All the networking in the world will not replace a moment of serendipity that changes your life forever.

Sitting outside a national conference hall in Florida I spotted a woman at an empty table. Not wanting to go into the madness of the convention either,  I took a seat beside her and struck up a conversation.

She asked me what I was doing here. I said, “To test market an idea.”
She delved. I revealed. We engaged in a discussion on what was to ultimately become Big Ooga.

The woman was brilliant, open and generous. Having avoided the “who are you and what do you do” it left us to relate on an intellectual and human level that sparked spontaneous ideas. It was the kind of enrichment that has no ticket price. A “click” for all the right reasons. We didn’t ask or take each others’ cards.

What was, was perfect.

As the conference ended and the booths emptied I went into the hall to linger at the Kaplan booth reading through their book titles.

“Pick one.” said the representative.

“Glad to.” I said and chose, Marketing To Women - How to Increase Your Share of the World’s Largest Market.

Once on the plane I reflected on the Serendipity of the conference. My roommate, who was switched at the last minute became a lifelong friend.

The conversation outside the convention hall changed the way I viewed my business. I’d made many new contacts and learned many new things.

Pulling out the book and settling in for the plane trip, I always look at the picture of the author first.

There she was, the woman at the table, the leading authority of marketing to women, Marti Barletta. Hailed on the cover by Tom Peters as his “MVP/BizGuru of the Year” the book did not disappoint. Then I found out we were practically neighbors.

Where did the relationship go from there?  The answer is in this video.