflection of who I was in the day
4:47
to day. And me sharing that with her and being
4:50
open and authentic in my relationship led me
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to an incredible job that she actually gave me
4:58
in corporate America that then led to my first
5:01
paid client back many years ago, even before
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I had the business. And so I just think. Your
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network, your people, and that could be your
5:12
friend group, your church group, your boss, your
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colleagues. Network means a lot of things. But
5:17
in this example I'm giving, this was my boss
5:20
at the time. And that one conversation changed
5:23
the entire trajectory of my life. And I'm so
5:27
grateful for that. Yeah, that's it. You know,
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I coined the term, your network is your net worth.
5:34
Exactly. I actually put that in my book. I have
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a digital course. I have it all written out.
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But it came to me years ago when I first became
5:43
a professional speaker that that was the whole
5:48
thing. My network, my personal network. I mean,
5:53
AI comes into it. It's a tool and everything,
5:55
yada, yada, yada. But it's face -to -face. It's
5:58
networking. That's what it's all about. You talk
6:02
about relationships to revenue. What specifically
6:06
happens in a relationship that turns it into
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a real business opportunity? I would say, like,
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I think a lot of people, especially salespeople,
6:16
get this a little bit backwards. And I'll tell
6:19
you my perspective on it. With relationships,
6:23
if your goal is to get something from somebody,
6:27
it's the wrong approach, right? It's always about
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how can I serve the people with the gifts I have
6:34
to make their life better. And if you go into
6:37
all of your relationships and all of your networking
6:39
events and all the things that you're a part
6:41
of with, okay, I'm in this room and I'm going
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to meet maybe some new people. Perhaps I'm with
6:46
people I already know, but the mindset shift
6:49
of instead of what are they going to give me
6:50
and how are they going to get me revenue? Instead,
6:54
turning the table to say, wait, how can I? how
6:57
can I make that life, that person's life better?
7:00
Right. And, and I remember I've taken a lot of
7:02
Tony Robbins trainings and Dean Graciosi and
7:05
Dean Graciosi specifically said this in one of
7:08
his trainings, which is if you are not serving
7:11
people, you're actually, I'm not going to say
7:14
exactly like his words verbatim. He's much more
7:16
eloquent than I am, but. You're doing the world
7:19
a disservice. And so you do need to sell your
7:21
services, but not with the mindset of revenue,
7:23
revenue, revenue, the mindset of if I serve this
7:26
person and I make their life better, that if
7:29
and if I don't serve them, meaning I don't talk
7:32
about what I do or what I have to offer. Hey,
7:34
I have this business idea that maybe if you were
7:36
a part of, you know, this could help you in some
7:39
way, shape or form, then you're leaving a lot
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on the table in this world that we live in. And
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that really. resonated with me because I'm like,
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I'm not going into rooms selling and trying to
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push people on how I can help them design their
7:53
spaces or help them with their events and their
7:55
businesses and so forth. Instead, I know and
7:58
believe wholeheartedly if they use my services
8:01
and employ me and my team, their life will be
8:04
better. So that I think is like a mind shift.
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A lot of people, cause I'm in rooms and the people
8:10
that want something from me, it's obvious that
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they don't have the right mindset on that. And
8:16
so I hope that helps somebody today. Cause if
8:18
you can shift your mind to go, I'm here to serve
8:21
instead of I'm here to receive the revenue will
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come tenfold. I got news for you. Okay. This
8:29
is called having a servant's heart. Exactly.
8:32
You walk into a networking event and I'll tell
8:35
you, if you have that mindset shift, if you walk
8:40
in saying, how can I help these other people?
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It takes all the pressure off your shoulders.
8:46
Exactly. You walk in all free and everything
8:49
and you really enjoy yourself. And one thing
8:52
that I've always employed, when I walk up to
8:56
a table, a networking table or what have you,
8:58
and I have the attention of, let's say, two of
9:01
the people, I have them talking about themselves
9:03
and everything. I always say, you know what?
9:07
I like you. I like your business and how you
9:10
do it. How can I make you more successful? How
9:15
can I be a good referral source for you? Yeah.
9:19
And if I did my job correctly, they'll say, Mike,
9:22
I don't know what the hell you do yet. And you're
9:24
already trying to make me more successful. Yeah.
9:27
Yes. But that's going in with the servant's heart.
