Even though Sacramento is stuffed with government bureacracies and lobbying groups focused on the state Capitol, there is small crucible of optimistic and energetic group of entrepenuers working to create a catalyst for business in the area. In one evening I went from a social media tweet up on a roof top to the opening of unique office collective work space in mid-town Sacramento.
Tweeting like you mean it.
SacTweetUp hosted an event at the roof top of MIX Downtown. Like they mention on their website, “Events are 2-parts Social, 1-part Business and are an excellent opportunity for everyone to network, connect, & build new relationships!” Lest you think Twitter is only for the young hip crowd, take a look at the photos and see the diversity. Not everyone in attendance was a master tweeter, but we all came together to learn from one another. There is nothing as much fun as meeting people that are passionate about their products, services and helping other folks learn the marketing medium of Twitter.
I had a great conversation with the 2 young inventors of The Locking Cap from Sacramento. From prescription medication abuse on the rise with teenagers to the safety of our elderly population, The Locking Cap product has real potential. Up on the roof top, I bumped into some old friends, met social media followers in person and chatted with a musician. Who knew that I would make the acquaintance of an accomplished jazz pianist like Cecil Ramirez at a tweetup.
My home office should look this nice.
Next stop was the opening of the K Street Collective in mid-town. Shelley Larkin has created a unique meeting space for small business people in Sacramento. While K Street Collective, along with her event planning company Pizzazz Event Planning, cater to wedding professionals, the space can be utilized by anyone who needs intermittent use of conference rooms. K Street Collective is not some suite of stale corporate conference rooms. The whole space is effused with design and art meant to get the creative juices flowing.
The crowd celebrating the opening was a terrific mix of supporters of Shelley, small business people and wedding professionals such as Prevailing Photography, ZinLif wine consultants and Simply Sweet Creations. Inside the K Street Collective is a wonderfully designed interior space with create art from Gayle Rappaport-Weiland. As usual, I bumped into some old social media friends like Richard Jules Hassman and met some new folks as well.
Don’t overlook Sacramento’s small businesses
Within the span of 4 hours I met no less than 25 small business people that were excited to be a part of the Sacramento business community. Individually, we are not large or represent huge employment numbers. Collectively, we represent an important segment of the Sacramento business market place. Yes, we are all seeking to make sales, but we also spend money on our own businesses and families. For my part, I tend to gravitate and spend my dollars with folks I have a common interest with like social media or supporting innovative meeting spaces for small business.