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When you own your own business, people constantly associate you with what you do.\u00a0 For better or for worse, this makes almost any interaction in public an opportunity for you to network for your business.<\/p>\n
Afraid of networking?\u00a0 You\u2019re not alone.\u00a0 Take these four steps to make networking a lot less scary and a lot more enjoyable.<\/p>\n
Be prepared to tell your story: Ever hear of an elevator pitch?\u00a0 It\u2019s a quick way of saying what your business does in the average time you\u2019d be in an elevator.\u00a0 Perfect it.\u00a0 But don\u2019t stop there.\u00a0 Often, small business owners get asked for their story. Be able to explain why you got into your business and what it is that you\u2019re passionate about. Hint: This is what really draws people in.<\/p>\n
Connect your offline to online: No, this doesn\u2019t mean you should send friend requests to complete strangers on Facebook or connect with people you\u2019ve never known on LinkedIn.\u00a0 What you should do is connect with your circles you have offline with the ones you have online.\u00a0\u00a0 For instance, have you served on a board of directors before?\u00a0 You should add your fellow board members on LinkedIn.\u00a0 Ever taken a continuing education class? Forward an email about the class topic to one of your classmates \u2013 a quick and professional way of saying \u201chello.<\/p>\n
Be selective: Business owners tend to receive a lot of requests to attend fundraisers, benefits, or community events.\u00a0 Be selective in the ones you attend and think of the public relations benefit of the ones you do choose.\u00a0 Then, mix around.\u00a0 Don\u2019t get stuck talking to the same person or only the recent grad who\u2019s begging for a job.\u00a0 This is your opportunity to widen your circle.<\/p>\n
Pair up: Find another business owner in the community who can help you to network.\u00a0 If a networking group doesn\u2019t exist in your community, start one.\u00a0 Promise to share referrals or to make a point to introduce each other to new people. Hint: Selecting someone in your same office building makes sense. You can walk potential clients to each other\u2019s offices for a brief introduction.<\/p>\n
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\nJohn Davies
\nAfter obtaining his MBA, John began his career at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, the international accounting and consulting firm, and subsequently joined Progressive Corporation, a large U.S. based insurance company. John was a Division President at Progressive and subsequently became the CEO of a New York based private equity investment company. In 2001, he founded MMI as a platform investment company and MMI has subsequently acquired 15 additional companies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When you own your own business, people constantly associate you with what you do.\u00a0 For better or for worse, this makes almost any interaction in public an opportunity for you to network for your business. Afraid of networking?\u00a0 You\u2019re not alone.\u00a0 Take these four steps to make networking a lot less scary and a lot […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":11665,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-general"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n