Meet Julie Schumann | Creator & Visionary at PinPoint Networking

We had the good fortune of connecting with Julie Schumann and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Julie, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My thought process for starting my business, PinPoint Networking, began with the fact that starting a business is hard and costly. Keeping a business going, especially during a pandemic, is even harder. Jumping into business for one’s self and forging a self-directed path is one of the great American dreams. It’s a dream of monetary sufficiency, of working hard and succeeding (however that looks to you), of controlling how many hours a week you work, and when you can take vacations. If successful, your small business will turn fruitful and allow you to pay the bills and retire with ease. But then there is the reality that most small businesses do not survive 10 years. There are record numbers of people that identify with being a micro small business owner, whether that takes the form of a solopreneur, a shop owner, a direct sales associate, a freelancer, or a consultant. Before the pandemic, over 40 million people were working toward the micro small business life and dream. The pandemic has shifted things a lot. Brick and mortar businesses that were thriving were forced to cease and/or limit operations for lengthy periods of time. Women left the workforce at a rate of 4 times that of men. Home offices, pivoting careers, and less reliance on selling within a certain geographic location have become commonplace. But small business plans and structures remain extremely difficult to grow and prosper. PinPoint Networking is a company based on connecting small business owners with each other for the purposes of moral support, problem solving, leads & referrals, and improving reach to the consumer population. With over 1.6 billion websites, social media attention spans declining, and speed scrolling efforts quickening, it really is hard to make a ripple in the vast technological ocean. Small business owners, now more than ever, are relying on each other, to promote each others’ products and services. With geographic walls being broken down, it is possible to connect with new people near, far, and globally to introduce your business concepts, ask for help, and give help. PinPoint Networking is creating the human connection, virtually, through networking meetings, blogs, social media, and community outreach. Communication and connection lay the groundwork for building and growing.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We believe that every small business owner………. -Has a voice and a story to tell. -Should be encouraged not discouraged from “giving it a go.” -Will take their time & process to create, define, redefine, and pivot as necessary. -Will have many days of feeling invisible while striving for the elusive ‘visibility.’ -Should delineate time, daily or weekly, to connect & converse with other small business people. This time feels so much more productive than spending an hour scrolling on social media. We promise! -Deserves to shine and stand out. Look for every opportunity to draw people into your business world. This Shout-Out is a great example! We appreciate it! PinPoint Networking is geared to help you find new connections. PinPoint Networking membership allows you to participate in our coffee meetings, cocktail meetings, conquering the fear of ‘going live’ on Facebook, regional networking meetings, and features in our PinPoint Press Blog Stories. We have non-member, pay-as-you-go, networking and marketing opportunities, as well! The PinPoint Networking difference: Community outreach & charitable giving. Price points strategically aligned with micro business owners. Pay-as-you-go and membership pricing available. Promotion strategies geared to help small businesses expand their reach. We are looking ahead to creating educational meetings for the small business owner and marketer.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Not gonna lie, my free time, my catch up time with my partner, Nick revolves around food and beverage. In normal pre-pandemic times it would also include going to concerts and traveling outside of Colorado. I will not fill this valuable space sending you on hikes or to other fitness pursuits. When the basics of pizza, beer, and seafood are met, I’m pretty happy. Some places of note include: Southern Sun Pub & Brewery (pub food & beer & atmosphere – Boulder), Gastronauts (Pizza – Louisville), Big Mac & Little Lu’s (Seafood – Westminster), Frolic Brewing (Pizza & Beer – Westminster), Liquid Mechanics (Beer & varied food trucks – Lafayette), Hops & Pie (Pizza & Beer – Denver), Sushi Yoshi (Louisville), Satire Brewing (Thornton), and wherever the Temaki Tornado (sushi rolls) food truck happens to be. See ya out there!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
This Shoutout is dedicated to my partner in life, Nick Altomare. Together, we have made some significant changes in life and career during the pandemic. For my part, I closed down a brick and mortar physical therapy/dry needling studio, PinPoint Wellness, and took to the keyboard and virtual meetings to begin creating PinPoint Networking. Nick and I are growing PinPoint Networking in ways that make sense to us. We are fully aware of the financial burdens that dictate how a small business becomes visible, profitable, and sustainable. The adage ‘it takes money to make money’ seems very true these days. We don’t believe every ‘solution’ should be a bank account altering decision with how it impacts your bottom line. Nick and I see eye to eye in providing value, trust, communication, and relationships that foster the best in business growth. Nick has been fortunate to stay busy in his residential real estate career, albeit the pandemic is providing many hurdles, while we grow the best networking company around. Thank you, Nick, as with most everything, I could not do this without you.

Website: www.pinpointnetworking.biz

Instagram: www.instagram.com/pinpointnetworking

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-schumann-pt-mspt-564654a/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/networksmbiz

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pinpointnetworking