Business growth depends on marketing. It depends on growing your client base, so you can continue to scale your business to the size you want it. Do you know what my number one marketing strategy is? Yep – it’s networking!

Finding other small business owners to align yourself can be a wonderful thing for your business, and there are so many ways to do it. When you find the right crowd, figuring out ways to support each other in business growth is easy. Here are my top tips from my own networking journey:

Be Genuine and Enjoy Connection

Many people hate the term “networking,” often because they imagine going to an event where their interactions with other professionals feel forced, fake, or desperate. If it helps, you can try thinking about networking using different terms – “connecting with other business owners” might help set a better tone, for instance.

The bottom line here is that networking doesn’t have to – really shouldn’t – feel forced. A good networking connection that’s really valuable to you and your business will be someone who you get along with and enjoy planning with, working alongside, or supporting in other ways. The goal is genuine connection that benefits you on multiple levels. So don’t fake it!

Try Out Different Circles and Find the Best Fit

When I first dove into the world of networking while representing At Peace With Money, I tried several different groups before I found the Women’s Networking Alliance, where I’ve been a member for several years now. I attended a networking group through my town’s chamber of commerce, a Business Networking International group, and a different local women’s networking group. They were all great, but none of them felt like the right fit. Someone in the other local women’s group recommended WNA to me, so I decided to check it out. When I joined WNA, I connected with the other women involved in a genuine and enjoyable way, and I feel confident that I’ve found the right spot.

Even If You Work Online, Try Local Networking!

Just because you’re available to work with people all around the world, doesn’t mean you can’t try local networking. Making connections with others in person is a great way to get your business out in the world. People are more likely to remember the impression you make or they experience they have interacting with you and your business in person, as opposed to online. This can easily lead to a good local reputation, referrals, and collaborations. This brings me to my next point:

Find Ways to Lift Each Other Up

The world of small business need not be a highly competitive one. In fact, as small business owners, we have so much to gain from lifting each other up! The more we collaborate, the more we assist each other in expanding success for everyone, including ourselves.

I personally like to do this by doing Solopreneur Spotlights in my newsletter, and I also sometimes interview small business owners for blog posts! Check out my recent awesome interviews on the small business finances of digital marketing consultant Tracey Lee Davis and herbalist Magic Knocks. I’ve also worked with different small businesses to address my own business’s needs from time to time – like when I needed to hire another part-time bookkeeper, and contacted Sprout HR for help (I highly recommend them!).

One of the best ways to lift up another business owner is to find a “power partner,” or someone who does work adjacent to you who can refer their clients to you, and vice versa. When you find someone who does work you respect and whose clients often require the services you offer in addition to theirs and vice versa, this can be an immensely valuable and enjoyable working relationship. I am honored to call Andrea Paap a power partner – if you need tax services, I highly recommend her work!

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