The Importance of Networking for Entrepreneurs

As an entrepreneur, your main goal is what? Making your business a strong and healthy organization, right? Well, there are several steps to making your Company thrive and one of those very important steps is networking. Without properly networking, you won’t get the same traction or interaction that you are looking to have for your business. You may be thinking, how can I begin to properly network for my business? I have taken the time to outline some very important key points for you and I hope that you find them helpful and informative.

Have A Plan

It is important that you start with a plan. You need to sit down and write out all the names you can think of (in several different businesses) that you feel like you would need to connect with to be wildly successful. While it’s true that you may not get to meet all of these people, a pattern will emerge and you’ll have a much better sense of the kind of people (and groups) you are interested in networking with. Of course, make sure you are picking key groups and people that are in your industry, but don’t be afraid to branch out. For instance, with SEVEN we have people from various industries and this often leads to them learning about other’s businesses and using them in the future if a need arises. This can be very helpful on a personal level, but also for your Company as a whole.

Time Is Valuable

While you shouldn’t be afraid to branch out a little, you should be aware of how important your time is. As an entrepreneur, time is money and you need to be spending all the time you have in a wise manner. When choosing groups to join or check out, be strategic with your efforts and know from the start how these groups will benefit your business life. Remember to always be confident at these events and make sure to act as if you want everyone to be comfortable. People respond well to this approach and you will find that this tactic makes you feel even more comfortable than you already felt. Like I said before, be strategic in your approach and remember that your time is very important. Your goal shouldn’t be to rack up as many business cards as possible, but to make real connections that will help your business thrive.

Pay It Forward

Finally, make sure that you are “paying it forward” in a sense. People will likely be interested and asking about your business. They may even offer some bit of advice and help. You should extend the same graciousness to them and do it all with a smile on your face. After all, we entrepreneurs have to stick together!

What kind of networking events are you interested in joining?