Show & Tell with SYP

Everyone has a small thing on the side that makes them cool. It's really just about being proactive. I didn't need anything visible to present, I could have simply spoken. I learned about unique ideas and passions from nearly a dozen people I never knew before. It's never too late or too early to start my professional network.
Even the start of the event was something different for me. I was used to beer, wine, and pizza options, but some smooth jazz set the mood while we chatted before the sharing started.
Matt Harrington of the Chamber got the sharing going by talking about motivation. Then a woman pursuing her passion for health and wellness told us about her new business as a health coach and how she helps others overcome food addiction and ditch sugar. Next, a gentlemen from Bennington showed us his website for his side gigs as a professional wedding and car photographer and videographer. His photos were great! Not only did he shoot these bizarre cliff- and road-side shots with tremendous views, each photo had a different car or truck in the shot.
The diversity of subjects throughout the night was really interesting. Later, I listened to a gentleman talk about his participation in hackathon events. In my head I said, "Well what the heck is a hackathon?" Come to find out, he tells me all about it! And I'm like, "Woah, this guy's smart." So he talks about what he did in these crazy 24 hour program and software development competitions called “hackathons.” They pop-up all over, and turns out he and his team came in second place in one. Learning about that experience was really interesting!
Switching fields completely, a lovely seamstress showed us her handmade puppet theaters that enhance kids' creativity at home or in a classroom! Seems like having your own characters to tell stories with would make story time fun again. To wrap things up, because there was a lot to share, we were able to hear a fellow member's entrepreneurial story. Achieving milestones after starting at home and getting his first office space at the Lightning Jar. After building his business, he moved on on his own and is still operating in town. All in all, I learned a lot. It was great to hear from so many people and get to know what they're passionate about. Maybe next time, I'll share something too.