NETWORKING: CURIOSITY DID NOT KILL THE CAT

Against all the odds, they’ve let me write another feature! Seriously though, thank you for all the kind messages I received after the first one and the ideas for future topics; much appreciated – my network is a great network. 

Which subtly brings me to this month’s topic: NETWORKING. 

Networking, in some people’s eyes, conjures up dour connotations of a room full of suited men all trying to sell, sell, sell. Thankfully, as the world of work has evolved, so has the many variants of networking groups available and who they are supporting. 

So what is networking? Well, the internet describes it as: ‘the action or process of interacting with others to exchange information and develop professional or social contacts.’

Why do we need to network? In Chichester us self-employed folk are over 15,000 in number, 20% of the “economically active” population and twice the national average.

So you are beginning to see why networking might be a pretty important and valuable thing here in Chichester especially if we want our businesses to be a success. 

This past month I’ve contacted my networks via social media and email to ask for comments on their experiences of networking:

What are the lows? ‘Not being listened to or feeling judged’; ‘looking to talk to others while still in conversation’; ‘having a business card thrust at you without asking any questions first’; ‘like a bad, awkward date!’

What are the highs? ‘Recognising mutual interest and arranging to meet to discuss further’; ‘hearing that my business has been recommended’; ‘making friends’; ‘hearing about a service I didn’t know existed’. ‘Being part of a community’; ‘collaborating with someone I didn’t see as an obvious fit on paper – face to face opened up possibilities and ideas’.

Emily Penny, brand strategist of becolourful, sums up the value of networking: ‘You just never know what might come from conversations with interesting, diverse groups of people. Collaborations can be very rewarding. And if you work for yourself, just getting out there and bouncing ideas with other professionals can help you see business issues in perspective, and keep you in good mental health.’

For me, personally, the networking meetups that insist on an “elevator pitch” do nothing to support those that are not natural presenters or feel under the spotlight when facing a group of peers; you’re never going to present your best self no matter how polished your one-liner might be. 

I often hear people say that they are no good at networking as they are quite introverted, my response to that is that they haven’t found the right network yet.  The community or tribe that you surround yourself with should make this a non-issue, whether this means that you can contribute remotely or in smaller, face to face, groups. Make it work for you – you’re not alone in feeling the overwhelm that sometimes comes with larger groups.

If this has whetted your appetite to consider giving networking locally a whirl, here are three that I can highly recommend that have members from a wide range of sectors:

Last Friday Club – I set this up over 3 years ago with my friend Emily Perry, after finding no local networks that focused on the specific needs of freelancers/solo entrepreneurs in the city.  For me, it was about building a team (a network) around me and to understand more about running my own business and being able to support others in running theirs. 

Through a crossover of members, I quickly discovered Design Collective Chichester, this has also been going for 3+ years and was founded by Alys Bryan and Julia Grant and brings together some of the finest creative design talent in the local area.  

After a period of a couple of years running my business and network, I found I wasn’t investing in my own marketing enough, so I reflected on this and found The Collective, founded by Abby Smith and Helen Hoile, could indeed be my “tribe”.  They’ve just celebrated their first year and are expanding into Southsea too.

If you want to grow your business online and increase awareness, then you need to start connecting more offline, Instagram isn’t your marketing team – put a face to your brand, and let your personality shine through. People want connection, not information.

My closing advice is to never look at networking as “what’s in it for me”, think of yourself as part of a business community; you can be the eyes and ears of all that you are connected to. 

Be an introducer – be a source of knowledge for others; be generous with time and expertise and you’ll not go far wrong. This is the kind of connection that people remember and you’ll certainly reap the benefits. 

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Other notable business networks in Chichester include: First Friday Network and Chichester Chamber of Commerce – both well worth a look. 

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If you have any comments or questions about this article or about my business networking group, please email me at: [email protected]

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Debbie Ford is an inspiration & her Social Media workshop at Rume2 last week gave me loads of new ideas & a fresh perspective. Was really refreshing being amongst other business owners, all of us from different backgrounds, but everyone really friendly & supportive.

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Thank you to Debbie for coaching me with my digital media, Debbie has a wonderful way of thinking, so many brilliant ideas for content. Anyone that is involved with social media must have Debbie as a coach! Thank you  … and when you start seeing tangible results it’s such a good feeling!

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I attended a social media course run by Debbie.
It was very interesting and I learnt a lot to use for the future in my role at work.
would recommend

Debbie came and gave a very inspiring talk about Social Media to our networking meeting for The Selsey Business Partnership. She had a wonderful way of engaging with everyone in the room, raising lots of discussion and advised on ways to improve and help with business Social Media – everyone in the room found the tips very helpful whether or not they were regular social media users – highly recommend if you are looking for help with your business or as a speaker for your group.

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Had a great day at Boston Tea Party Chichester with Debbie from The Chichester Social looking at how we use social media for our business, and the best tips to improve our social media presence – highly recommended 👍

For any business that needs a bit of Social Marketing Savvy, do get in touch with Debbie at The Chichester Social. She’s ace, and is most passionate about our local independents and entrepreneurs!

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Debbie gave a very interesting and inspiring talk to the Selsey Business Partnership members last week. She remembered everybody’s name and their type of business and brought that into the talk, which made it very personal to everybody there. many thanks Debbie, Sue and Tom Celebration Balloons 4 You

Debbie is a mine of knowledge. Your talk has given me a lot if ideas and inspiration as to the direction I want my business to go in.
Thank you