My faith in networking has been restored.  Well and truly restored and for that, I have Masithokozi Moyo, a fellow Destiny Connect member to thank. 

A few days ago I, together with Katannuta co-owner Davina Toale, was invited to attend a Woman's Day event being organised by Masi (or MasiTK or MasiTKZ!) in Bedfordview.  We were willing participants, but blisfully unaware of what the day entailed or who would be there.  What a pleasant surprise we received!

The day was wonderfully organised by Masi and we were treated to some wonderful speakers and entertainment throughout the day.  We laughed during many of the talks; but we were also sobered as we realised some of the difficulties faced by women who are not truly empowered or free. 

Most importantly though, we got to meet some fabulous, wonderful business people and make some real connections.  On too many occasions I have been to so-called "networking" events where you run into the same people time and time again.  Not only that, but frequently such events are attended by single-person businesses who are simply looking to sell their products and widgets to other single-person businesses.  I gave up on such events a long time ago, primarily for that reason.  You want to meet business connections whom you can learn from and be inspired by and, more often than not, networking events fail to deliver.

Masi's Woman's Day event was different on all levels - we hadn't really expected a networking event so we were pleasantly surprised.  The ladies (and gentlemen!) attending were wonderful, engaging individuals but, more importantly, many were successful business people who had a message to share and were happy to share stories, provide guidance and advice and talk frankly about their own challenges and obstacles with regards to their businesses.  It was an inspiring environment to  be part of and I look forward to developing long-lasting relationships with the great individuals that I met on the day. 

Thanks must go to Masi for organising such a successful event and for inviting such high-calibre individuals for us to meet, interact with and learn from! 

Clare Appleyard is a Technical Diamond Specialist and the co-owner of Katannuta, suppliers of diamonds, gemstones and jewellery.  Visit our website at www.katannutadiamonds.co.za to find out more.