Scratch the Surface

Identity Magazine, April 2008

BY KIMBERLY ELMORE

As a kid, Laura Occhipinti sold vegetables on her grandparents' front lawn and made greeting cards and sold them to her parents. As a young adult, she went through furniture put out for garbage and sold it at garage sales.

Laura had an entrepreneurial spirit from a young age. So, it's no surprise that as an adult, Laura founded her own business, New Jersey Young Professionals (NJYP). NJYP is a social networking organization that helps people, as the tagline suggests: Get out. Make friends. There are thousands of members (ages 21-39) and 20 to 30 official events per month. NJYP members meet at restaurants, bars, coffee houses, comedy clubs, and at outdoor events. They get together to taste wine, to network, play board games, hike, bike, and so much more.

Laura founded NJYP on February 22, 2004, after relocating from Bergen County to Somerset County. Although the move wasn't far in length, Laura suddenly found that her friends were too far away to get together for happy hours, coffee, movies, etc. She wanted to make new friends, but had no idea how to go about doing so.

Even though she was single, she didn't want to join a "singles group". She was not looking for dates but rather for friendships to transform into a social circle. She founded the group on Yahoo, hoping that there were others out there who were also looking to make friends. To Laura's surprise, there were plenty of people out there just like her. NJYP went from one member to 2,000 members within a year, and up to 6,000 members by the second year. NJYP is now a registered organization that holds events throughout the Garden State, from Bergen County all the way down to Camden County.

Prior to founding NJYP, I worked in social services with out-of-control kids, said Laura. For the first two years, I worked on NJYP before work, on my lunch break, at night, and on the weekends. I was working all the time for at least a year, but I was passionate about making NJYP a business so it didn't feel like work.

What started out as a way to make friends has become Laura's livelihood. Two years after establishing her group on Yahoo, she was able to quit her job and work on NJYP full-time. Laura does everything because she has no staff. Most of her week is spent on internal marketing and customer service. She also sets up all the events and hosts about 90% of them.

It really helps you meet people face to face, and those who come out to the events are generally looking for the same thing, to meet other young professionals who live and work in New Jersey, said Laura. We do lots of happy hours, networking dinners, and speed dating events.

Laura has found her experience at establishing her own organization to be both challenging and rewarding.

There is no handbook on how to run a social networking organization, so I think I figured out a lot by trial and error, said Laura. I hear stories all the time about TONS of people who have made new friends and connections. Plus, there have been 10 engagements/marriages so far, which is rewarding to hear.

For those who are thinking of starting their own business, Laura suggests doing it as a side business until you determine if it will work.

Go with your gut! Make sure you are passionate about what you are doing, said Laura. I mostly work in my pj's from the comfort of my home. That, to me, is success.

Laura plans to expand her social networking events to Camden County because she currently doesn't have any events in the Philadelphia area and there is a need there. To learn more about NJYP, to sign up for a free basic membership, and to find out what events are happening in your area, visit http://www.njyp.org/.