Networking – Finding the Balance
Post by Andrew Jenkins, Owner of Visual Edge Lansdscape Company
As a small business owner, I think one of the biggest challenges is having balance. We constantly find ourselves juggling the many tasks we are faced with daily! Often I find myself “working in the business” and not “working on the business”. We’ve got to do both! We must find the balance!
Let’s face it, we got into our businesses because we like what we do so we enjoy working IN the business, but if we don’t work ON the business there won’t be anything to work IN. We have to make time to sell, interact with clients (new & existing) and NETWORK!
Networking can be VERY effective AND ineffective. Ask yourself a few questions.
1) Are you truly networking and making the most of your time?
2) Are you gaining traction in gaining referrals?
3) Are you positively growing your reputation?
4) Are you building your business?
…Or are you socializing?
Your time is valuable. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to socialize when the time is right, but if you are there to network for your business, are you seeing a return on your investment? If not, you may need to evaluate the groups you are networking in, or polish up on your networking skills in general. These are questions I need to continue to ask myself as I network to grow my business.
In this New Year, if you aren’t seeing an ROI in networking, it may be time to take a good hard look at where you’re investing your time. I’ve reviewed what worked for me in 2014 and what did not work, and have revised my networking plan to put an emphasis on balance, ROI and building relationships to build my business. I highly recommend you do the same!
Put that balanced plan together and go get ‘em! See you out there! Happy New Year!
-Andrew