Instead of buying a volleyball and naming it Wilson or driving your spouse and friends crazy talking about your business, what are some ways you can combat loneliness when you’re just getting started?
Networking can have terrifying connotations to some people and a new book by Lynne Waymon called Make Your Contacts Count provides great advice and tools for productive networking. For others like me, networking represents an adventure. I love meeting new people and learning about what they do. So many incredible opportunities have emerged in my life because of the people I have met. I found early in my business, though, that I had to choose carefully which associations or events I attend. First, I had to determine what I wanted to get out of the group. Were these potential customers, service providers or connectors? If none of the above, then I at least needed to admit that I was just going for the food.
One of the best-kept secrets for fledgling businesses, especially technical businesses, are business incubators. I wish I had known about them when I was starting out 12 years ago. Not only do they offer office space, but many offer a variety of consulting services to help young companies get off the ground. Additionally, the collection of relatively young businesses can remove the isolation so often accompanying a single-person launch. Even if you aren’t ready or don’t need to move out of your house, many have affiliate programs that give the entrepreneur access to the services and networking opportunities without having to pay for actual office space.
The bottom line is that there is a whole world of opportunity for connecting outside of your office. In addition to combating the isolation associated with start-up, you might just find some business connections you can use!
