and they got to keep the dresses!
There are so many fantastic ways to gather in groups in L.A.
I know that some people just aren’t “joiners”, but I am, and I am a HUGE extrovert, so a fun, lively gathering of interesting people calls to me. If you need a little jolt to spur you to action, here are some ideas…
There are networking meetings for business, there are singles gatherings, there are social groups to find new friends and then there are plenty of special interest groups like the Sierra Club, etc.
The other night, I attended my first meeting of a business networking group that I recently joined called Ladies Who Launch. More about the organization in a minute, but this gathering was held in a retail store. Not just any store, but the fabulous Three Dots, home of the famous delicious high end T Shirts and comfy, hip easy to wear clothing that feels like you’re in your pjs, on Melrose near Crescent Heights.
The founder of Three Dots, Sharon Lebon and her creative director Yuchin Mao were on hand to tell the fascinating tale of rags to riches (Yuchin recently came on board, previously designing for the likes of Helmut Lang and Prada). There were about 75 high-powered business-owners and would-be start-ups and a good time was had by all. Most inspiring to me was Sharon’s humble account of the last 10 years, growing the company from having $4000 in the bank to an expected gross next year of over $100,000,000. That’s ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS. Wow. She made it really clear that if SHE could do it, we could do it and each one of us went away with a feeling of true inspiration. If you’re interested in hearing an interview with the innovative young designer Yuchin Mao, go here: Three Dots Creative Director Yuchin Mao. There are many amazing stories in Los Angeles, it was extraordinary to get such an up-close and vulnerable peek into a superstar in the fashion industry’s business.
Ladies Who Launch, the group I mentioned, is for women only (sorry, gentlemen, there are plenty of places for you guys to gather!), particularly women who have the intention of launching a business or who are ready to jumpstart a business they already have. They offer a four week program called an incubator, where you declare your idea and get support, homework and a shot in the arm from the leader and the other participants. MANY women-owned business, as well as friendships, partnerships and affiliations have started from these impactful groups!
Pictured here is LA Chapter Founder Amy Swift (on the right) and Jen Sincero, sex columnist and Incubator leader extraordinaire. They are modeling Three Dot dresses, hence the title of this post. If you are interested in finding out more about this amazing group, go ahead and check out their website. And if you don’t live in Los Angeles, they have chapters in most of the major cities in the US.
I feel so great about being a member of this national organization that boast some powerful movers and shakers in their membership.
Here are a few other resources for connecting with people in LA:
My People Connection features weekly events for friends in most of the major cities, including LA. With thousands of subscribers and thousands of events in the past eight years, MyPC brings together friends from diverse backgrounds and communities. It’s still FREE to belongno mandatory membership fees, since 1999!
These events are for any age, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, etc. It’s just people getting together to have fun and to meet others in this vast metropolis of ours.
Time magazine says MeetUp is:
Meetup is a website where anyone can create an interest group and for a small fee, post their ongoing event or meeting on the site. There are so many interesting and quirky things going on here, such as Santa Monica DEPECHE MODE Devotional Group or the Gin in North Hollywood group for those gin rummy enthusiasts in the San Fernando Valley, that you are sure to find one to suit your lifestyle!
see you on the freeway
