Remote is efficient, in person is effective: why I still show up to London networking events
I’m just back from a breakfast networking event, and nothing beats meeting in the flesh.
I run a remote Executive Assistant business, and I still go out of my way to meet people in person. That’s not a contradiction. It’s the whole point.
Working remotely is efficient. I can support clients across London and beyond without either of us losing time to a commute, and the bulk of my work as a Virtual Assistant is executed perfectly well from a screen.
But efficient and effective aren’t the same thing.
A working relationship built entirely over email and Slack gets the tasks done. A working relationship where you’ve also sat across a table from someone, over a coffee or a cup of tea, gets the trust built. And trust is the thing an Executive Assistant actually runs on. You’re handing someone access to your diary, your inbox, sometimes your whole operation. That’s easier to hand over to someone you’ve properly met.
It’s not lost on me, the pros and cons of remote working. I’m not precious about it. But I’m forever making the effort to meet local businesses across South and Central London, and to touch base with clients in person where I can, not because the work demands it, but because the relationship benefits hugely from it.
A breakfast networking event is a good example. An hour out of the diary, a room full of local business owners and founders, and conversations that simply don’t happen over a scheduled call. You learn things about how someone runs their business, what they’re worried about, what they’re proud of, that never come up in a task list.
If you’re based in or around London, whether that’s South London, Central London, or somewhere in between, and open to meeting, I’m always happy to step away from the screen. Networking events, a coffee, or a proper brainstorm over a cup of tea, all count.
Remote work has changed how I run this business for the better. It hasn’t changed my view that some of the best working relationships still start, and get maintained, in person.
See you at the next one.
