Over the past few months, most of us have had to adapt and work in a different way.
Networking is something that has really changed, and the shift to online networking has suited some more than others.
When I first started out in business, networking was a great way to get to know other businesses and businesspeople. It was a tool to get my face and my name recognised, while promoting myself. I was recommended to join a local Chamber of Commerce, which is what I did, and I then started attending their networking meetings.
I liked the community spirit, the feeling of belonging to something, and the way people wanted to help me. I generated some business there, so then looked for other networking groups which I could join to grow my network even more.
I went to every networking meeting I could find, then determined which were the groups that generated business for me, while also offering a friendly and welcoming community.
I discovered that different networking meetings have different communities, while some didn’t have a community at all. I also found that different networking groups work for different businesses; there is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to networking.