As we grow from our childhood years, we begin to form friendships with people outside of our parents and family and these are the sort of bonds we need to forge as we embark on our work careers. It’s everything from the manager who wants his staff to succeed because he sees the benefits to the company, but also the colleague(s) you can have a laugh with in the kitchen when you’re waiting for the kettle to boil.
Starting off as a sole trader or even micro company can be hard; I’ve seen so many people with a great service or product(s) that are unable to find the ways to reach out and communicate what their business offers and engage with new clients or customers. It’s not easy for sure, especially when you’re genuine in a world that is competitive and the economy is not doing well.
Putting yourself out there is hard for a lot of business owners; you have to meet the right people, avoid the ones who want to sign you up for services they are very good at telling you are vital for your success and why wouldn’t you believe the person who charges you £90 to be listed in a business directory which he assures you comes up on page 2 of a search engine.
There are a lot of online network groups you can join and see who you feel would potentially be good to have a longer 1 to 1 chat with at a later date and time. Each network group has its own vibe and people and it’s important not to think that just because one locality group didn’t work that a different group won’t. You will probably have to work around the fact that most people are in “output” mode, ie they just want to tell you what they do and haven’t switched “inbound” mode, so if you feel there is potential, just ask to link and chat. Remember that it might be their first time networking so they might be just as nervous as you.
I was really pleased today to catch up with a local business membership advisor, someone I’ve known for quite a few years. He’s always happy to meet new people and will signpost you to link with companies and individuals he thinks can help you. He has now started a group on this community, so if you need any help, don’t hesitate to reach out to him. Even if he’s not in your area, he will probably be able to connect you with someone locally based to you.
Check out the “Small Business Support” group !
