By Sean Neylon
What is the Milwaukee Breakfast Club?
The Milwaukee Breakfast Club (MBC) is a business-to-business networking group that meets every other Tuesday morning at the Perkins on Highway 100 from 7:30–9am. Just in case you are wondering, the act of networking is meeting with people to build meaningful professional relationships, hopefully creating future opportunities for those involved. The MBC is designed as a safe space where anybody can practice or learn how to network to develop lasting connections.
Who is John Anderson?
John is the Director of MBC. Prior to launching John Anderson Realty through Lannon Stone Realty, he had 30 years’ experience in commercial, mortgage, and personal banking. Until 2007, John was a member of the MBC, then known as the Milwaukee Networking Group, but he left due to a job change. He wanted to join again in 2014, but his application got rejected. That motivated him to start a more accessible version of the group—one that wasn’t exclusive or limited to certain people. This is what led John to restart the MBC, which has now been hosted by him since 2014.
What Makes a Networking Event Successful?
Networking events can only be successful if those going to it find real value in attending. According to John, successful networking requires enjoying communication and actively engaging with others. It is not about trying to promote yourself. Overall, participation and genuine interest are the most important keys to turning a boring event into one that builds meaningful professional connections.
How Does John Run His Networking Events?
John holds bimonthly meetings for the MBC, which originally started with an attendance of only six people. It later grew to around sixty people before COVID. Today, the group usually brings in about twenty to forty attendees per meeting. For one hour and thirty minutes, John runs each meetup with a structured agenda, which hasn’t changed much since 2014 as it has proven itself to be truly effective. Different people take on roles—there are greeters, featured speakers, a quizmaster, and more—to guide the meeting and make networking easier for everyone. This structure guides participants to feel comfortable and ready to share while networking.
What Sets the Milwaukee Breakfast Club Apart?
John emphasizes two things, which are building trust and making meaningful relationships. The MBC is also beginner-friendly, providing a low-stress environment where guests can safely practice networking. This combination of having a welcoming nature and powerful outlook makes it a valuable tool for anybody on either side of the spectrum. Whether someone is new to networking or looking to hone their communication skills, the MBC provides a supportive environment to do those things.
A Success Story: The Real World Impact of Networking
One of John’s strongest and longest professional friendships is with Derek, and their relationship has been around twenty years long. Derek did business with the bank that John banked with for a while during the early stages of their careers. Derek now knows a great deal about venturing and gained much of that knowledge through his networking experiences in the MBC. Today, John and Derek continue to support each other professionally, which demonstrates the long-term value that the MBC aims to create.
Tips for Attendees
John’s advice for any networking event is to make sure that attendees are confident in what they do and say. In order to be successful in doing those things, here are some tips to follow during networking events:
- Bring business cards
- Have a pitch ready
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- Three-minute pitch for a presentation
- One-minute pitch for meeting with someone
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- Practice and prepare
Being prepared and participating fully helps tremendously with appearing confident and ensures you get the most value out of networking events.
Mini Bio On the Author
Sean Neylon is a Junior at Brookfield East High School with an interest in Business and Statistics. Outside of school, he enjoys football, basketball, and tennis. Sean participated in the Elmbrook School District’s LAUNCH program. For his particular project, Sean wrote this blog post, as well as helped plan and host a networking event for students.
