Networking 101

I was very pleased to see many "soulful" faces at the NAWBO networking dinner on Wed March 15th. Networking is crucial to any business owner - Black or White. Joining a networking group that can offer training, mentorship, information and advice to help your business grow is well worth it. I have been a NAWBO member for about 1 year now. NAWBO stands for the National Association of Women Business Owners. I love being in a networking group of multi-racial individuals. It seems to be a more supportive envioronment.

Networking is an essential skill for most business people, but especially for entrepreneurs. The strong association between the entrepreneur as a person and his or her business demands that entrepreneurs get out into the world and create and maintain business relationships.

With all the demands on our time made by our business, professional and personal lives, it is tempting to assign a lower priority to networking as an activity designed to meet new people. After all, we have so many commitments at the office and at home -- to colleagues, family and friends – that it is difficult to set aside extra time to bring even more people into our lives.
This thinking would be wrong, however, on two levels. For one, we are constantly being introduced to new people anyway, every day, with no disruption to our schedules.
Secondly, by not consistently widening our circles of acquaintances and contacts, we may be severely curtailing our chances for advancement and success. It is estimated that the average person knows about 250 people. And each of those people knows, in turn, another 250 or so people.

This means that for each new person you meet, you gain access to a potential pool of 62,500 people separated from you by just two degrees!

If you would like to find out more about NAWBO Pittsburgh chapter, please email me at soulpitt@aol.com

Happy Networking!