As an entrepreneur or mid-market executive, you really want to know a few key people in the "deal community" in your local market. Typically, these folks can be found in one place, one group, one organization, one association. In larger towns, there may be several key groups to join.
In Salt Lake, where I live and work, there are several organizations. The first group on the scene was the MountainWest Capital Network (formerly the MountainWest Venture Group). Over the years, a number of other important groups have been formed, including a local chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth and the Utah Information Technology Association, among others.
As an officer of the MountainWest Capital Network (MWCN), I want to use MWCN as an example of the benefits that come from networking within a networking organization of this sort.
It is in an organization like MWCN where you meet some of the community's best legal minds; in Salt Lake, you'd find out that the current Chairman of the MWCN, Brian Lloyd, is an experienced securities lawyer as is the President, Tom Taylor. You'd also find venture capitalists like Vice Chairman, Todd Stevens. The network also includes bankers and other senior lenders, accountants, private equity investors, mezzanine lenders and angel investors. Importantly, there are a number of entrepreneurs and executives in the group. The value of any network is, in part, a function of its scale. The group just gets better as it grows.
The MWCN organizes a variety of events each year, including the upcoming Entrepreneur of the Year Event co hosted with the Wayne Brown Institute, the annual Deal Flow event that features a report of all publicly announced business transactions in the state, a golf tournament and the group's biggest event of the year, the Utah 100 program that recognizes the fastest growing companies in the state.
The bottom line is that if you want to meet the people who've been through what you're going through, who can help you create, maximize and realize value from your enterprise, get involved!
If you're ever visiting in Salt Lake, be sure to join us for our monthly meeting!
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