Growing yourself, your business, and your network
It’s easy to assume that to grow, you need to book on course after course, and gain certificate after certificate.
But there is so much more to growth than that. I consider personal and professional development to go hand in hand.
My name is Kate Cherry, and I run the Athena Network in Bedfordshire and part of Hertfordshire, we are a national business networking club for female professionals.
We provide a nurturing, supportive environment for businesses to pass contacts, do business and learn together. However, when I started networking, I was a quivering wreck, a ball of nerves, and I’d had a top City job previously, so go figure!
Networking provided me way more than I expected and was very different to what I expected. I also had to be someone very different than I expected, thank goodness! And I have found that my personal and professional growth through networking and creating a community of fellow professionals of a wide range of industries has overtaken any growth I had in my corporate life.
What I find is that sometimes, growth comes from meeting with another business owner where you exchange skills and ideas.
Other times it’s someone sharing a tool that’s helped them, which in turn can help you too.
It can even be listening to other people’s experiences and allowing those to trigger ideas in you.
This is why networking is an important business strategy.
It opens up opportunities and an environment for continuous learning, plus it’s way less lonely!
We’d all love more eyes on our businesses and word of mouth is one of the most effective ways to grow a business as it’s based on reputation. We’re much more likely to listen to a friend’s experience than trust an advert, think about when you last bought a mobile phone, who did you ask for opinions?
The more you showcase your expertise among peers, the further you can spread your message and the more people in your network have you on their radar.
Networking is an essential part of growing that community, growing yourself and your messaging while raising your profile, and building key business friendships.
Likewise, our network of businesswomen across the Athena Network actively learns about each other so that they can make meaningful referrals to businesses they trust, at local, national and international level.
Here are some top networking tips to get you started and take away that “ick” feeling about selling yourself and your business:
Give to give. Share with abundance, whether it’s a tip, or a referral, whenever you can. The more you give, the more you will receive, and you never know where it will come from.
Create curiosity. When you talk about what you do, creating curiosity is a great conversation starter. And of course, it’s conversations that lead to lasting connections.
Be yourself. Relationships are built when we bring our authentic self to the room. I had to ditch the corporate façade and just chill out. You are unique and you have your own beautiful vibe. That’s what you should bring to the party.
If you say you’ll do something, do it! No one wants a flaky contact that never follows through with their promises. If you want to be an effective networker, stick to the commitments you make.
And most importantly, ENJOY it. It’s net-working but is not meant to be hard work, it’s meant to be enriching, fun and a valuable part of your business, there’s nothing like logging off, or walking away from, a great meeting feeling energised and ready for the rest of your day!
For more details and resources go to www.theathenanetwork.com | email kate.cherry@theathenanetwork.com | or call 07909 675 333
