Then allow me to introduce you to my friend Pamela Skillings, marketing communications expert and author of Escape from Corporate America (Ballantine, 2008). I first heard of Pam last Spring when her book was first released. Her husband Alex sent me an invitation to connect on Facebook, and then to join the Escape from Corporate America Facebook group. Being a corporate escapee myself, I joined right away.Just about every day thereafter, I noticed Pam and her book getting amazing media coverage--in The New York Times, Forbes, Newsweek, just to name a few. Over the summer as I was winding down the writing stage of my book, I got in touch with Pam through Facebook, and she was incredibly helpful and generous with sharing information about the next part of the publishing process: the promotion and marketing stage.
Recently, we met for the first time over drinks in New York City's West Village (here we are at the bar at Sant Ambroeus). The interesting thing about meeting online friends in person is that you already have a running start. As my friend Ted Polmar of BizCircles used to say, "It takes the edge off." Not that there was any edge at all since Pam is totally cool.
It was great to compare notes, share ideas, and think about ways to support each other. When you work at a company, your coworkers are your default network, and there's always built-in opportunity to spend a few minutes at the water cooler or grab some lunch now and then. But when you work on your own, it's up to *you* to make the effort to find and build peer relationships. The good news is that places like Facebook make it so easy to find interesting, like-minded people, start conversations, and develop supportive relationships.
If you're thinking about making YOUR great escape, first of all, I highly recommend it (jump in, the water's great!), and second of all, you MUST get Pam's book. Then attend one of her workshops or sign up for a coaching session. Learn more about Pam on her website.
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