Meta: All businesses need to network. Find out where the three best places for your company to network and begin to build connections are here!
Whether you have a new business or you have been in your industry for years, you need to make sure that you always network and know where the connections are that will help bring you out on top. There are so many ways to do that, but there are three main ones that you should focus on.
Table of Contents
Your Local Area
One of the first places you should consider is your local area. Even if you are the only business within your industry in your local area, there are still plenty of valuable connections you can make. There are so many other industries all around you, and each one should be able to offer something of value to you. Working with local suppliers means that you can put something back into your local economy – a great goal to have as an entrepreneur.
See if there are any networking or support groups for local businesses in your area. It might be a full organisation, or it might be nothing more than a Facebook group. If you find a void, consider setting something up to fill it. Before you know it, you could have a whole network of other business owners that you could pull on when you have something that needs to be addressed.
Industry Events
Networking in your local area is fantastic, but you also need to make sure that you focus on the UK and international markets for your industry too. One of the best ways to do so will always be to attend events. Find out what and where the next UK-based event for your industry will be and see if you can go; it could be an event organised by RX (https://rxglobal.com/).
At these events, you have the opportunity to make contact with some of the most important people in your industry. Attend panels and discussions – and contribute yourself if you can – and make sure to make as many introductions as possible.
Social media in general is incredibly important for your business, but as an entrepreneur you need to make sure that you network on LinkedIn. It is a fantastic venue to make introductions and share your own insights.
For example, once you have been to that industry event, make sure you chase up on leads and connections made there with a quick message on LinkedIn. It could be the ideal way to get the ball rolling on discussions that could lead to a collaboration between your company and another.
Being able to network is key for entrepreneurs. No matter what, you need to make sure that you are starting conversations and introducing yourself to those who will be able to help your business out the most. The above places are all great locations to make a vital connection or two. If you want to expand the reach of your business, start with some humble networking. You never know what the right connection could be able to offer you, and where it could take your company!
About Carson Derrow
