Running a small business requires countless due diligence in a variety of areas on the part of the business owner. Many times they may have to get entangled with projects they never knew anything about beforehand, but are thrown into the fire and have to make real decisions that correlate with strict deadlines and requirements. It is those decisions that can truly break you and your business down if you make errors in judgment or the flat out wrong decision. As a result many SME entrepreneurs end up paying money they didn't have in order to correct what could have been avoided in the first place by consulting the appropriate channels in an effort to make more educated decisions. This is one of the many critical reasons to develop and maintain a strong network. It has been proven that those with stronger networks can rely upon it successfully in business, where those without are simply alone in the Matrix. Here’s how to enhance yours.
Social media
I've said it before and I’ll continue to say it. The social medias are where all the action is nowadays. If you haven’t established a network yet, than look no further for your starting point. Absolute ground zero of developing a network is to be an active member of the social media available and applicable to you. For business owners Linkdin and Facebook would be a given, for a number of reasons too. Both are designed to help you connect with other people and/or entities. Twitter is also a valued medium, though less likely to accommodate your need of getting more out of business networking. Regardless of which arena of the SME sector you decide to venture down, Facebook and Linkedin would be absolutely essential in establishing an Internet presence, and certainly integral for SEO continuity.Get deep with it
Maximizing your online presence is a dance in itself and often can require the advice and help of your connections in order to make the most educated decisions. This is where networking can be one of your strongest tools, with the development of your strategy based on valuable information achieved through your network. You need to make sure your social networks are breathing with content that delivers your brand into the minds of the people you are reaching out to. Keep that sector like a fine tuned machine by maintaining it on a daily basis and being current on your information and content. Small businesses may choose to outsource some of this work to the wiz-kids or quick thinkers ready to make a buck and in some cases it is a necessity to do so. Outsourcing can be a very effective component of networking success.Join clubs and forums
Get involved with special clubs or programs for people working in the industry you are involved with. There are also forums for everything you can think of and they can be of real value in developing a solid and broadened network. While these options may lead to a less focused approach strictly by the numbers and anonymity of online forums, some strategic participation could lead to a few very solid connections. It’s important to get out there as an entrepreneur, identifying resources available to you and learning how to capitalize on them. In some cases you may be surprised what is out there in the form of free mentoring or advice from consultants who are willing to do some pro bono work in an effort to help you along.Ask for help
As consultants, sometimes we give that kind of support to people who ask for it because we want them to succeed and so we’ll do what we can. The key here is as a small business owner you have to put yourself out there and take some risks of vulnerability in order to get something going in the mix. You have to earn these things through humility.Take advantage of government schemes
The government has national support programs that were assembled and designed to specifically suit the business need. They offer areas of support for: • Mentoring – Services offered to help mentor young and inexperienced SME owners to help boost their networking and knowledge base. • Manufacturing – The MAS provides support for manufacturing businesses that need assistance in manufacturing, innovation, supply chain management, etc. • Growth - Advice and support in fostering a business’s growth potential • Trade and investment – Financial advice on how to appropriately work with capital and cash on hand. It also provides networking contacts for all things related to trade, including importing, exporting, mobile commerce, etc. • Technology – This sector offers specific help for technological businesses, including consultation and support to R&D and innovation Get involved with these programs as they apply to your business. Find additional programs and summits that are privately run by professionals looking for something more, such as a TED conference or similar conventions. It’s out there, and you will find the most dedicated entrepreneurs diving into these for the purpose of networking, as well as personal growth.The love you make is…
One of the most important aspects in developing a solid network is learning the valuable lesson of paying it forward. In the networking world, paying it forward is essential for keeping that positivity surrounding your brand. One way to accomplish this is to put yourself out there as a mentor for someone else. Most importantly, you are doing it for the benefit of that person and their growth potential. But the fact is, you will also benefit from being a mentor as you learn your own lessons through teaching others. A solid mentor/mentee relationship rewards both parties. It goes without saying, but since we’re talking about it, I’ll say it. You need to do everything in your power to develop a strong and reliable network if you are going to survive in this complicated world of business. If you haven’t figured that out yet than maybe business isn't for you. For the rest of us, we can use these tools given to us, such as Facebook ,Twitter, Linkdin, etc., to create a true representation of ourselves, not in the sense of our physical self, though that self would be included as a part of this self, but a digital version of the self to associate a good name with, in an effort to continue progressing our careers forward, flourishing as we push on, boats against the………oh, never mind.The post Networking is the one of the most important thing a small business owner should do appeared first on ezbob.