Lunch For Success

Entrepreneur & Small Business Academy June Meetup

Posted on 27. May, 2009 by Craig Peters.

We’d like to thank Patrick for inviting us to speak at his Entrepreneur & Small Business Academy June Meetup next week (Monday, June 1st, 5:30 PM). As of today there are 39 spots left, so you can still rsvp if you’re in the area and want to learn about conducting a Power Lunch (as part [...]

Continue Reading

No Wonder it Sounds Stuffy

Posted on 28. Apr, 2009 by Craig Peters.

Those of you who have read our blog before know that our definition of “Power Lunch” is broader than the image of high-powered fat cats with ludicrous expense accounts. Call it a business lunch. Call it a power lunch. We don’t really care. What matters to us is that people get together over a meal [...]

Continue Reading

Prepping Helps You Relax at Your Business Lunch

Posted on 18. Mar, 2009 by Craig Peters.

Knowing what to do and how to handle yourself at a business lunch makes you more comfortable and relaxed, not less.
(If that’s the only thing you read in this post, I’m happy.) I was talking to my brother Charles on the phone last night. A friend of his said something that I hear a lot:
I [...]

Continue Reading

Do I Mourn the End of Boozy Business Lunches?

Posted on 12. Mar, 2009 by Craig Peters.

I like this article by Stuart Jeffries in the Guardian, UK last week “The death of the lunch” (I don’t like the title, however because Lunches aren’t really dead). Here’s the subtitle:
The days of the long boozy business lunch are over. With expense accounts cut to the bone and restaurants closing down, Stuart Jeffries mourns [...]

Continue Reading

Want your Client to be in a Better Mood?

Posted on 09. Mar, 2009 by Craig Peters.

It’s so simple, yet easy to forget: lunch puts people in a good mood.
I had the pleasure of taking a prospective client to lunch recently (I run a web design consultancy in San Francisco). As the CTO for a big division of a multi-national, multi-billion dollar tech company with upwards of 100,000 employees, he’s pretty [...]

Continue Reading

Reports of My Demise are Greatly Exaggerated…

Posted on 04. Mar, 2009 by Richard Chen.

The economy is sucking badly. There’s no way to sugar coat that. I don’t live in a fantasy world where things will magically get better and unfortunately, neither do you. If we wait for the Government to bail us out, we’ll be waiting a long time. If we want our circumstances to improve, we [...]

Continue Reading

Is Your Business Etiquette Good Enough?

Posted on 24. Feb, 2009 by Craig Peters.

We’re not going to teach you etiquette. We’re going to teach you how to use your etiquette and your social skills to develop something bigger: Social Capital. Since you can’t develop Social Capital without a foundation of etiquette and social skills, here’s a quiz.
Business Etiquette Pop Quiz

In preparation for a business lunch, do you need [...]

Continue Reading

Ordering Dessert at a Business Lunch Depends on Your Guest

Posted on 20. Feb, 2009 by Craig Peters.

Should you order dessert at a business lunch? In general, sure, if the conditions are right, go right ahead. Sound’s simple enough–and it actually is simple–but what are the conditions?
Guideline: it’s about your guest, not about you
General guidelines and frameworks are going to serve you better than precise checklists and absolutes. For this dessert question, [...]

Continue Reading

Social Capital Seminar in San Francisco Feb 24

Posted on 18. Feb, 2009 by Craig Peters.

We’ve just been asked to join Sasha Vasilyuk’s Meetup group next week. We’re going to cover Social Capital and how it relates to some timely issues: surviving the recession, presenting yourself well, closing more deals and conducting a successful business lunch or power lunch. Should be fun and informative. If you’re in San Francisco and [...]

Continue Reading

Tough Times - Are the Rules Changing for Who Pays?

Posted on 11. Feb, 2009 by Craig Peters.

I can’t say it enough: a business lunch is an investment. You invite someone to a business lunch when you’ve decided that it’s a good investment. If you’re not going to be able to pick up the tab, then you have to reconsider your plan from the get go. Choose a more affordable venue. Meet [...]

Continue Reading