When I moved to Devon in 2016 I had a huge network in the Midlands (some of which was build via networking and I was even a leader of a networking group). I knew no one and moved on my own. I very quickly met my hubby and the focus was on moving, getting married and settling into that new circumstances which was brilliant.
Although I met others, they weren’t in my self-employed world (so they didn’t get it) so I wanted to build this in Devon. So along came 2020 and I set out for 2020 to be the year I met more business folk in person and we all know what happened that year!
During 2020 I became pregnant with my lovely daughter and that was where online networking really came into it’s own as not only were in-person networking sessions still quiet, it wasn’t really practical for me to go to them (they all seem to be held a child un-friendly times). I could online network with my baby in my arms and my daughter became quite the talking point.
It was through online networking that the word about my business spread and I met new friends and grew my business even with a baby in my arms! And one of the reasons I’ve now partnered up with Small Business Vibes is she’s at nursery and the childminders so I have the space to meet in person again.
So my top tip for networking is to recognise that it’s a great opportunity to make friends whilst sharing your business, your network is there to spread the word, to say “I know someone who can help and you need to speak to X”