9:30
Exactly. So you nailed it. You may have gotten
9:33
it from your classroom training and everything
9:35
else. But the fact is that you got it and you
9:38
employed it and you will go so much further with
9:41
it. Yeah. Amen. Many people wait until they feel
9:46
ready before stepping into bigger rooms. What
9:50
changes when you choose to show up before you're
9:54
fully prepared? Well, I mean, I guess I would
9:57
argue, is anybody really fully prepared ever?
10:00
I don't know. Maybe I'm the only maybe I'm the
10:02
only one that's not. But what changes? I arguably
10:06
I think your whole life can change because there's
10:08
so many people that just live in fear. The fear
10:11
paralyzes them from getting into the room. Right.
10:13
And the only way to get better at stepping into
10:16
a room when you're not ready is to do it and
10:19
then do it again and do it again and do it again.
10:21
And that's how confidence gets built. Right.
10:23
The more you do something. Even if you're not
10:25
doing it amazing, but just the more you do something,
10:28
the better you get. It boosts your confidence.
10:30
Like, okay, I've been in a room like this before.
10:33
I know what to say, or I know what not to say,
10:35
or I made a mistake last time. I'm not going
10:37
to do that again. Whatever your mindset is on
10:40
it. But I think that getting in rooms that you're
10:43
not ready for, it makes it a little bit more
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exhilarating. It makes you're on your toes a
10:47
little bit more. I think too, there's something
10:49
that happens in our brains when we're doing something
10:51
that we're... that's not routine that's not our
10:54
comfort zone that's when the magic happens right
10:56
i i think of that visual you see it on pinterest
10:59
and on instagram it's like you know the circle
11:02
and the dot is outside of the circle and it says
11:04
this is where the magic happens right and that's
11:07
that's the analogy like if everyone could surrender
11:10
their fear or decrease their fear to say okay
11:13
i'm still scared but i'm gonna do it anyway that's
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the definition of courage get in that room because
11:19
The power of one, one conversation in one room
11:22
can change your entire life. This is so true.
11:26
I think of my BNI training and it talks about
11:31
all of this. But I tell all of my clients, I
11:35
said, look, those of you who haven't networked,
11:37
go out and network. Just do it. Just listen.
11:40
I'll tell you right now, you're going to suck.
11:43
It's going to be horrible. Exactly. You'll learn
11:46
from it. And the second time you go out. You'll
11:48
know not to do certain things. And the third
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time, the fourth time. And it just goes on. And,
11:54
you know, they constantly ask me about being
11:56
an introvert. And I won't have time to go into
12:00
that. You know, it's almost the same thing. Just
12:04
a little twist on it. But there's certain things
12:07
that they can do. How do the rooms you're in
12:11
shape the way you think about yourself and your
12:14
potential? You know, they always say, get into
12:18
the rooms or be at the tables where you're the,
12:20
I hate to use this language, but like stupidest
12:22
person. You're the least smart person. Let's
12:24
use better language than stupid, right? But you're
12:26
the least advanced. You're the least expert at
12:29
the table or the room, whatever it is. That shifts
12:33
everything. And I think that it takes your ego
12:36
being removed for you to say, okay, I'm going
12:38
to be in this room. And wow. look at these people
12:42
that have gone before me that are ahead of me
12:44
and all that I can soak up from them like a sponge.
12:47
I'm not the smartest person in the room. I don't
12:50
need to use my voice the loudest in the room.
12:52
I can sit back, listen, learn. And that in of
12:55
itself, you walk away better. You walk away more
12:57
equipped. You walk away learning a lot more than
13:00
if you weren't. the smartest person or if you
13:04
were the smartest person in the room right and
13:06
so i i think that i mean again maybe this is
13:09
just me but you know you're in your 20s early
13:11
30s and you think you know a little bit more
13:14
than you really do and you know you might be
13:16
in rooms like oh i am the smartest one and it
13:19
sort of feels good maybe in the moment but as
13:21
you get a little older and a little wiser and
13:24
you start checking your ego a little bit to say
13:27
that doesn't really feel good, right? To be,
13:30
to, to think that I'm right. Maybe it's not even
13:33
true, but to have the attitude of I'm the smartest
13:35
person, like that's not how I want to be a student
13:38
forever. And so if I'm going to be a student
13:40
forever, I better get in rooms where everyone
13:44
around me or most of the people around me either
13:47
bring something different to the table than I
13:49
do. Again, are maybe 5, 10, 15 years ahead of
13:52
me in the same industry that I'm in. You know,
13:56
just give me a different perspective that helps
13:58
me be a better leader. There's so many different
14:00
benefits of being that. So I for sure, I don't
14:04
want to be the smartest or the best person in
14:06
the room. I want to be at the other end of the
14:07
spectrum. Absolutely. And you're right on so
14:11
many points in what you just said that we don't
14:16
have time for me to expand on every one of them.
