Wednesday, January 27, 2010

A good networking resource...

Yesterday I participated in great networking event in Dallas.  The organizers hold them in many cities around the country.  It's called Chocolate, Blues & Business. Kudos to Shelly! The lady who introduced me to it, Catherine, is a connection on Cup of Coffee Networkers.  She and her husband came all the way from Indiana to this event in Dallas (as they have in the past) and will go to the one next month in Austin.

The event was not as large as some events I've been to.  Cup of Coffee is not a large network either.  In both cases that has proven to be an advantage.  Most of my clients are smaller companies.  My company is a small company. 

Quick tip: As you grow your networks and grow your business, don't yield to the temptation to only join big networks.  Think about it, do you get more out of your small networks than the really large ones? I do.  I am also able to contribute "more" when I contribute - the quality is the same, the potential impact is higher.  Caring goes further too.  Simple math: each member is a larger percentage of the total 

In case you didn't already know, SBA & US Census data shows small business is big business. Has been that way for centuries I guess.

If you are in small business one thing is certain: you are not alone.  Yeah, it may feel like it some times.  And some might argue chasing big deals pays better and only big firms have big deals.  That's debatable.

I don't know what size is right or what is too large.  When it comes to ignoring small networks or small businesses, well - I'm just saying...