A look back at four years in the referral marketing organisation BNI, in which I continue to operate and hold the seat for the personnel recruitment industry in the BNI Vivaldi chapter. In 2015 we started with a group of thirty people; currently the number of participants at each BNI early morning fluctuates between 50 and 70. Monthly turnover averages EUR 110,000 from deals arising as a result of referrals.
The first forum for active women, 18 speakers, more than 600 attendees in person and even more online - that is the billing and the official statistics. There was indeed quite a bustle and an overwhelmingly female crowd on Friday, 18 May, at Splendid Palace in Riga. All in pink, purple, lilac, white, and orange. Lots of artificial magnolia and rose bouquets.
Today, together with a colleague, I worked in another coworking space in Riga, trying out the Hot Desk - unfixed workstation - option. Work proceeded as usual: Monday meeting, activity plan for the week, correspondence and calls with potential clients and candidates, and one in-person meeting. The only difference was that we were not in our usual VEF quarter office, but in a workspace freely accessible to all interested parties. I decided to compile my experience of four out of the thirteen coworking spaces currently available in Riga.
Exactly three years ago, on 17 March 2015 at 6:45 am, the first informational meeting in Latvia took place at Mercure Riga Centre hotel, where Business Network International and its operating principles were presented.
Recently I have had occasion to communicate with the business managers of a couple of companies in Latvia who have developed and offer cryptocurrency exchange platforms to both private and corporate clients. The topic is currently at the top of everyone's agenda. Attitudes towards it are far from uniform - ranging from outright denial to fan-level enthusiasm. But most importantly, right now there are far more questions and uncertainties than understanding. I decided to compile a few simple explanations that may help you form your own stance on this relatively new means of payment.
At the end of October, thanks to an invitation from a BNI member, I attended Dani Johnson's three-day seminar in Riga, "First Steps to Wealth". The greatest gain from it, for now, seems to be Dani's book, which practically encompasses the material from all three of those days. I read it with relish, setting aside all prejudices. Well, I can share the main insights.
I used to have several stereotypes about working in a coworking space - for example, that it is always bustling and you cannot concentrate on your work; that it is not safe to leave your belongings there, since who knows what kind of people wander around; that you cannot make confidential calls or hold business meetings there, and so on.
Today, at the H2O6 architecture and media centre, the fourth Responsible Ideas Market took place - and the first one I attended. An event conditionally divided into two parts: the first - official addresses, welcomes, and presentations; the second - practical, real-world-tested ideas from companies that have introduced something new and useful not only for their own company but for society as a whole.
If I had to describe it in a few words, I would say this - a professionally and high-quality organised conference on a topic very relevant today, but still insufficiently highlighted. Many people everywhere talk about leadership, management, the digital environment, and sales and marketing mastery - but finally, someone is talking directly about human resources and the questions surrounding changes in the work environment, form, and organisation in the near future. Because "change will never be as slow as it is right now".
For the third time, the Subject:Creativity creative industries conference was held at Lielais Dzintars in Liepāja. The format is familiar, but the speakers and insights were new. Encouragingly, the organisers analyse the successes of the previous event and identify shortcomings, in order to offer increasingly high-quality content and form with each new event.
