5 Ways To Extract Business Ideas From Informal Meetings

I was recently invited out to lunch by a group of friends on a Sunday afternoon right after church service; we went to a Chinese restaurant to eat.

I hardly eat out, mainly because I cook my own food when I can, but best of all, my lovely wife knows how to whip up a delicious meal 🙂 (sorry restaurants, this one is taken).

Anyways, we all sat down at the restaurant and placed our orders; I went for the Chow Mein dish with vegetables, shrimps and beef (one of my favorite Chinese dishes).

Then the conversation began. As you already know, at such outings, conversations are usually random – from sports to movies, down to the weather, and everyone always has something to share. But on this day, all we talked about was business (wasn’t planned; it just happened that way).

So today, my goal is to share with you what I learnt from that casual get together, because I believe that great business ideas are often born from such experiences.

#1. Relax; keep it casual

It’s a casual outing, so there’s really no need for too much formality – it’s a gathering of friends! If you are meeting up with a client or coach/mentor, that’s a different scenario depending on your relationship with the person.

All the same, keep it casual and just be in the moment. It takes away the pressure of life and business, and helps you connect with everyone. Be sure to enjoy the meal as well.

#2. Share your own knowledge

Outings like this thrive on conversations, and when you know how to contribute to the topic(s) of discussion, based on your knowledge, you encourage the rest of the group to follow suit.

There are times when the topic(s) of discussion do not fall within your area of interest or expertise, and that might make you feel awkward – don’t be! Just follow the conversation, and be yourself. Never try to say something in the bid to sound intelligent; if your friend’s notice you’re not flowing with them, they’ll carry you along by explaining the subject or change it altogether.

#3. Don’t be too distracted

It’s possible to get distracted at such gatherings, because it’s a public place and there’s so much happening around you; most of them hard to ignore.

Conversations flow better when everyone on the table is engaged. Remember, you’re there to eat as well, so when your focus moves back and forth from your meal to the person conversing, you tend to engage more (that might have to do with the food… delicious!).

#4. Listen closely

This might sound repetitive with regards to the above point, but there’s a distinction. There are times you may be involved in a conversation, but you’re not really listening to pick up the unsaid words or the underlying meanings of certain phrases or terms. As a consultant, I do my best to focus on this aspect.

Ideas often float around outings like this, and when you pay close attention, you will easily pick them out. This outing of ours was one of such; a brilliant idea was birthed in the process, and we all acceded to the fact that it was worth giving it a shot. Hopefully, I’ll be able to share our progress in the months (if not years) to come.

#5. Ask questions

Even though the primary aim of such a gathering is to eat and chat about random stuff, there’s always the need to seize the moment where necessary and ask questions.

We don’t know everything, and when a subject is raised that is outside our scope of operation, it’s always best to find out more, especially if it picks our interest. You will find out that gatherings like this is where most people usually open up and share certain ideas, as opposed to a formal meeting where one might be a bit more conservative with what he/she shares.

To round up…

You just have to be in the moment. When you are actively engaging with your friends or associates, the possibility of them sharing their knowledge will be far higher than if you just went there for the food :). Business ideas are always floating around such outings, you just have to be more aware.

Your turn… have you ever been on an outings where business was the primary topic? If yes, what was it like for you? Did you derive any business ideas from it? Comment below and share this post.

To your success!

Otoabasi Umonting