The Following is a post by 2010 Compass Fellow: Elizabeth Sabol-Jones:

Mondays are always hectic. The week has just started, morning classes seem never-ending, and the students of Georgetown have to get back into the swing of a week of homework heavy nights supplemented by a good dose of caffeine. Regardless of this typical Monday schedule, there’s one Monday event that never gets repetitive: Compass. And for the week of April 12, Compass was a “sweet” success.

On April 12, Compass Fellows and Mentors made their way to Love Café  on U Street for the weekly module, which consisted of sitting down with Warren Brown, owner of love Café, to discuss how to form strategic partnerships. As an avid baker, I found myself getting more and more excited throughout the day, counting down the minutes until I would be able to ask the renowned bakery owner and Food Network star about his experience and time as a DC café and bakery owner. I was not disappointed.

Stepping into Love Café, I was greeted by comfy seats and a case of cupcakes that looked delicious! The Compass group was guided to a small seating area as we waited for the module to begin. As Warren began talking about his baking experience, I found myself agreeing with most of his comments. As he talked about his diverse background as a lawyer turned baker and business owner, one thing he said in particular forced my face out into a grin. Warren, saying something along the lines of, “A lot of people think baking is difficult because it’s exact and temperamental, they think baking is all in the science, but it’s really about the experience. You throw in a little of this and a bit of that and switch things up. You have to feel the recipe.” Without realizing it, I subconsciously began nodding my head, thinking of how I bake…basically without the use of measuring cups and constantly changing or adding things to my recipes.

Although Warren was talking about the experimental nature of baking, this idea of embracing the unknown directly corresponds to the art of forming strategic partnerships. In Compass, we do not learn a specific method for forming partnerships or networking; there is no exact recipe to reach out to people. Guidelines are our starting point. Just like in baking, you begin with a basic recipe: a little flour, some sugar, butter is a must, and then a smidgen of vanilla; but after the basics, you move on to the unknown: some bananas maybe some pumpkin puree, a bit of cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg. Forming partnerships with people is the same. We each introduce ourselves, exchange stories, and hope for a connection; but honestly, after the formalities, it’s all about the extras, the surprises, and the random combinations that just seem to work and yield results. Forming partnerships does not break down into necessary components that add up to the same results every time, but if you work hard enough and constantly open yourself up to new ideas, you’re bound to get results.

So, thanks Warren, you taught me to “let the chill come off the cupcake,” not to over-flour my batter, and reminded us that partnerships are not preplanned actions. And let me say, getting complimentary cupcakes was definitely the “icing on the cake” for the day.