One of the hardest things about working for myself from home is the isolation that can come from working five days a week (often six), with only the family pet for company.
Ideas that sound great when I run them past Muffy sometimes sound stupid when I mention them to a client. Convincing myself that I am doing the right thing, when there is no-one in ‘the office’ to agree or disagree, is more challenging than I would like.
Which is why a lot of owners of small businesses go business networking.
A whole raft of groups have sprung up across the country offering breakfasts, lunches, or evening events, where we can go to widen our business network, enhance our ability to pitch for business and get invaluable tips from those who are in the same situation.
I’m currently a member of two of the more well-known national groups and since I started networking regularly, I’ve found that business opportunities are becoming more common.
I wouldn’t yet say that Martin Warrillow Publishing Services is anything like a roaring success, but I do feel much more confident about the future than I did six months ago.
If you’re a part of the networking world, you probably won’t need to ask the names of the well-known groups; if you aren’t but feel you should be, reply to this blog and I’ll email you some details.
One of the things I’ve learned about networking etiquette is that you should never denigrate another group in public. It can be embarrassing when someone you meet turns out to be a member of a group which you have just been loudly denouncing in another conversation ten feet away.
So I won’t do that but I will tell you about one of my favourite groups. Shortly before the end of summer 2011, a friend who is a lifecoach and fellow naturist told me about the Nationwide Alliance of Business Owners. He is a member of one of their groups in Leicester and although I felt that was too far to travel at 6.30am every other Friday, a spot of Googling uncovered a group in Solihull. That’s just half-an-hour down the M42 at that time of day, so I decided to give it a try.
Part of the secret of business networking in this fashion is finding the right mix of people. I’ve been to groups where you could feel noses being turned up at you. I’ve been to groups full of interesting people, but out of which I was never going to get any paid work.
And then there was NABO Solihull; I’m not one for joining things straight away (I can’t afford it) but I joined after just one two-hour meeting. It was full of friendly people going through the same problems which I was facing, as well as people with years of experience who knew how to put us right.
We had a laugh and a smile, some interesting discussion and I felt this was going to be the right thing to do. Within two weeks, I had won enough work to pay my annual membership fee.
Since then, a lot of the group have become good friends, people I can turn to for advice as to how MWPS can move forward. That’s what business networking is designed to provide but I think very few groups do it as well as Solihull NABO.
Our members include a web designer, a couple of business advisers, a learning and development consultant, three accountants, an acupuncturist, some life coaches, an estate agent, a photographer.....oh, and a freelance journalist and writer.
But we would like some more members; it’s a cliche of business that if you stand still, you go backwards, so we are keen to increase our membership.
We meet every other Friday from 7.30am-9.30am at St John’s Hotel, Solihull. Breakfast costs £12 (although we do a starter deal for new members) and if you’re interested, I can let you have details of annual fees. Just reply to this blog
And if you decide to try us, you’ll hear some of the best elevator pitches on the circuit...
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