Networking is of crucial importance to anyone who owns and operates a small business. Networking provides small business leaders with a number of great benefits that can help the business grow and succeed overall. The Internet is a great place to begin building contacts to network with. Another way to get started with networking is to invite guests to a meet and greet event at your company. There are also plenty of organizations that can be joined and conferences that can be attended to facilitate networking. Cross-promotion and volunteering also afford excellent networking opportunities. Finally, the most important step in networking is to always follow up on your contacts and leads.
Key Takeaways:
- Make friends with other entrepreneurs by guest-writing on their blogs, or by following them on social media in order to build up a solid reputation with them.
- Host some local meet and greets that are equipped with some exercises that will help you and other business owners get to know each other on a more personable level.
- A great way to make yourself more well-known and visible in your community is by volunteering whenever possible. This also will show other entrepreneurs how dedicated and compassionate you are.
“As a small business owner, you probably don’t have a lot of time. But it’s important to carve out a bit of time to network, especially with other small businesses. You’re probably thinking, “But time is money,” and you’re right. If done correctly, this small investment of time could be worth a lot of money.”
Read more: https://www.fundera.com/blog/network-with-other-small-businesses