Entrepreneurs

Why Networking With Other Entrepreneurs Is Vital And How You Can Become Involved In Networking

While successful entrepreneurs are typically independent self-starters, none of them are really able to make it solely and exclusively on their own. Any one interested in creating a successful business must realize that there is some truth in the adage “It isn’t what you know, but who you know.” You can have the most brilliant and innovative ideas ever but you would find it almost impossible to turn those into a successful business without good people around you.

What is Networking & Why Is It Important?

Networking means more than just talking to people. A successful business owner realizes that every moment of every day is an opportunity to network. A business associate of mine said to me recently that he loved going out to eat because it meant he was going to make money. He realized, as all successful people do, that when you are truly driven to create a business everything you do is an opportunity.

Whether you talk to people about your product or services or talk to people who may have great advice from their experience or talk to people to discover how they may fit as an employee; everything you do should be viewed as a way to help your business grow through interaction with others.

One of the most important parts of networking is to find and talk with other entrepreneurs. It doesn’t matter if the other entrepreneurs are even greener than you are or if they are already a massive success; all other people creating and running a business will have something you can use to help your own ventures..

Qualities Essential for Successful Entrepreneurship

It is important to recognize what qualities other successful business starters have that you should look for in a good networking contact. Take a look at a few distinct traits that you will find in every successful entrepreneur. These are qualities you should imbibe and aspire towards for successful networking, which will eventually lead to successful entrepreneurship

Self-Motivation: Successful entrepreneurs do not wait for someone else to tell them what to do. They dream their own dreams, formulate their own plans and move mountains to make their dreams come true. They do not wait for somebody else to make the first move. Instead, they are the initiators who are always one step ahead of everybody else in their journey towards successful entrepreneurship. They look for opportunities constantly and seize them as soon as they appear.
Fierce Passion: All successful entrepreneurs are fiercely passionate about making their dreams come true. It is this fierce passion that makes them take the risks they do and put in the hard work necessary to make things happen. They surround themselves with people who are equally passionate and have the same goals.
Desire to Overcome: Entrepreneurs who make it all love a big challenge. Often they actually enjoy overcoming an obstacle as much as they enjoy the reward that follows it. Facing challenges head on drives them. They like to test themselves and the boundaries set before them. They look at problems as opportunities to grow instead of as setbacks.
A “Never Give Up” Attitude: For a person to ever truly be a winner, they must have the attitude that they will never quit. Failures are viewed as temporary and never as an ultimate end. When face-to-face with obstacles, entrepreneurs do not give up their dreams; instead they find a way to overcome them. They use mistake and errors to become better at what they do instead of letting these impediments hinder them.
Unstinting Dedication: Entrepreneurs who make it are fully dedicated to their goal and will work hard to achieve it. You will not find a lazy bone in their body. While they fully understand that achieving and then maintaining success can be difficult, they are ready to meet the challenges ahead. They know even before they start out that reaching goals often requires extreme amounts of time, effort and unstinting dedication but they do not let this act as a deterrent in any way.
Ability to Bend: To fully run a business properly, the owner must intimately know every aspect of it intimately. Often, especially in the beginning, they will multi-task and get involved in doing various jobs themselves in an effort to get the feel of it. They are flexible enough to jump back and forth between different duties and responsibilities that are dependant upon what their business needs most at any given moment. They are also flexible enough to realize when it is time to bring in qualified reinforcements and hand some of the reigns over to others. Requirements change as times change and as a business grows. The best business starters are able to change as necessary without losing their own vision.
Loaded with Imagination: People that have the potential to make it big are extremely creative. The best solutions are rarely found within the usual status quo. They come up with unique ideas for products, services, advertising, marketing and even the most practical aspects of the job. They can take one bit of information and see its potential and creatively come up with ways to make it work within their own needs, wants and goals.
Goal Oriented: Being able to see success of the horizon and working toward that consistently is something all business successes share. They keep a positive attitude and simply don’t see failure as an option. No matter how bad things may get, they continue to fight toward the next step in making their dream come true. They are often even looked at as dreamers or unrealistic until they start to bring in results and a profit.
Independent: Every person who succeeds in creating a successful business is a leader and a solo artist at the core. It takes a certain kind of person to really be their own boss and get things done without constant direction from a superior. This does not mean they do not listen to good advice--quite the contrary. They are always listening to what others they admire have to say and even seek out good people through networking to receive advice. Their independence essentially implies that they are able to listen and then filter out the parts that work best for them and implement those things expeditiously.
Pay attention. Check out your competition and pay attention to what they’re doing. The key to being a successful business entrepreneur isn’t just focusing on your own business, but those businesses around you as well. See what type of advertising seems to be working well for them, and what locations bring the most business. See where fellow business owners are spending their time and energy and take a look into how it could work for you. It’s not cheating; it’s playing smart. Everything that exists today was created from people who saw one person’s idea and put a twist on it to make a new idea of their own. This doesn’t mean steal their customers or picket outside their stores, but you’ve heard the saying “keep your friends close and your enemies closer”. The same applies in business, just be sure you play fair and stay on the right side of the law.

You will find all of these qualities in true entrepreneurs. Networking with as many of these types of people as possible and bringing out these qualities in yourself is a necessary base to any business venture.

Network! Network! Network! - A Few Basic Principles

While you can find successful entrepreneurs anywhere and everywhere, you need to make the effort to seek them out and make their acquaintance. You can make business acquaintances and network everywhere you go; there is really no such thing as knowing too many people when you want to see your business succeed.

Networking is not an exact science, but it can be simple if you just make yourself aware of its importance. Keep in mind though that there is a fine line between networking and imposing yourself on somebody else. Coming across as too forceful can cause people to want to stay away from you instead of being attracted to you and what you have to say.

The internet age has thrown up several new avenues for business networking through several sites, most notable of which are LinkedIn, WisdomBuilder and MySpace. Taking the time to explore these sites is well worth the efforts as it takes your networking efforts to newer horizons.