Starting a business is never an easy task, there are so many things you need to take into consideration – from getting your brand rightly positioned, your marketing, raising capital, getting your first client, hiring the right staff and so on. Above all you still need to build connections that will help take your business to greater heights.
“No man is an island they say,” or “Your network is your net worth,’ but how do you build your network?
Your network should consist of people from different walks of life, and different business fields. A business network is created by meeting people and building a relationship with them, as you may need them or may need to tap into their network hence a good business network is gold.
When building a network, networking is key online or offline! When I started out, my mentor discouraged me from spending too much time in the office, and advised me to be out there meeting people and networking.
I made it a point that once a week I would go to an event even if it had nothing to do with my business, I would show up see who is there and talk to them. It worked!
When building a network, you should always offer the next person value, your value is what will make them interested in you, or who you are. Most people want to connect with people that bring something to the table even if it is not their table. People want to brag here and there about who they know, and name drop. When your value offering is clear chances are high that the people you meet will bring you business because when they meet other people, they will not hesitate to refer them to you or mention that they know you because it also gives them credibility if they know someone with your status.
Confidence, good communication skills, a good personal presentation will get you a phone number, being able to offer them value will make them remember you and the biggest challenge now is maintaining those relationships. You need to learn not to burn through your connections with unnecessary check-ins, there is nothing wrong with keeping the contact until you need it. If you connect offline, go online and send them a connection request and keep them close or if you think there can be an immediate partnership or a business relationship that can be formed then ask them to meet formally or informally, grab a coffee or a drink but have an agenda for the meeting. Your business network is not equivalent to your friends always be aware of that, avoid getting drunk, communicate properly, keep the boundaries, don’t get too political, or too personal until your relationship has evolved.
One of the most critical things we do not learn in a formal school is the ability to handle dealing with different characters diplomatically. Maintaining business relationships is never easy as you will meet all kinds of personas. You will need to practice how to handle different people accordingly without jeopardising that relationship, same way you handle that drunken uncle or the miss goody-two-shoes aunt.
When you are starting out, you are still at that stage where you are nice and naïve. It’s very easy to be abused by experienced businesspeople even when you know you are stretching it out but because you need the relationship to work and bring in revenue, you suck it up! Unfortunately, all new entrepreneurs go through this phase until they are comfortable enough to set boundaries and say, “NO.” As much as you need the connection, or the business do not let anyone take advantage of you!
In business we have what we call a reputation, I like to call it what people say about you when you are not in the same with them. Your personal brand and your business brand are two totally different things. You might be a founder of a good reputable company, but your personal brand is not appealing behind closed doors. Building a good image is crucial because when building a network, you will quickly realise that people all know each other somehow and when they meet, they will possibly talk about you, what they say to each other is what matters the most because it can either build you or destroy you. It is important to always make sure that your network respects you and your value and they are proud to be connected with you!