Having a great business is the aim but not at the expense of lonliness, of missing bathtime, the late night teenage conversation, or the quality time with husband, partner, friends and family.

Modern marketing which plays to women’s natural strengths has made the goal more achievable.

The increasing importance of networking face to face suits women’s natural way of doing business.  Dr Ivan Misner has spearheaded this change through BNI over the last 10 years internationally followed by many networking groups for women only including Athena.  BNI’s motto:  ” Givers Gain” (if I give you business you will want to give me business in return) has made a big change in the way men do business, but is part of how most women operate.

When we meet up for one to one meetings we ask about each other.  We want to find links between us, and help each other.  We are just as likely to give a compliment about shoes or a jacket as a laptop presentation, and we are just as likely to choose to work with somebody based on their past or their personal style.  After all, it is the so-called non-critical variables that often end up being the most important.

The shoe or handbag compliment is not fundamentally about shoes or handbags but about values, about style, and the way of seeing the world.  When we respond positively to something about somebody else, we  are more receptive to developing a business relationship, to working together, recommending each other and investing our hard-earned money.

As women we have many many ways of demonstrating our brand values, and helping others to know like and trust us.  Face to face networking where we are our own brochure, direct mail letter and exhibition provides a powerful marketing tool.  Many businesses find all their clients through face to face networking.

The internet marketing explosion of recent times also suits women.  Women in their late thirties are the most frequent users of facebook.  which only a few years ago was simply the place for university students.  To be trusted these days, and have an authentic brand,  you have to reveal something about yourself.  This comes naturally to women – even online – but in my experience men find it much harder.

Women are still responsible for more of the domestic tasks in the home, so working at home reduces the hassle-factor.  No more travelling out to work which involves military-precision organisation for childcare.  The washing machine can be filled, or the family meal prepared without having to replace yourself at the heart of the home.  Setting up a sequence of emails for an autoresponder for your information product can be more satisfying than coping with lengthy meetings and office politics.

Even better – blogging about your day and the ups and downs of home life can be turned into a business.  The office becomes redundant in every sense.  Heather Armstrong of Dooce in the US was one of the first examples of mommy blogging.  She genuinely and naturally wrote about her day – which was of interest to women in a similar situation – leading to massive traffic on her site.  Advertisers lured by the size and responsiveness of her audience appeared bearing gifts with monetary value.

As women we enjoy relationships and getting to know people and it is refreshing that we can now build a business from this place.  Perhaps it will be the unsung heroines who will be the real contributors to the economy in the coming year.

Old business is dead.  Long live new business and national women’s enterprise day!

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What’s so good about networking for a small business?

You hear new ideas which could be your perfect next step
You hear what you have heard before but with the opportunity for it to mean something different this time
You can have a lot of conversations which could be the start of the perfect business relationship
You re-connect with people you know already.

Although it is important to follow up (Duh!), that’s not the essential after-networking activity.

The most important follow up is with your marketing ideas – your marketing spark.

The chances are that while you were away from your desk you had an enormous number of great ideas. The trouble is that it can be easy to forget them when you get back to daily activity.

If you have not been able to write down your ideas they could be lost for ever. We may record notes from a business meeting with a client but forget to do this when the meetings are more coincidental.

My suggestion is to

(This is very different from looking at the cards to give yourself something to do, like process them follow them up)

You are not giving yourself a To Do list or contributing to data overload, but gently exploring all the associations and ideas. Write them down.

I have just been on a mammoth networking and one-to-one experience lasting over a day and a half. By going through this process I managed to capture many of the ideas I had at the time. In fact I usually get my best ideas while travelling which is probably because my subconscious is processing what I have taken in.

This way of looking back helps to reconnect with those ideas that create the spark that will be the inspiration for your business in the future.

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… Rank: wait… Traffic: wait… Price: wait… C: wait…

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It is best to try out different groups to see what you like and don’t like.  Don’t commit at first if you don’t want to.  Most groups will let you visit twice before making a decision.

If you have been in the corporate world the small business way of meeting and getting to know people can seem strange at first.  All groups vary and it becomes easier to work out which suit you having seen the variety that is out there.

Then ask yourself :  Are there people I like?

You do need to be on a wavelength with some of people present, and the organisation.  The more wholeheartedly you can support the group and people in it the more you will enjoy it… and the better it will work for you.

Next question: Can me-and-my-business develop here?

Will you learn new stuff, think in a different way, become more focused, confident or just plain ole grow?

Next question: Is it fun?  Is there laughter .. or the potential for laughter?

This is very important to me, personally.  Where you can have fun you are also likely to create great relationships.  If networking feels totally like work and a bit of a slog, the chances are you won’t be getting up early in the morning, or leaving the warmth of the family hearth on a winter’s night.

Is it in the right physical place?

For your business to be on the map it is a good idea for your networking group to be in the right place on the map. Is it near work or home? Near the train station, near my clients?  Does it feel in the right place and does the venue feel right for you, too?

Is it the right environment for where your business is going now?

You can’t tell how things will develop, and of course you can contribute to that development.  All you can judge is whether it is right for your business now.  You never know, that potential may never happen.    If it doesn’t feel right for now it could not be the place to join.

The connections you make networking have the potential to turn into the best business you could wish for and for the people to become life-long friends.

You can’t outsource face to face networking to a third party, so investing business time wisely leads to a good personal and professional return on investment.  In my book that means money and fun!

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