Networking Makes Us Stronger
May 19, 2009 | By
Webster's Dictionary says the definition of networking is, "an informal system whereby persons having common interests assist each other."
Now, let me ask you this...do you network? Do you chat with other business owners? If you don't do it very often, let me encourage you to give it a try. These business owners don't necessarily need to do the same type of business you do, but if they do, that's ok! In fact, I would encourage you to talk to people who don't do the same type of business you do. Seek out someone whose business is different from yours to get a different perspective on how they operate.
Many of us who have our own small businesses find it hard to have enough time in a day as it is. And I'm sure you are sitting there reading this and thinking, she wants me to add something else to my plate? Most of us have full-time day jobs, families, our businesses and more to take care of and find that taking a few more minutes to add something else to our busy lives just isn't possible.
That's probably true, but taking just a few minutes out of a week to network and chat with other businesses owners could prove invaluable to your own business. Recently I've had the opportunity to work with some business owners on a couple different projects. Being able to talk to them and see how they run things has taught me some ideas that I want to impliment in to my own business. While a few of the ideas we talked about were already familiar to me, I wasn't doing them with my business. Now I am and they are starting to work!
Being able to talk with someone who knows what I'm going through with my business is nice. Most of my close friends and family aren't business owners and don't understand what I do or what I'm going through. But the other owners I chat with from time to time know exactly what I'm talking about and they are eager to listen. We talk about everything from pain-in-the-butt customers, to shipping our orders and everything in between. We trade ideas, give positive and negative feedback and, in the end, we all walk away feeling better because we've found a "friend" in the business world who feels our pain!
I encourage you to find time to network with other business owners. Finding a "mentor" or someone who understands what you are dealing with could turn out to be the best "investment" you make for your business!
Dawn is the owner and jewelry designer for SHADES Jewelry located in Southeast Ohio. She is available for marketing and advertising help anytime, just send her an email at shadesjewelry@aol.com. Her jewelry can be seen at Etsy studio.
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