In Tour 8b, I gave you guidelines to set up a collaboration with referral partners, specifically, when networking across. Networking ACROSS simply means you are networking with those people whose businesses match yours in size, reach, number of employees (not an exact science) etc.

Recently, through the power of Facebook and in person networking, I found an excellent example of a "networking across" collaboration, that I wanted to share here. The collaboration was between Cori Maag of Hello Beautiful Social, Kaitlin Gonzales, with The Reel Deal, and Paige Rains, with Paige Rains Photography to create a Media Mastery class for small business owners that took place in December of 2023.

Read my interview with the collaboration's originator Cori Maag, with Hello Beautiful Social below.

The Networker's Tour Guide: Thank you very much for taking this time to share with my audience about your Media Mastery Collaboration. What made you decide to reach out to Kaitlin and Paige to collaborate on this workshop?

Cori Maag: So, I had been thinking about putting the class together, and then I saw Kaitlin post, and I think it was in OKC Women in Business. She was essentially talking about doing a course or a class, and so I reached out to her, and I said, "Hey, would you like to collaborate on this?"

And she said, "Yeah." As we were talking, we had the idea of finding a photographer to sort of round out our skill set, and we had both... I don't remember if Kaitlin knew, had met Paige yet, or if we both just knew of Paige. But we reached out to Paige to see if she would be interested, and she was.

The Networker's Tour Guide: Did you know Kaitlin before you reached out to her?

Cori Maag: Yes. So, I met Kaitlin actually at our first We Rise conference in June. It was the first time I actually met her, but I had seen her in the two big women groups, Facebook groups, and actually. And then she came to the We Rise conference in June, and we've just kept in touch since then, and have worked together throughout that as well.

The Networker's Tour Guide: Okay. And when you're reaching across to collaborate with somebody, what about Kaitlin made you know that it was going to be okay to ask her, to trust her with this responsibility, and to know that you're going to be just as benefited from reaching out with her?

Cori Maag: With Kaitlin specifically, it was because we had worked on some other small projects, and we have talked a lot about her business, and so we had just kind of already had that established relationship. So, reaching out to her and saying, "Hey, let's do this together," it made sense.

Now, reaching out to Paige, like I said, I don't remember if Kaitlin had met Paige yet, or if we just knew of her. I hadn't met Paige yet. So, for that connection, it really was, I had seen her work, and had seen her starting to show up on Facebook and tags and things like that, so I had started to kind of pay attention to her and her business, and had already decided she was someone that I wanted to make a connection with.

I had seen that she had collaborated with someone else that I knew and trusted, and so that sort of confirmed in my mind that one, Paige was open to collaboration, and two, that the person that I trust trusts her, so therefore she is someone I would want to work with.

The Networker's Tour Guide: What I'm hearing is that you had had good success in a small venture with Kaitlin, and that positive outcome led you to reach out to her again, and it seems like your goals were aligned with each other, and you had built a relationship. Is that about right?

Cori Maag: I think, at least with this, it's kind of been a natural progression. It wasn't something that we set out with the strategic intention of eventually collaborating with one another in this way. It just happened.

Because when I first met Kaitlin, back in June, she wasn't doing anything like this. She was doing the solar panels. One, it's been really awesome to see how she has grown and developed in such a short period of time. And then to be able to work together in this way, you just want to cheer each other on.

I think whenever it comes to the networking to tie it back, you don't know what your journey with the person's hand that you're shaking is going to be. It could be something awesome, or it could just be another person that you know, but you don't know that yet.

The Networker's Tour Guide: And you reaching out to her probably gave her a real boost of confidence.

There's something about other people seeing you as legit that is such a confidence booster and such a breath of fresh air and allows you to really take the chances that you know you've been convincing yourself for the last six months that you're not good enough to take.

And now somebody's saying, "Hey, come do this with me." And now all of a sudden, "Oh, maybe I really can do this."

Check out a repeat of the original class, get all the info in the pic above. Photo Credit: Paige Rains Photography

The Networker's Tour Guide: Now let's talk about specifically what the event was or the class. What was it exactly?