14:18
But I'm in my 60s and I listen more than I speak.
14:24
Because by listening, I'm learning more about
14:28
the other person. And when I respond to them,
14:31
responding to them is kind of what they said
14:34
in my rebuttal, sort of. I never think of the
14:38
next thing that I'm going to say, because that's
14:40
going to tell the other person I wasn't listening
14:42
to you. Exactly. But if you listen more than
14:45
you speak, there's a, there's a some, I read
14:50
this somewhere that if you speak more than 30
14:53
% of your conversation, you lost. Yeah. Yeah.
14:58
Yeah. And I think I completely agree with that.
15:03
And I think for women. Or again, I'll just speak
15:06
for myself because maybe men have have the same
15:09
issue. But I think that it's a hard skill to
15:13
learn to do that. I think as women, we want to
15:15
talk. We want to help solve. We we get to like,
15:18
OK, I know how to I know how to help solve their
15:20
problems when maybe they don't need a solution
15:22
and they just need to listen. So it is a habit.
15:26
to practice and a muscle to keep using to get
15:29
better at. Cause again, admittedly I'm, I'm in
15:31
my forties and I know I have room to grow in
15:34
this area. Absolutely. But if I compare myself
15:37
to years past, I, okay, I've grown. That's the
15:40
point. I'm never going to be perfect, but as
15:42
long as I'm growing and I am listening more than
15:45
I'm, than I'm speaking in general, then everybody
15:48
wins. You're right. Everybody does win. And I
15:52
learned something new every day. You know, I'm
15:55
supposedly the expert in the networking field
15:58
and I can tell you how to do everything. But
16:01
if I'm not learning something new every day,
16:03
then I am no longer the expert. I am just, I'm
16:06
everybody else. So I have to remain a little
16:08
bit ahead. So what signals tell you that you've
16:12
outgrown a room and it's time to find a new environment?
16:18
That's a great question. I mean, I think it plays.
16:23
to what we just talked about where if you and
16:27
I just talked about this with a colleague if
16:30
if you've outgrown there it's clear right because
16:34
I think when you look at the actions and the
16:39
outcomes and output of everyone at the table
16:41
or in the room that you're in and you see yourself
16:45
as okay i was there before and now i'm at a new
16:49
level because i've been working at it i've been
16:51
reading the books in the rooms networking more
16:54
you can see that there's a disconnect there And
16:58
there's a delicate balance, right? Because there's
17:01
also a time and a season that you should still
17:05
be in that room because maybe you could serve.
17:07
Maybe you still can serve people that need whatever
17:11
it is that you have to offer in the season they're
17:13
in. But I think like I've been in at these, I
17:17
say tables a lot more because I guess if you're
17:19
in the room, there's probably a table you're
17:21
sitting at, but you're sitting at the table and
17:23
I'm like, okay, I. i've said this more than once
17:26
i've said this a few times and there's still
17:28
some stagnancy there if that's a word right and
17:32
so it's time for me because often a lot of high
17:36
achieving people right we're growth mindset and
17:39
so there's this balance of get in the room where
17:41
you're not the smartest grow grow grow and then
17:44
you get to the place okay maybe this room i'm
17:46
now outgrowing but at least if i've given it
17:49
a season to serve And to help the people at the
17:52
table, okay, I'm ready to exit. I've done what
17:55
I can do. And it's time for me now to then sort
17:58
of cycle back into, let me go into the room where
18:01
I'm the student again, not the teacher. Absolutely.
