On April 29, 2010, I won the biggest gift in all my life: a round trip for two to Vancouver, BC that included accommodations for four days, three nights and airfare. I have always wanted to travel to Canada - even more after the Olympics were held in Vancouver.

I have always been a fan of networking to meet contacts and grow my business, especially in our current economy. I just never thought it would lead to a great vacation.

I try my hardest to meet with the Executive Referral Group for networking in East Orlando every Wednesday and every Thursday I attend Coffee Club at the Marriott Airport to start my mornings off right. The groups have very diverse attendees and I have grown my business considerably by becoming a part of their families.

Being a small business owner can be tough in times like these when everyone is struggling financially. The success and growth of a business can really depend on the people you know and how you can reach potential clients. For me, networking is my preferred method and I would recommend it to anyone as part of their business plan. It even comes with a few surprises every now and then, like a vacation.

I heard about the CUE networking event from Coffee Club and thought I would give it a try. CUE, which stands for Connect, Unwind and Escape, puts a new spin on networking. At this event, Orlando locals are invited to the Orlando Airport Marriott pool area for a night of networking, food and fun. It’s an amazing opportunity to make new friends and even connect with old ones. I have to say, my night started off simply enough, as I mingled about enjoying wonderful food, listening to great music and meeting new friends.

At the end of the night, they did the drawing for the trip and called my name. Me. I couldn’t believe it, I was so excited I felt like I was going to pass out. I have never won anything like this in my life.

Now, let me say that some people only think about what’s in it for them. To me, you get what you get when you believe. I have always felt that if you believe and have faith it will happen. The trip was just another example of that mantra for me.

It’s all about the positive attitude. The first week I was a guest at Coffee Club, I made two great contacts for fundraising and three leading to people interested in my business. On the second week at Coffee Club, I won two cookbooks. On the third week, they were giving away tickets to the CUE Networking event and I won those as well.

At this point I was feeling on top of the world. People say I am very lucky, but I say it’s just a reward for a positive attitude. On the way to the CUE event I said, “Lord, if this is meant to be, let me win and surprise my husband with this trip.” And then I won.

For me, networking has enriched my life in so many ways, now both professionally and personally. It has opened so many doors for me I would not otherwise have access to.

My advice to anyone is that you just need to take advantage of every opportunity you can and put yourself out there. You never know what possibilities might come your way by meeting someone new. Who knows, you could even win a free vacation.

Article by Carol Giddens