Cori Maag: So our first one was in December, and we're calling the series Media Mastery. And that's why it is really neat that we have a photographer, a videographer, and then the social, the strategic social side of things. Because we really want to empower small business owners to do this themselves and to grow with the right tool set in their kit so that eventually maybe they, you know, can outsource it or maybe they find a love for it and turn the chore into something they look forward to.

So our first class, we, I talked about strategy and just trying to, you know, talk through the power of social media. We worked on building out a content calendar. So that that was the tangible that they walked away with from me was let's build out 30 days of content right now together.

And then Kaitlin was next after lunch, and she did a live CapCut editing tutorial, which is what spawned her next classes that she just did two of them this past week that were sold out or nearly sold out. And so she did a live tutorial on how to edit videos on CapCut. Her takeaway was everyone that attended got one fully edited video from her, like a reel.

Paige wrapped up the learning portion by sharing how to make the most out of your branding sessions, what to look for in a branding photographer, how to be prepared, you know, because that's an investment. And so how do you make the most of that? She shared those secrets, and then everyone that attended got a headshot from her.

The Networker's Tour Guide: That is just really, really well done, on so many levels. You gave everybody something to take away. The three of you, your, your area of expertise meshed so well with the other person's area of expertise.... I mean, kudos, man.

What a great, great adventure you all took on to really to augment the lives of these business owners who are completely out of their element when it comes to the three areas that you covered.

I'd seen the buzz about it. And I knew whenever I saw what they were going to come away with, I knew that it would be a very well attended class.

After having such a great discussion with Cori, I asked her collaborators a little bit about the Media Mastery Class. I asked both Kaitlin and Paige what surprised them most about the collaboration. Here's what each of them had to say.

Kaitlin Gonzalas: Whenever I put it out there that I for sure wanted to host an event and stop having events pass me by, Cori was the first to message me to brainstorm about what that could look like. I had several people want to make something happen but working with Cori gave me the confidence and guidance because of how well the We Rise event went which is where my life changed for sure.

So going into the Media Mastery it meant that I had confidence in its success because of her experience.

It really all did work hand in hand to bring small business owners tangible steps and insight to move forward in their business. Although that was the goal, it was a pleasant surprise for that to happen so well for the first one.

*Paige Rains: Being invited by Cori and Kaitlin to co-host the Media Mastery class and share insights on brand photography was an honor. Witnessing their remarkable talent and passion for their craft was not only inspiring but also added a special touch to the collaboration.

What pleasantly surprised me the most was how seamlessly the information we each contributed came together, forming a cohesive and valuable resource for small business owners seeking guidance in content creation.

Photo credit for all photos in this article: Paige Rains Photography

Go network my friend, and remember:

Collaboration is gold! Be looking for part 2 of this article to read about the nuts and bolts of Cori, Kaitlyn, and Paige's execution and planning of their collaborative event, which made it successful.

The Networker's Tour Guide, Faithann Basore, and her husband Dave have owned Window Cleaning Plus (WCP) for 10 years. Growing WCP through networking has given Faithann the desire to guide other small business owners through the networking terrain so they can feel comfortable and build long lasting relationships in their business.

About Cori Maag:

Cori is a proud mom of three, a seasoned social media strategist, conference and workshop host, emerging speaker, and moonlights as a pressure washer. Her passion is supporting small and local businesses by teaching organic social media strategies. 

Find Cori here: http://facebook.com/hellobeautifulsocial

About Kaitlin Gonzalas:

Kaitlin is a content creator for small businesses, with a creative eye that uniquely displays businesses in their marketing strategy. She enjoys capturing businesses behind the scenes, events, and businesses in action. When she's not capturing content she is enjoying life with her husband and 2 year old daughter.

Find Kaitlin here: https://www.facebook.com/TheReelDealVideography

About Paige Rains:

Paige Rains is the visionary behind Paige Rains Photography, specializing in brand photography for small businesses and personal brands. With a talent for capturing authentic moments and true personalities, Paige crafts images that tell compelling stories. From captivating headshots to dynamic brand narratives, her work goes beyond the surface, creating connections that resonate with audiences.

Find Paige here: https://www.facebook.com/paigerainsphotography

Got networking questions? Email me at [email protected].