18:06
Very well said. Very well said. How do you walk
18:10
into a room where you may not feel like you belong
18:14
and still build meaningful connections? I would
18:18
just remove the thought altogether. You always
18:20
belong. Like, I don't let it get, you know, if
18:25
it comes in because we're human and it's going
18:27
to come in, as fast as it comes in, I'm training
18:31
my brain to say, no, I belong here. If I didn't
18:34
belong here, I wouldn't be here, right? At the
18:36
end of the day, if we wouldn't get the invite
18:39
or the work event wouldn't have put you on the
18:42
guest list, whatever it is, you wouldn't be there
18:45
if you weren't. supposed to belong there. And
18:48
so I think that is the way I would answer that
18:51
question is completely mindset. Nope. I belong
18:53
here as much as everybody else. We are all here.
18:57
Everybody belongs in this room for whatever purpose
18:59
it's trying to serve for, again, the season,
19:02
the day, the moment that we're in, but I belong
19:05
just like everybody else. So it's a mindset shift.
19:08
Do you feel that people get in their own way?
19:12
Of course. This is, yes, all the time, all the
19:17
time. You know, so much so that they will not,
19:20
again, they won't even get in the room because
19:23
they feel imposter syndrome. They feel, oh, what
19:26
if, you know. What if I'm intimidated the whole
19:29
time? What if I don't know what to say? And so
19:31
they're getting in their own way because they're
19:33
closing doors and closing opportunities that
19:35
the world, God, the universe, whatever you believe,
19:38
I believe in God. But whatever that is, like
19:39
it's open for you. It's open for you for a reason.
19:42
And so you do step into it. embrace the uncomfort
19:46
because again that's where that's where the magic
19:48
happens but we all get in our own way it's never
19:51
it's rarely anyone else that gets in our way
19:54
it's usually ourselves in every aspect of our
19:57
lives yeah if the person the person isn't important
20:00
enough you know you block them out but you don't
20:04
let somebody get in your way including yourself
20:06
yeah unless you will unless you allow it exactly
20:10
yeah and we're not allowing it We're not allowing
20:14
it. No. Right. Sometimes that's a good thing.
20:18
Sometimes that's not. But I'm not going to go
20:19
into there. Yeah. You emphasize genuine relationships.
20:24
What does genuine actually look like in a networking
20:28
conversation? Genuine is like synonymous to authentic.
20:35
And I think that I imagine a world. What would
20:39
the world look like if everyone was? even let's
20:42
say more authentic maybe not completely authentic
20:44
I think that the entire world could change because
20:47
we get in these rooms and we feel the need to
20:49
you know talk about our credentials or talk about
20:53
all of our highlights and things like that and
20:55
I think for me anyway how how I act but also
20:59
how I've witnessed other women and men the ones
21:03
I'm connected with the most are the ones that
21:05
are like man i had a hard day we lost a client
21:09
this thing happened my kids going through this
21:11
thing whatever those things are you've connected
21:14
humanity at that point okay you're not perfect
21:17
we're all in the same you know the same page
21:21
right and so it frees us and it allows for a
21:25
better like you're gonna walk away a lot better
21:27
after a genuine connection and that genuine comes
21:31
from like talk about who you really are And if
21:35
who you really are means you had a bad day or
21:37
I'm in a career transition or everything's really,
21:40
really good, but going through this divorce has
21:42
been a little bit hard. There's an instant humanity
21:45
connection there. And I think, again, people
21:47
don't want to do it because what if I get judged?
21:49
What if I don't want to go too personal? And
21:51
I agree, like you don't meet somebody and then,
21:53
you know, open up about every problem. Your therapy
21:57
session notes that you had this week. Of course,
22:00
you have to have a high EQ to balance that. But
22:03
I think there is this, let the guard down a little
22:05
bit, be who you are. And you're going to find
22:08
the other person is going to rest their shoulders
22:11
a little bit and go, ah. We're just normal together.
22:15
We are all in this together. Maybe you make a
22:18
little bit more money, but we're all still, you
22:20
know, there's still a connection there. So I
22:22
just think being your true self and then to your
22:25
point earlier, you can walk in that room already
22:28
free. You don't have to act. You don't have to
22:32
pretend. You don't have to get out your highlight
22:34
reel. Okay to share some wins. Okay to connect
22:38
with people on some of those things. Of course,
22:41
it's not bad inherently. I think it just becomes
22:43
bad when it's just the posture always of I'm
22:47
going to be perfect and I'm going to be perfect.
