Networking Made Easy: 8 Tips for Small Business Owners to Connect Confidently

For many of us, walking into a room full of strangers fills us with dread 🫣 It can give you those ‘first day of school’ vibes and not in a good way! We all know building connections is key for business growth, but is there a way to do it that doesn’t make you want to die inside?

We’re here to help! We’re sharing our small business networking tips to help you get confident building relationships and growing your network! 💪

Why Networking Actually Matters for Small Businesses (We Promise!) 🤝

If you don’t love networking, you might be looking for ways to avoid it. But here’s the thing, 70% of the time networking presents new opportunities for small businesses. So that means you might find your next big client or dream partnership just by putting yourself out there and networking!

To help you get started, here are our small business networking tips to help you become a networking pro.

Top 10 Small Business Networking Tips 🌟

1. Nail your ‘what I do’ chat

Practice makes perfect, so don’t be afraid to practise your ‘what I do’ chat on friends and family. Remember, keep it short and simple. Check out our ‘Creating The Perfect 30-second Pitch’ resource to help with this!

2. Start Small

Feeling overwhelmed? You don’t have to throw yourself in the deep end by going to a huge networking conference! Start small and try local meet-ups first to build up your confidence. Check out our upcoming events and see if there’s any that you can get involved with!

3. Quality Over Quantity

Networking isn’t about who can collect the most business cards! Having real, genuine conversations is key. Set yourself a goal to connect meaningfully with 2-3 people per event and see where it leads.

4. Spot the Friendly Faces

If you’re nervous, do a quick scan of the room. Look for groups standing in an open circle – that’s body language for “join us!”. Join the group and get involved with the discussion as soon as you can.

5. Be Curious

The key to building meaningful questions is being interested in the other person! Ditch the bog-standard questions and opt for deeper conversation starters. Try: “What’s been your biggest highlight this year?” or “What part of your business makes you smile the most?”.

6. Listening Is Key

Don’t just listen to reply. Great listeners ask thoughtful questions and then engage with the answers. Remember, building connections is all about getting to know the other person on a deeper level and active listening will help you to do this!

7. Everyone Else Is Nervous Too (Seriously!)

They can look like the most confident person in the room, but it’s likely they felt just as nervous as you when they arrived. Take a breath and remind yourself the nerves will pass – you’ll look confident in no time at all!

8. Nail Your Follow-Up

Don’t just chat and ghost! Deepen your connections by following up with a message a few days after the event. Bonus points if you can include something specific they mentioned like this: “Loved hearing about your sourdough bread business challenges! Here’s that podcast I mentioned…” Simple but effective!

Top tips from our mentors

Meet Lucy, she’s a Digital Boost mentor and the founder of MadCreative👋 She’s a super-connector and known for her incredible talks on how to get confident pitching your business (whether in a boardroom or a networking meeting!)

Here are her tips on how to network as a small business owner:

“It can be hard gazing into a room full of people who all appear to be more confident and self-assured than you but trust me when I say, they probably felt just like you did when they arrived.

• Arrive in good time, it’s much easier to be one of the first to arrive than the last when the room is already buzzing.
• Don’t overthink it, quickly join a circle of people and introduce yourself.
• Smile, it makes others warm to you and your face will look more welcoming.
• Listen, and ask a question about what was just said. It shows you’re interested and invested in meeting new people.“

Conclusion

Networking doesn’t have to be scary! With our tips and tricks, you’ll become a confident connector in no time at all 💪

And remember, practice makes perfect. The more you put yourself out there and give networking a go, the better and more confident you’ll get!

So what are you waiting for? Go find a local networking event and put our tips to the test!