Kappa doesn’t stop at graduation. It’s only the beginning.
By Guest Blogger Lindsay Bell, Bowling Green
Little did I realize that Kappa would be the foundation of my future business, and be the source of most of my wonderful friends, colleagues, employees and clients.
Photo by: www.ladyappleton.com
My friend Lindsey and I (yes, we both have the same name) showed up wearing the same outfit the day we met. We were introduced through the Kappa Alumnae Association in NYC. She was baby-sitting for a few families in the city and asked if I wanted to tag team them with her. Of course! Having moved to NYC three weeks prior, I was homesick and very much wanted to do what made me feel at home … baby-sitting. Our friendship grew and so did our baby-sitting business, which later became known as Lucky Lil’ Darlings (LLD).
Over time I continued to network with Kappas, informing them about our baby-sitting business. I spoke to local Kappa chapters, attended monthly events, networked through Kappa alumnae association emails. You name it, I did it. Many of the Kappas I met loved the idea of baby-sitting on the side, so we’d have them sign up to help us with the increasing demand. Today nearly 20 percent of my troupe is staffed with Kappas!
Lindsey since moved home to the West Coast and we remain great friends, but I now run LLD with two new business partners. I continue to see the true need for reliable, fun, smart child care providers, so I expanded outside of Manhattan. With expansion, I created the city coordinator role. To find trustworthy women to take care of the Lucky Lil’ Darlings in our outer cities, I again turned to Kappa. I reached out to my sorority sisters from college and our local alumna group pitching LLD, and later hired two Kappa women to help me grow my business in these outer cities.
I am always excited when a new sitter candidate tells me she is a Kappa. I love the instant connection, and many of the qualities I look for in a sitter are the same as what Kappa seeks during Recruitment. Thanks, dear old KKG, for the prescreening! Many Kappa moms and moms-to-be reach out to me looking to book our sitters. And every time I tell them my story, an instant connection is formed.
I encourage you to run with the network Kappa has provided and don’t lose touch. You never know where it could lead you next. I would never have guessed Kappa would still be such a large part of my life seven years after graduation … but it is.