Entrepreneurship can be an exciting but sometimes lonely lifestyle. You get so wrapped up in your business ideas and your goals that it can be easy to alienate yourself from others. That’s why, as a young entrepreneur, it’s a great idea to befriend others with similar goals and mindsets. But, how do you meet them? Below are some ideas.
Join Your Local Chamber
Your local Chamber of Commerce is made up of people who own businesses in your local area. Many Chamber of Commerce groups organize events in your local community year round and have advertising opportunities and meetings that can help you improve your business. Plus, it’s a great opportunity to meet other people and perhaps barter for the services that you need as well.
Join Meetup Groups
Meetup.com is a website that helps bring together like minded people. There are social groups for moms with children, but there are also groups where entrepreneurs who live in the same area can meet, exchange ideas, and network. If you don’t see a meetup that pertains to your business idea, you can always start one. It can be as simple as meeting to chat in a coffee shop and as detailed as organizing an entire event. Either way, it’s great to have the support of those in your community.
Create a Private Facebook Group
Facebook groups are becoming more and more popular. This is an easy and simple way to connect with other like minded people. You can find Facebook groups for your type of business. For example, if you have a social media marketing business, you can find a Facebook group with other social media marketers where you can share tips. There are also Facebook groups for bloggers, artists, and a range of other professions and interests. Don’t feel like you are sharing tips with the competition. Many of these Facebook groups have members across the country and the world and are great places to seek advice and support.
Go to Conferences
Conferences are an ideal place to network with others. Plus, conferences usually have a range of interesting panels and talks that can benefit your business and help improve your bottom line.
Most of the time, you can see who is attending conferences ahead of time so you should be able to reach out to others via email or social media to request meetings or at least to meet in person and grab a cup of coffee. In a world where face to face meetings are becoming increasingly uncommon, conferences are a great way to get that personal touch when it comes to making connections.
Ultimately if you’re a young entrepreneur, especially a digital entrepreneur, it’s so important to network with others who are in similar fields of work as you are.
Sometimes entrepreneurship can be isolating, and you need a support system to help you when the times are tough and to cheer you on when you have a big success. Also, remember that if you don’t have a good support group now, you can always find noe locally or on social media, and if for some reason you can’t find one, always feel free to start your own.
