Every woman can justify the over-sized bags she carries with her every day. She needs her credit cards (sales!), she needs her lip gloss, her lipstick and her lip liner. She needs a translucent powder for midday touch-ups, and medical and dental cards (just in case).

She needs her wallet for holding latte money, change for the parking meter and her drivers license (just. in. case). She needs a pen or two or three - usually in varied colors. She needs a small package of tissues (runny nose season), wet hand wipes (KIDS!), a pad of paper and/or a journal. She needs space for her cell phone when it isn’t glued to her ear, spare earrings in case she loses one that should be glued to her ear and something to tie back her hair so you can see things dangle from her ear.

She needs a tweezers, nail clipper and at least one nail file. She needs unmentionables, a list of things to mention at an upcoming meeting and a pack of gum so as to avoid offending meeting participants.

She needs something to make her stink pretty (mmm…perfume), check her pretty (mirror, mirror) and fix her pretty (oil blotters anyone?).

Women, for as organized as they are, seem to consistently forget to have one very important accessory with them

EVERY

WHERE

THEY

GO.

Business cards.

Several years ago when I worked for a company at the start of my career I was handed a box of business cards.  For the life of me I couldn’t figure out WHY I needed a box of business cards.  It seemed like such an unnecessary expense for the company to incur considering I only worked with the internal team.  As my time at that particular company wore on two things started happening:

1. The company grew
2. My interactions with people from outside of the company increased.

I was finding myself in meetings with vendors and potential vendors.  I was finding myself in meetings with co-workers that I hadn’t met previously.  I quickly learned that instead of writing my name and number down for these people again and again and again I could bring and share my business cards with these individuals.

After some time I was sent to training for the company.  The training was filled with 10 people and an instructor that I didn’t work with or know and would possibly never see again.  But wait!  These people that I spent a week in training with were NICE!  They were INTELLIGENT!  They were in my line of WORK!  Hello networking opportunity, good-bye business cards!

Over the years I have found many uses for my business cards and it is very rare that I don’t have any on me or at least very close to me.  Whether you are self-employed or working for a larger organization there are several occasions for utilizing those business cards like:

1. Training events.
2. Vendor presentations.
3. New hires.
4. Internal meetings with resources you haven’t met previously.
5. Interviews.
6. Networking events.
7. Social outings.
8. Your child’s backpack.
9. Your child’s back pocket (at large public places like zoo’s and museums).
10. Random meetings.
11. Volunteer activities.
12. Client meetings.

There are probably many more times when a business card could be utilized.   Can you think of any that I missed?

I would like to add one disclaimer to my list though.  Never (and I do mean NEVER) share any personal information about yourself with someone that either: (A) gives you the heebie jeebies or (B) is not introduced to you by a trusted contact.  When using your business card in social settings you do NOT give your card to some smokin’ hottie at the end of the bar.  In fact, you do not tell him your last name, the city you live in or the name of the company you work for.

If you aren’t going to exercise caution when sharing your business cards I’m going to have to add to my list of things you never leave home without:

A big mean freakin’ dog. 

And I HONESTLY do not know how you will fit a pit bull into your bag.