Networking has been one of the hardest things for me to embrace as a business owner, personally, as I have found myself quite shy when in business networking environments.
As a virtual assistant, I have the luxury of working from home. I am no longer in an office environment surrounded by colleagues, so networking opportunities are valuable social opportunities.
Some days have been easy to book a morning meeting and then go to the coffee catch-up nearby straight after. Other times, it has been challenging to get ready and leave the house just for this event.
Often, I have found myself nervous and anxious ahead of the events, but when I push myself forward, I have a great time.
With that said, here are some of my top tips for what helped me, and I hope they help you:
Find your people.
Don’t be afraid to walk away from some groups and find new ones, and don’t go back to the groups that don’t feel right.
In the right group, you want to feel comfortable and enjoy spending time with them. You also want to be around people who are likely to hire you. This might mean visiting several groups before you find the right one.
Add the calendar to your diary.
Be ready to attend regularly. The more time you spend in the group, the faster you will become a core member. Allow yourself the blocks of time to take a break from work and enjoy the company of others.
Be a social butterfly.
At the event, talk to as many people as you can. Push yourself to meet at least one new person at each event and connect on socials to keep in touch.
Connect on social media.
After the event, connect with the new people you have met on their social media platforms. That will build up their positive engagement and the algorithm for their accounts, and often, in turn, they will do it for you.
This is also a great way to ensure you know who will be attending the next catch-up, which can be comforting to know someone you know will be there.
Benefits of networking
You can gain additional work from the people you meet, but also, the opportunity for word of mouth about you increases.
So even when you’re afraid, get dressed and go anyway!