Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Morlando.
Hi Laura, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Hi friends! I’m Laura Morlando The Stress Commando and I help professionals and businesses network stress-free, work stress-free and look stress-free so they can be more effective and confident. My journey towards becoming The Stress Commando and CEO you see today revolves around two trajectory-changing moments in my life, both relating to stress. The first was when my Dad was diagnosed with two rare forms of cancer, which happened to coincide with the time he was under the most stress in his life. His illness was my wake-up call to adjust the way I was stressing through life, climbing the corporate ladder, and burning the candle at both ends. Keep in mind that I was an executive at the time and controlled my own schedule and team. As was protocol, I informed my boss of my out-of-office coverage plans while I was taking 1 of my 12 weeks of accrued vacation time off to visit my Dad. And to my astonishment, my boss’s response was, “We’ll see if we can approve this for you.” Approval? I was dumbfounded…I didn’t need approval as an executive nor had I needed it previously. Anyone who knows me knows that family is my number 1 priority. So, it was at that moment that I decided to change my world and become an entrepreneur. Thus The Stress Commando was born. I was determined to help other stressed-out professionals like me by Combatting Stress One Solution At A Time.
Fast forward 14 years, and I found myself in another stressful health situation (my second trajectory-changing moment). Except for this time the health challenge was about me! I received the official diagnosis of Autoimmune and Lyme disease. I was crushed when I heard the words come out of my doctor’s mouth. But, as is the Stress Commando way, I looked at the positive aspects of my situation and stayed in gratitude and faith. After months of cognitive decline, physical challenges, pain, and extensive treatments, I devoted my time and energy to creating a new opportunity and pivoting my entire Stress Commando business online. The new opportunity that was born was Laura Morlando, CEO and Founder of Down and Dirty Networking. The idea was to create a community that fostered a collaborative environment; where every professional could feel supported through challenges, ask and receive help, seek feedback, and truly connect with fellow members to have meaningful conversations and make lasting relationships. When creating Down and Dirty Networking, I leveraged my connections and my 16+ years as a networking trainer and speaker while engaging the collective brainpower of other professionals and friends. And I am proud to say I executed this in a way that has allowed me to manage and scale the business stress-free while strengthening my connections. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. And while I still struggle with physical and cognitive challenges, I have learned that as long as I am willing to team up with others, I will always find a way to create opportunities for myself and the members of my community.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Overall, it has been a joy to launch Down and Dirty Networking and connect with other professionals. As it is a virtual business model, it is by design, a lean business model. But as any entrepreneur knows, it hasn’t been all rainbows and unicorns. It has been a ton of work and I have had to learn many new skills along the way. In regards to myself, I’ve learned how to best manage my health while still maintaining a high level of effectiveness in my business. I have also learned to give myself grace, realizing that although I’m giving 100%, the 100% may look different from day to day…and that’s OK. Being realistic about my limits is what allows me to lean on my community when I need them. And isn’t this a skill we all need to develop? Recognizing and acknowledging where we may not be as strong and reaching out to our trusted advisors and colleagues to fill in the gaps. Working on this skill has probably been the hardest for me, but I’m so glad I’ve been honing it as it has allowed me to deliver consistent, high-quality content to our members.
In addition to these soft skills, I have also learned various hard skills required to deliver on the Down and Dirty Networking mission statement: to build an extraordinarily supportive online community of diverse business professionals and entrepreneurs that Coelevate, Collaborate, and Connect in a positive no-muss environment. For example, I have learned new social media strategies, online community development, various online platforms, and so much more.
Our largest challenge has been overcoming the preconceived notion of the transactional nature of networking and showing prospective members that, despite their trepidation, Down and Dirty Networking is relational networking. We work very hard to ensure, through our platform, that both current and prospective members get a value-add experience in every interaction. Our Vision is to eradicate all of the mind-numbing Fluff and torture of traditional networking and to provide a FUN and innovative experience for meaningful conversations, connections, and relationships. We provide business professionals the opportunity to belong to a supportive, energizing, and collaborative networking community.
The bottom line is that although we have needed to make some pivots and turns, we are experiencing intentional, progressive growth and we are profitable. I celebrate these as huge wins. And, as I mentioned before, where there’s a will, there’s a way. So, while there have been struggles, utilizing collaboration has allowed me to create opportunities and inspiration for a whole community of professionals that didn’t exist before.
As you know, we’re big fans of Down and Dirty Networking. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We are a 100% relational networking community designed around Cutting the Fluff of Traditional Networking and supercharging the success of our members. As stated previously, our mission is to build an extraordinarily supportive online community of diverse business professionals and entrepreneurs that Coelevate, Collaborate, and Connect in a positive no-muss environment.
It is very important for us to eradicate all of the mind-numbing Fluff and torture of traditional networking and to provide a FUN and innovative experience for meaningful conversations, connections, and relationships. In business, you should never feel like you are all alone, like you’re stranded on a desert island in regards to what you are going through. Whether you would like someone to celebrate your wins, someone to support you through a challenging situation, or need a sounding board, we’ve got you covered in the Down and Dirty Networking community. All of our members enjoy 24/7 access to a virtual community, which equates to support at your fingertips. So, no matter what time of day it is, if you don’t want to be alone, you don’t have to be! Our platform allows our members to give and receive support in the way of ideas, resources, and opportunities.
Everyone wants to feel seen, heard, and valued. This is why we created an innovative culture focused on enriching the member experience. One of our goals is that by the end of every event, each person in attendance will feel an increase in their vibrational energy and will have gleaned value. One of the ways we achieve this is by including professionals from all industries and all professions. Embracing this diversity is what gives our members a 360-degree view of their challenge or situation. And not only do they feel seen, heard, and valued, but they also walk away with nuggets of wisdom that they can immediately implement in their business or job.
Recently, both members and prospective members have described our community as a mini-mastermind. We love this language as we have worked hard to create an easy button for fun, innovation, positivity, and connection all in one. You can take the time to scour the internet, but we can promise you that this platform and culture don’t exist anywhere else.
Every so many months, we hold a 90-minute Virtual Sneak Peek event to provide you with a bona fide experience of what Down and Dirty Networking is and what it isn’t. Attending these Sneak Peek Events is what qualifies you to become a member of our community. If you feel that you align with what we have shared so far, we would love to have you come and check us out!
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
LinkedIn is our company hub. We love for people to engage with and share our content on LinkedIn. We currently post high-value networking tips, articles, videos, and advice 5 days per week, so don’t miss out. Follow us today!
A huge support to us would be to both attend and help us spread the word regarding our Sneak Peek events. When registration is open, these events can be found on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Eventbrite so sharing or commenting on the events in any of these platforms helps us gain traction and brings additional value to our community. Between event registrations, you can join the waitlist for our next Sneak Peek by clicking the following link:
As the Founder and CEO of Down and Dirty Networking, I love to meet new people to Coelevate, Collaborate and Connect. So, feel free to connect with me via email or direct message on the Down and Dirty Networking LinkedIn or Facebook pages.
Contact Info:
- Email: yourfriends@downanddirtynetworking.com
- Website: https://www.downanddirtynetworking.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DownandDirtyNetworking
- Youtube: https://tiny.one/OurYouTubeChannel
- Other: https://tiny.one/waitlist
