Building Bridges

EnVision at 27 (or 33)

Posted on by Irene Stern Frielich


EnVision turns 27 this month.

I can’t believe it’s been that many years.

How fortunate I am to work with such an incredible team. Together, we’ve had, and continue to have, the opportunity to partner with so many amazing clients. We are proud of our contributions to our clients and ultimately those they impact in the world.

Reflecting on these many years, I’ve been thinking about what led to our success, what I wish I’d known when I started EnVision, and what’s next. In a series of posts, I’ll share three factors in each of these areas, and for each factor, I’ll offer three short examples. Did you know that I love number play? I couldn’t help myself in deciding to write this series of 3 areas x 3 factors x 3 examples (33=27) over the next few months.

I hope you enjoy the upcoming posts … and feel free to share your thoughts by emailing me.

Here’s the first of three factors that contributed to the success of EnVision.

SUCCESS FACTOR #1: Building and maintaining relationships

One of the main focuses of building my business has been outreach and ongoing relationship building. I bring the following into my approach:

  1. PLAN: I add time to my calendar each week to reach out to my network, whether by email, LinkedIn messaging, or meetings. I keep track of my contacts, what we’ve discussed, and when I should follow up
  2. DEMONSTRATE GENUINE INTEREST: I find people’s ideas, pursuits, and even their challenges fascinating. That makes it easy for me to express interest when we touch base. What are they working on? What successes are they experiencing? What challenges are they encountering? If we’ve started discussing personal things, I’ll inquire about their family or pets or latest favorite book or hobby or whatever they’ve previously shared about.
  3. OFFER SOMETHING: I do my best to offer something to the other person when networking. When they share a current challenge, I offer to connect them with organizations, articles, or others in my network that I think would be helpful.

I’ve spent many, many hours each year building and maintaining relationships. Does each relationship result in a project or consulting assignment? Sometimes, but certainly not always, or it could take years. Building a relationship is not transactional. It’s for the long-term. You can tell that’s worked for EnVision, since we’re still going strong 27 years later. The fact that I truly enjoy the connections is a bonus.

Coming soon for attributes contributing to EnVision’s success:

  • Bracing for and embracing the slow times
  • Keeping up with changing technology