If you’re a business owner or entrepreneur, your work week probably fluctuates between 50 and 70 hours. That’s just the way it is. Conversely, it is well documented that devoting time to yourself is crucially important for an entrepreneur for purposes of physical and mental well-being. Every list of habits exhibited by successful business owners includes the importance of prioritization and, protecting your time, doing things that genuinely move you and your organization forward.
So how do you prioritize just ‘getting out there’ and meeting new people, you know… networking?
How About This Weather?
Look, it’s hard to walk into a room full of people and get right to engage. That’s, of course, why so many conversations at a networking event start off as meteorologist-to-meteorologist conversations or traffic reports.
Once the ice is broken, though, talking on a 1-to-1 level with multiple people in a relaxed setting can yield exciting outcomes:
- Identifying nascent trends – most of our knowledge of trends in markets, business, and technology is gleaned from the popular business media and very macro. Oftentimes, though, grassroots trends can only be discerned at the grassroots level. Is there a new vertical market starting to form in your locale? Is a new technology emerging or going out of fashion? Are certain skill sets becoming commodities or becoming constraints? Information like this can be very important to you and your business and can be derived from networking with your peers.
- Building your constellation of resources: A well-attended networking event is full of folks who know a gal who knows a guy who knows… An event can be a terrific (and efficient) place to meet potential employees, advisors, investors, customers, and exciting people. There’s no downside to talking to interesting people.
- Helping someone – most of us have received more help throughout our business careers than we can tally. Pay it forward and help someone avoid a mistake you’ve made, free them up to make all new mistakes, and build their experience base more quickly.
- Just relax – chilling out and talking to peers can simply be relaxing. Most of us are working through the same challenges, which can be very regenerative. Working consistently is key to building something amazing, but taking a break occasionally is healthy.
So, take a break and get out there.
Avoid The Scorekeepers (“What can you do for me?”), The Illuminati (“Will you sign this NDA before I tell you what I’m doing.”) and The Forced Networkers (“I’m only here because my boss made me attend.”) Seek out the people who seem to be as uncomfortable as you might be in a room of strangers and say hello. You never know where the conversation might go. When you return, the work will be there, and you might be better armed to tackle it.
At PD Marketing PGH, we work with you to construct, optimize, and market your growth plans, regardless of your stage. We’d like to learn more about your business and how we can help. Contact us today to get started!