22:49
When I walk away from people like that, I don't
22:51
feel connected to them. I don't feel like I learned
22:53
anything. It sometimes can make me feel worse
22:56
about myself. That's my own issue, not theirs
22:58
though. So I just, you know, be yourself. Yeah.
23:03
Well, authenticity is what everybody's after.
23:06
Actually, that's a new buzzword for now, because
23:10
everybody networking is trying to be authentic
23:12
and the authenticity. But there's a lot more
23:16
that goes into being authentic. First of all,
23:19
you said it the best. You have to be yourself.
23:21
Yeah. Right. Whatever that looks like, because
23:25
if you're not yourself. and you start this relationship,
23:29
they're going to find out your true self later
23:31
on. Exactly. I mean, you're wasting, you're wasting
23:34
everybody's time. Everybody's time is wasted
23:36
and it doesn't feel good. You know, you, you
23:39
come back from something like, you know, an event
23:42
or wherever you're at and you feel exhausted
23:45
because you sort of had to be a version of yourself
23:48
that wasn't fully you. That's. I don't know.
23:52
It's not a fun way to live. I used to do that.
23:56
I used to come home from networking events and
23:58
I was exhausted because I always felt I had to
24:00
be on the whole time. Yeah. You know, and now
24:04
when I go for the past couple of years anyway,
24:06
I just go and have a good time. I'm on myself.
24:08
Yeah. You know, if what I do comes up, that's
24:11
all the better, you know, but it's true. How
24:14
does your identity, how you see yourself? affect
24:18
the types of people you attract into your network?
24:23
I love that. And I think I've really started
24:28
learning and embracing this in my 40s. So maybe
24:32
if somebody's younger listening, we can help
24:35
them earlier on. But when you get to a place
24:40
of your life that you love yourself, that changes
24:46
everything. It changes the trajectory of your
24:50
whole life. And I think a lot of people struggle
24:53
with that identity of, I don't love myself. And
24:58
maybe they don't say it like that, right? I think
25:00
that it feels like big and it might feel a little
25:02
emotional, but I think at the core, that's what
25:07
it is. And so for me, the moment that I realized,
25:10
like, I love myself, even the bad parts, even
25:14
my past, even things like... And I love the good
25:18
things. I love the gifts that God gave me. I
25:19
love the strengths that I have. All of it. When
25:22
you get to that place of, there's like a harmony
25:26
that happens. You then attract, I think it goes
25:31
again back to authentic connections and relationships.
25:36
People are going to feel that. They're going
25:37
to sense that. And that's who you want in your
25:40
circle at the end of the day. Like the person
25:42
who knows. almost all of you and is like yeah
25:45
I like that person and I know maybe she doesn't
25:47
have it all figured out or she had this past
25:49
or she did this thing but here she is and here's
25:52
where she's you know here's how far she's come
25:54
and so on and so forth I think that that's been
25:58
massive for me massive for me because you know
26:01
if you love yourself there's just this I don't
26:02
know I think there's a beautiful energy that
26:04
happens and people see that and feel it and they're
26:07
attracted to that yeah I think yeah Yeah, absolutely.
26:12
And, you know, I had this talk with my wife several
26:15
times. You know, if you go back in time and say,
26:19
oh, you know, that was so horrible. That was
26:21
such a hard time in my life. I want to just take
26:24
it away, take it out of my life. Yeah. But if
26:26
you take that out of your life, you're not the
26:29
same person now. Yeah. And if you love yourself
26:33
now, well, then what type of a person will you
26:36
be? So you might as well just take the whole
26:39
thing. But you keep the people within your inner
26:43
circle, the people that you trust, the people
26:47
that you know. We don't have to think about how
26:51
to act within yourself. So I mean, I could do
26:56
a whole separate podcast just on that. For someone
27:00
going through reinvention, how can networking
27:03
help them step into the next version of themselves
27:07
faster? I think it's one of the most critical
27:13
paths to take when you are reinventing. And I
27:18
think it is important to like really define networking
27:21
because I think maybe lay people think about
27:24
a traditional like networking event, like come
27:26
to a bunch of strangers and, you know. Whatever.
