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A blog that entrepreneurs, designers and business owners should read
by Adam (Favors)
Starting a company is hard. And it’s even harder when you don’t have a strong network of friends and advocates to help you achieve your goals faster. For many entrepreneurs, networking is hard.
By nature, a lot us aren’t the most social lot, and it can feel like admitting failure when you need to ask someone else for help. Not to mention, some entrepreneurs look at networking as an undesirable activity purely pursued by superficial and self-interested people. Nothing could be further from the truth. Look at the most successful entrepreneurs, and you’ll see that none of them have gotten to where they are on their own…and now that they have arrived, they are willing to help others just as they received help themselves. Here’s our list of seven top tips to help entrepreneurs become better networkers:
1. Put yourself out there. When it feels like there are a million things to do before your self-imposed launch date of three months from now, it’s hard to justify time spent away from the business and out meeting others. But this is essential, and can lead to meeting people who can help you achieve your goals quicker and more effectively. Startup communities are typically very open and supportive, and there are a lot of people out there who have likely faced the challenges you face who are willing to offer advice, tips and shortcuts. You can meet these people at local startup events (in the Bay Area, our favorites are SF Beta and Startup2Startup. Anywhere else? Subscribe to StartupDigest to see what’s happening.), online (think Stack Overflow and Reddit) or by just asking people you already know if they know someone that can help you with a particular problem (yes, that one is pretty obvious). The bottom line: If you don’t put yourself out there, then nobody will know you need help.
2.Have a clear idea of what needs you have that your current network can’t help with. Where are the holes in your business and/or team? Everybody has them. Many of these can be filled by people you may already know, but not all of them. As you go through your existing network trying to find the answers or help you need, take note of where your current network can’t help, and focus on finding people outside of your network who can fill those gaps. The bottom line: If someone in your current network can help you with a problem, then focus your networking efforts on other areas where you need help.
3.Don’t focus on the top; they are often not as helpful as the middle. For a lot of new entrepreneurs, there are certain luminary technologists, investors and successful entrepreneurs that everyone wants to meet. While it’s often easy enough to meet these luminaries, it’s more difficult to build a relationship with them. The sheer number of people they know and the demands for their time means that few truly get significant access to their knowledge or networks. The middle is different. In the middle, you find many people whose experience and skills match or exceed those of the top. Better yet, they have more time and more of a desire to meet new people and exchange help. The bottom line: Don’t focus on meeting someone because of their reputation. Focus on meeting people who have the time and desire to help.
4.You have to give to get; build your reputation as a helper. Networking isn’t about a one time exchange; it’s about building a relationship that lasts for life. And, just like any other relationship, both people need to help each other for it to work. By nature, networks are comprised of people who communicate. That means that reputations spread fast but change slowly. Make sure your reputation is that of a helper, not a moocher. Help when you can, and you’ll find that others are more willing to help you as your reputation precedes you. The bottom line: The more help you provide, the more help you’ll get.
5.Remember who has helped you on your way up. You’ll meet them again. And again. Life occurs in cycles. Sometimes you’re up, sometimes you’re down. While you’re on your way up, you’ll meet lots of people who will help you. Don’t forget about them when you reach the top, because those are the same people you’ll meet if and when you’re on your way back down. If you stopped answering their calls and emails when you became successful, that’s a slap in the face that tells them you simply used them to achieve your own goals. Don’t be that person. Be the person that becomes even more helpful to them once you’re in the position to do that. The bottom line: When you reach the top, don’t assume you’ll stay there. Be even more helpful than ever, and cement your reputation as a contributor.
6.Networking isn’t entirely about getting something you need. It’s true. A lot of networking IS about getting something, whether it’s advice, an introduction, a job or something else. But networking is also about simply meeting people who may just become good friends. Being an entrepreneur can often be pretty lonely. It’s not like working in a big office full of other people to chat with. It can be pretty awesome to meet up with other people who are doing what you’re doing and find out just how similar your lives are…both the good and the bad.The bottom line: Networking is not just about getting stuff you need; it’s also about making new friends.
7.Use technology effectively to help track your networking. Once you become an active networker, you start to build up a lot of information in your mind about who has helped you, who you have helped, who the experts are in particular areas, and who has asked you for help in other areas. It gets difficult very fast to start to remember all of this while still focusing on your own startup or business. The most successful networkers use technology to help them keep track of their networks and network activity. A few of my favorite tools? For one, I use Evernote to make quick records when I meet someone new: where we met, how we can help each other, who we know in common, etc. I also use Hashable from time to time to keep track of when and how often I meet other people offline. And, of course, my team and I are building Favo.rs (sign up here) to track all of the above: who you help, who helps you, how you help each other, and who the experts are in your network for specific subjects. Together, these tools make it easy to understand what your network looks like and how you can contribute back to it. The bottom line: Effective networking creates lots of information you need to manage. Technology helps you do that better.
No matter how awesome your startup or technology is, meeting the right people who can help you (other entrepreneurs, investors, journalists, advisors, whatever!) will let you work faster and be more effective. Use these seven simple steps to become a better networker, and benefit from the wealth of expertise and willingness of others to help you succeed. Thanks for reading, and please leave a comment if you liked this post or disagree!
Great Info. As a former board member of Entrepreneurs Organization L.A. I think you hit it on the spot. I also recommend groups like All Cities Network or Provisors that teach networking. But there really is not a vertical network for business owners. EO is a peer to peer sharing environment. Is there anything out there for true entrepreneurs?
Other Great tips come from Jim Collins, http://www.jimcollins.com/ , and Verne Harnish http://www.gazelles.com/
