Preston Naquin is changing the way people network. A social media authority has come up with a plan to merge Social Networking to Virtual Networking live in cities across the country.
Tracy: What is your prospects biggest or most common problem?
Preston: The biggest problem my prospects have is that they show up at networking events and it is always the same people. They sit there on their phones doing things like checking emails, text messages and social media notifications and never actually do not have a chance to learn anything about anyone in the room except for their 30 second introduction. And they are only limited to meeting people in their immediate vicinity since we all know that traveling over 25 miles to a networking meeting is un heard of.
Tracy: What was your entry point to Entrepreneurship?
Preston: I entered entrepreneurship at an early age, actually selling garden vegetables in the front yard at the age of eight. I did not understand the concept of marketing until I started selling crawfish that my brothers caught in the same front yard a couple of years later. My brothers helped me learn the prices everyone else was selling for so I would drop the price one cent and got more business. Also they made a sign that said Crawfish 60¢ a Pound. In my teens, I believe that I sought out people who had an entrepreneur mindset and continue to do the same today. This understanding of how important it is to surround myself with those kinds of people is the main reason that I have evolved into the innovative thought leader I am today. For example, I became associated with the owner of one of the top 10 radio stations in the early eighties. It did not take me long to position myself as his personal assistant so that I could learn how he conducted his business. I knew how important it was for me learn from people with authority at a young age.
Tracy: Think about a time or event when you caught the entrepreneur bug and tell one short story or two as examples.
Preston: Absolutely, it pertains to the personal assistant position with that radio station owner. The station hosted lots of big name rock bands like ZZ Top, the Rolling Stones and the Doors. And the tickets at that time were not sold like they are online today or even in a ticket master concept which makes it easy to pick up your ticket at your local grocery store. If you wanted a ticket, you had to go to either the radio station or to the venue that the concert was going to happen, pay in cash, check or credit card and then you receive your ticket. I noticed that the back of these tickets was blank and introduced the concept of selling advertising space using the space behind the ticket. My BOSS thought it was a great idea and started making money on that concept immediately. He took it to the next level and even had a space in the front of the ticket to sell as well. It wasn’t long after that, that we were in Puerto Rico on a two week vacation, of course it was his vacation, I was still working and doing the personal assistant stuff.
Tracy: Tell the story of your rise from green entrepreneur to where you are now.
Preston: After many successes and temporary failures, I raised myself to be the entrepreneur I am today through the understanding that if you help enough people to get what they want, most of them will remember it for life. I started several business networking groups that featured speakers in Houston, Texas. Those events quickly got the attention of top name speakers and speakers associations. It appeared to be where my best success has been and as it turns out, it is something that I really enjoy doing. Currently, I have a network in place where I am booking speakers not only in the Houston, Texas area but nationally in the U.S. as well.
Tracy: What was the crossover point from “I’m going to be” to “I am” an entrepreneur?
Preston: I think that for the most part, I was an entrepreneur and then later learned what I was and not the other way around. I think it was more of an “I am” to “I am” and entrepreneur and the clairvoyance of the reality is something that I actually experience every day. I think mindset has plenty to do with people who believe in achieving something. They get their beliefs turned around by Naysayers that say stuff like “Oh, you’re faking it till you make it.” If anyone ever said anything like to me, I would identify, weigh, measure and sell them to the lowest bidder in the group and move on. After all there are thousands of people that you have not met and there is a high percentage of them who are going to like and support you in your entrepreneur journey.
Tracy: What is your current offer and what is your magic?
Preston: My magic when it comes to an offer is that my most recent business is positioned to be a Social Networking and Social Media Phenomenon. Although I am not sure of which it will have the greatest impact, I do know that everything I have learned has lead me to this place where I will be coined for phrases like “Taking Social Networking to the Virtual Stage”. I began working on the business plan as soon as it dawned on me that the innovative thought leader in me has come up with something that not only others are saying is brilliant but others too.
It started with 6 Hour Social Media Networking Event where Solopreneurs, Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners meet each other socially with an introduction about themselves and their business and get to know each other on their social media platforms while I trained them as a social media strategist in social media tips. I charged $10 and held it in a 1.7M property with a catered lunch.