27:29
That is one. And then there's your circle, your
27:35
secondary circle. Again, church group, groups
27:38
at your kid's school. There's a lot of different
27:41
touch points where there are groups of people
27:43
where you socially connect with, right? So if
27:46
we could define networking a little bit, I think
27:49
that when you're in reinvention, hey, I started
27:54
my own business. It's crazy. It's amazing. This
27:56
is what's going on. heads up if you have you
27:59
know if you know of anybody you know I just want
28:02
to share it's really exciting this is what's
28:03
going on in my life people want to hear what
28:06
you have you know what's going on in your life
28:08
and you plant that seed to them and maybe again
28:11
that seed could bear fruit in a short term or
28:15
it could be a long term or it could be never
28:16
and that's okay too but I I think that you have
28:20
to communicate like here's what's going on and
28:24
you know I'm here to serve. I have this design
28:27
business. And, you know, and in fact, it happened
28:29
at my daughter's school when this was not fully
28:33
during my reinvention, but not long after I started
28:36
the business. And I had said, if they need help
28:39
at the school, it's a Catholic school. Budgets
28:41
are not always big at little Catholic schools.
28:43
And and so we they brought us in to do some pro
28:46
bono work. And it was such a joy for my team
28:49
to serve and do this work. And then other, you
28:52
know, moms and parents notice. Oh, wow. oh, you
28:54
did the teacher's lounge. It looks really good.
28:57
And I have this project at home and we've gotten,
29:00
you know, some connections that way. And that's
29:02
a really tiny example, but I think it matters.
29:06
People, you have to share what you have going
29:08
on, even if it's vulnerable, even if you don't
29:10
have it all figured out. People want to know
29:14
and most people want to help you. I think we're
29:17
all born with this desire to help others. And
29:21
so. Yeah, I can't tell you how much support I
29:26
got during my reinvention. Yeah, and outside
29:29
of what you had just said, which was fantastic,
29:32
by the way, but there's an outer ring to that
29:35
networking circle that is the department stores.
29:39
That's the grocery stores. That's outside the
29:41
ice cream shops. You know, I speak to high schools.
29:44
I talk about Gen Z and how they... why they're
29:49
not getting jobs and everything else. I also
29:51
speak at universities. I speak about the same
29:54
thing with that, throw a little leadership in
29:55
there. But what I add, what I tell them is you're
29:59
talking, you're with your friends, right? You're
30:02
networking with your friends. So practice what
30:06
you're going to do in business because no, don't
30:10
start right now, you know? And when you're talking
30:14
over your friend, that's a no, no. When you're
30:17
not listening, practice listening. Respond to
30:20
what they say. And first of all, it's like, what
30:23
are you talking about? You know, I never do that,
30:26
you know. But it's a hard talk to give, but I
30:29
give it. And usually the teachers and professors
30:33
come to me afterwards. The students don't, but
30:36
the teachers and professors do. But that's, again,
30:40
a whole other conversation. It is. Let's bring
30:44
this podcast full circle. If a listener wants
30:47
to change their trajectory over the next 90 days,
30:51
what one decision about the rooms they choose
30:55
would make the biggest impact? I would say what
30:59
one decision. Here's what I would say to that
31:03
question, by the way. Took me a second, but I
31:06
have it. I have it. It is to make the decision
31:10
to get into the room. Here's what I mean by that.
31:14
So that might seem like a like a flat answer.
31:18
And that's OK if somebody, you know, believes
31:20
that it's that way. But what I would say is because
31:26
people have asked me, how did you do this? How
31:28
did you get that far? How did you know how to
31:30
do this accounting thing or this finance thing?
31:33
And you don't you just started doing this business
31:35
thing not that long ago. And I tell them I invested
31:38
in myself and I got into the rooms. I took the
31:41
training. I flew out to California to an interior
31:44
designers retreat where I knew nobody. I did
31:47
a free webinar with Dean Graciosi. I then invested
31:51
and went to Tony Robbins UPW. There's all these
31:55
touch points. And most people that I talk to,
31:58
they're not. They're not even doing any of that.
