Business Network - update #1

Following on from my post about Business Networking Benefits (http://msmvps.com/calvert/archive/2004/10/20/16184.aspx), I'm sitting in my office with Wayne & Stuart having just returned from popping out for lunch. We had a casual catch up last night with our wives (who are out shopping today) before getting into the nitty gritty today.

So far, we've covered about 10% of our agenda which we knew was very ambitious but gives us something to focus on - if you're planning on holding a similar type of meeting with other business owners this is essential as it serves to keep you on track. Whilst we might only get about 30% addressed in total today it's better than not having done this at all and we plan on repeating this every 3 months or so anyway.

We're playing a quick catch up before getting back into things for the afternoon. It's been an extremely rewarding time so far and our heads are spinning (not just from the chilli in our Wok-in-a-box lunch) with ideas to move forward on. Due to the nature of our discussion I really can't say too much about the content in a public forum, however if you contact me offline I can provide some guidance regarding topics you might consider covering in your own business networking meetings.

So why tease you with this? Actually, I'm hoping to encourage you to reach out to other business owners with whom you have a rapport and help each other - a pat on the back, words of encouragement, ideas etc. As small business owners and operators we too often get the feeling we are islands in the ocean of business - and we're not. We don't need to be isolated.

Find someone - they could be in the next town or the next state (which helps keep it non-competitive). Start talking and building a relationship before you get into the real "meaty" meetings so you have a rapport and trust to work on. At the recent SMB Nation conference in Seattle we met Frank and Jay who had done just that - and they now support each other, and each others clients, from different states. It means if one gets sick, or wants to have a holiday, their clients don't suffer (good onya guys).

OK - time to get back into business talk with the fellas. Just wanted to update you on where we're at. Update #2 will follow once I get some time and my brain stops hurting.