Small Office, Home Office Information |
| More About Networking Well you can see that I’m having one of those days when it’s a weekday and my first post isn’t till well after lunch. I certainly got up early enough – around 4am but things just haven’t stopped happening till now. Actually that’s not exactly true either because the phone has rung several times since I sat down to write this but I think things are now under control and I have the rest of my day back on schedule. Yesterday I talked about how important networking can be to your business. And that importance is there whether your business has a bricks and mortar presence or a completely cyber space type one like Toni and I do. But, whatever type of small business you have, how do you network? Well some of those networks are strictly informal and often those informal networks are the most productive. The example I gave yesterday is a perfect example of an informal network and, while both our friend and we work in cyber space, that type of informal network can exist in the real world too. In one country town that I worked in I networked with a number of people and the same thing can work for you in the real world. A little information shared brought more information in return and I know some otherwise unrelated small businesses that network like that and it’s beneficial to everyone. In cyber space you can do a lot of networking on industry related message boards and on blogs too. Once again, the example I gave yesterday, all originated from a brief contact on a message board several years ago. So don’t be slow in looking for those message boards and blogs that are out there that relate to your business. Join them the boards and post on them and engage in the conversations that you will find going on there. It’s the same with blogs – right now Martin Neumann from Home Office Voice and I are engaging in some discussion about computer monitors and it looks as though I’ve helped him see how dual monitors can improve his productivity. I’m sure that somewhere in the future that help will be reciprocated. More formal networks are important too and local business related bodies such as the Chamber of Commerce is a good place to meet others and network. Seriously
people if you aren’t networking then you really are missing out
on some great opportunities and information that can be vital to the success
of your business. 13 Sep 2005 |
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