I spend a couple hours a week,
hanging out
at online writers’ groups or forums.
It feels like socializing.
It is fun.
It is easy.
But it is also networking.
I’m meeting other writers.
We’re exchanging insights and tips.
We’re building connections,
connections who might help us
as we grow our businesses.
Gail Tifford,
Chief Brand Officer of WW,
shares
“My advice to women is
to reframe what “networking” is.
The fact alone that
the word has “work” in it
creates pressure for women
to feel like
it’s something they have to do,
and then I see women
stress about how to do it.
Simply putting yourself
in environments
that give you the opportunity
to meet with peers
and get to know each other
and share experiences
can be a game changer.
And chances are,
if you make meaningful connections,
they are ones that will last a lifetime.”
We ‘network’ all the time
and often don’t realize it.
Chatting with the woman
sitting beside you
in a workshop
is networking.
Talking with other business builders
on Twitter is networking.
Calling customer service
at a partner company
and noting that person’s name
is networking.
Networking is important
but it doesn’t have to be
a big production
or an activity to stress about.
Have you added a name
to
your network
today?