Today we’d like to introduce you to Jim McCullick.
Hi Jim, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Austin, which at one point in history didn’t mean much, but it seems to be today. My father was an entrepreneur in real estate development, construction, ice cream shops, ships, auto dealerships, ranches and hotels among other business endeavors. This background made me think that’s what everybody does, so, that’s what I did.. I went to school at what was South West Texas State University and is now called Texas State in San Marcos. I worked for my family’s business for about ten years. After my father died, I was the executor of his estate. That kept me busy for an additional 3 years, wrapping up all the loose ends and selling almost everything.
After that, I just continued building and operating a variety of businesses. Commercial flooring, construction, house flipping and income-producing single and multifamily projects as well as commercial real estate. I had two bars and a restaurant as well as several hands-off passive investments. My first business was in munitions producing stun weapons for the US government and some other governments as well, but mainly police departments and prisons. That business was sold and the rest followed.
A friend of mine brought a small clipped article out of the Dallas Morning News in 1985 about a lady who had gathered a group of people, mainly salespeople to help each other in business. The number, 12 million, was impressive to me as the figure that they had generated through that group in a year. I arranged to meet with her and learn more. I didn’t like the format, or the rules, so after a brief partnership we parted ways and Networking Austin was formed.
We were the first Networking Business in the area, so we organized and grew to about 290 business owners in 4 groups. I ran the meetings myself. At first, we were very strict about attendance and had many rules around missing meetings and so forth. After about ten years of meeting at several different locations, mainly high-end hotels, we moved to our current location at the top of the Chase Bank Building. I learned that successful networking cannot be forced, and that self-motivated people are best at Networking.
Today, there are many groups across the country and we are just one group now, but we have a very solid base of members who thoroughly enjoy getting together each week. We have guidelines in place, but not a rule for every problem encountered by networking managers.
The open personal communication busts down outdated business barriers and, though it may seem ironic, is more conducive to actually doing business.
I genuinely like the people, and through this one business, I have had the pleasure of meeting thousands. It’s helped me in other business dealings over the years and has generated many valued friendships. Most importantly, it has provided a platform for small business owners to grow their business and prosper, and to find it is truly a pleasure doing business.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The challenges have been related mostly around the national and local economy. We seem to do well in both a down and up economy. However, the transition period can be rough. Competition and low barriers to entry have been a challenge, so to mitigate that, we carved out a niche of business owners and meet in very nice environments. The best move, however, was to go personal. I can explain that in a conversation better than writing it I think.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I guess I create and hold the space for people to be themselves, even in a business environment. It’s a creative art form…
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Networking continues to be prevalent in most all communities with the population supporting business groups. They are common and seem to be a basic part of marketing in the small business community. I believe that the industry will continue to be central for most small business as Networking, word of mouth advertising, and sales, is the most efficient marketing tool in the affordable range there is.
Pricing:
- $350.00 Initiation
- $190.00 monthly
- $135.00 Annual Renewal
Contact Info:
- Website: www.networkingaustin.com
- Instagram: @networkingaustin
- Facebook: Networking Austin
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