32:00
They're going to work, coming home, hanging with
32:03
their friends for dinner, going to bed, going
32:05
to work, coming home. Maybe they go to the gym,
32:07
right? They get into a routine and a comfort
32:11
zone. And when I tell them like, oh yeah, like
32:14
I go and I do these things and I invest usually
32:18
one or two things a quarter and it could be something
32:21
bigger. like a week -long training, or it could
32:24
be a half -a -day seminar that is going to help
32:27
my skill set and help me become a better person,
32:30
help me meet a lot more people. I can tell you
32:33
with certainty, and I just did a business session
32:38
with interior designers recently where one of
32:42
the game -changing moments in my career was the
32:45
first year of my business where I knew almost
32:48
nothing, nothing in my, you know, the new field
32:51
that I was in. I said yes to flying out to California
32:56
to a designer's retreat with 30 women. I didn't
33:00
really have the money like to do it, but I'm
33:02
like, I know if I get into this room, I'm going
33:05
to learn a whole lot, a lot faster than if I
33:09
try to do it on my own for the next couple of
33:11
years and so on and so forth. That alone, I grew
33:15
my business. from next to nothing to decent revenues
33:20
only in 18 months after doing that. And I met
33:26
people. I stayed in contact. Hey, I have this
33:28
question. I don't know how to do this. What do
33:30
you use for this thing? So then I created a micro
33:33
network from that event that I went to. I got
33:37
my return on investment times probably 100 times
33:40
my return on investment from my time in the airfare
33:44
and everything I invested into it. That's an
33:47
example where a lot of designers are like, oh,
33:49
I've never even been to anything like that. So
33:52
to bring it full circle, it is just make the
33:56
decision. Look at what events are going on in
33:59
your city, through your community, your church,
34:03
the field that you're in. It's 2026. There's
34:07
no excuse anymore. There's so many opportunities.
34:10
So say yes. And in the next 90 days, schedule
34:14
it. Put it on your calendar, pay for it, and
34:17
believe that it is going to bear fruit because
34:20
it will. Absolutely. Absolutely. And this was
34:24
absolutely fantastic. You were just a great,
34:28
great guest. If anybody wants to get a hold of
34:32
you, either to speak with you, be coached by
34:36
you, to get your services, or just to say hi,
34:39
what's the best way they can get a hold of you?
34:42
I love this. Just say hi. You can find me on
34:45
Instagram, which is Ann Lopez Living, A -N -N
34:49
-L -O -P -E -Z Living. I'm really good about
34:52
checking DMs and so forth there. And then you
34:55
can find my business at studio790 .com. Those
34:59
would be the two avenues. There's a contact form.
35:01
My email is there and we can connect any of those
35:05
ways. Fantastic. This conversation is a reminder
35:09
that networking isn't just about who you meet.
35:12
It's about who you become in the process. The
35:16
rooms you enter, the people you spend time with,
35:18
and relationships you invest in all shape your
35:22
thinking, your confidence, and your future opportunities.
35:25
Take one step this week. Choose one room, one
35:29
event, or one conversation that challenges you
35:33
to grow. Growth often begins the moment you step
35:36
into an environment that stretches you. If you
35:39
found value in today's episode, make sure you
35:42
like, follow, and subscribe to Networking Unleashed,
35:45
building profitable connections. You keep getting
35:48
the best insights on networking and communication
35:52
and share this episode with someone who's ready
35:55
to step into bigger opportunities. If you'd like
35:58
help strengthening your communication and building
36:00
relationships that truly move your business and
36:03
life forward, visit michaelaforman .com to learn
36:07
how I work with professionals, teams, and organizations.
36:11
So until next time, check your rooms wisely,
36:13
build relationships intentionally, and create
36:17
a network that shapes your future. Anne, thank
36:20
you again for coming on the podcast. You were
36:22
wonderful. Thank you so much for having me. I
36:25
hope this helps somebody. Power of one, one room,
36:28
one connection. Change your life. Absolutely.
36:31
Thank you. Well. Hold on, folks. Don't go anywhere.
36:39
Let's hear from our sponsors. David Neal, co
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for you. You can contact Henry at 561 -427 -4888.
37:30
A huge thank you to our guests for sharing such
37:33
insights today. And of course, a big shout out
37:36
to you, our amazing listeners, for tuning in
37:40
and spending your time with us. If you're interested
37:43
in my digital courses, being coached or having
37:46
me come and talk to your company, just go to
37:49
Michael and fill out the request form. Remember,
37:53
networking isn't about being perfect. It's about
37:56
being present. So take what you've learned today,
37:59
get out there and make some meaningful connections.
38:02
If you've enjoyed this episode, please don't
38:05
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38:09
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38:11
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38:14
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38:19
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