Learn From Proven Entrepreneurs

Jesse Stay wants to bring Lunch 2.0 to Salt Lake City and asked me how it works. Since others have been asking how to bring Lunch 2.0 to their cities, I thought I’d respond to Jesse in a blog post that lists some of the common questions I’ve been getting.

What are the rules?

You don’t need anyone’s permission to start setting up a Lunch 2.0 in your city. And no one will impose a format on you.

I can tell you the format I use, but you’re free to do it your way. This is how I do it:

noon to 1:00 – guests walk around, eat and mix

1:00 to 1:10 – the local Lunch 2.0 organizers introduce themselves and the hosting company introduces itself.

1:10 to 2:00 – guests walk around, eat and mix

What’s the best way to get started?

The hardest part is finding the first company that’ll take a chance and invite people in. Once you’ve got that, everything else is snap. I recommend talking to the company you work for or asking your friends to check in with their companies. (Don’t be discouraged if it takes longer than you’d like. It took me months to find my first company.)

I’ve found these two departments to be most receptive to doing a Lunch 2.0: Business Development & Human Resources. Check in with them.

This interview with Woody Pewitt of Microsoft can help companies understand the benefits of doing Lunch 2.0

How can you grow your Lunch 2.0?

At every lunch you do thank your guests for coming and announce that you’re looking for other companies to host a lunch at their office. I get 2-5 business cards after each of these announcements.

You can also send a follow-up email asking for other lunch spots.

How do you promote Lunch 2.0?

Once you’ve confirmed your date and location, post it to the Lunch 2.0 blog (I can help you do that), invite everyone you know in tech, and ask some local tech groups to help you spread the word.