You could name this post a million things. “Why is networking Important?”, “How to meet people in your industry” and blah blah blah, but honestly why do we network? What is the underlying reason? Why is YYC Girl Gang such a great thing and why has it exploded so quickly? The answer is actually pretty simple, it’s: Friendship.
We are all seeking to find those people that get us. That “tribe” that understands what we are about and what we are going through on a daily basis. YYC Girl Gang is just that. A positive place to meet other women who run their own businesses, struggle with the same things we do and make every day triumphs just like us. Girl Gang is a spot where we can air our grievances and learn from others. Come to think it; isn’t that exactly what a friend does?
HOW HAS YYC GIRL GANG CHANGED MY LIFE?
5 years ago I was lonely. I had just moved back from Vancouver after a brief stint and adjusting was hard. All my Calgary friends had either moved on, disapeared or flaked off. My wedding was coming up, I had bridesmaid spots to fill and all I could think was “Where are my ride or die girls? What ever happened to my 4-some group of girls like Sex and the City?”
That winter I learnt how to knit & Knitatude kicked off a year later. I did my first couple markets and it was like having the world explode into colour. Other makers!? Who like other makers, and do things with their HANDS!? Shut the front door. Heaven. It actually was at Market Collective that I met some of my best friends now. What started as a “Let’s get some drinks outside of a market” with Amber from Dixie and Twine intro’d me to my closest girlfriends now. I started hanging out with Nicole from Salt Water Tea, Ayla from Gypsy Skulls, Leanne from Little Me Paper Co and Kenzie from Milk & Honey YYC(who we mutually insta-stalked together), the list could go on – 10 girls to be exact. Are you seeing a pattern? It’s the founders of Girl Gang!
YYC Girl Gang has brought me so many girlfriends it’s crazy. Whether they crawled out of the woodwork to comfort me when I was let go from my position in February (Kelly, Sarah and Jackie *wink wink*), to listening to my endless ranting in Instagram threads because of stupid customers, crazy Etsy requests, bouncing ideas off of or just going for coffee. These girls are what YYC Girl Gang is all about & the best part is that I keep meeting new friends at every hang and with every post. Sure I learn things from them every day, but it’s their friendship that keeps me coming back.
I hope you find what you want in Girl Gang because the possibilities are endless. The girls that make up this ever growing group are just a very large gathering of friends with similar interests. Maybe you might find your new best friend. I hope you do!
{{ Chantal is the bossbabe behind Knitatude and El Presidante of YYC Girl Gang. You can usually tell her apart in the crowd by the knits she wears, her crazy coloured hair or her loud and exuberant voice and smile.}}
Follow Chantal on Instagram @knitatude