The How, What & Why of Small Business Networking

You don’t have to go far before you find out how highly professional business owners consider small business networking. “Nothing beats talking to people and finding out what excites them about their business and what their challenges might be,” says Karen Burge from Karen J Burge “as someone who helps business owners with their growth and marketing, I’d say 80% of my clients have come through networking.” 

 

Karen isn’t alone in her praise of networking as Philip Mallourides also adds, “business is about people and networking gives us the ability to meet like-minded people whom we can build a business relationship with – it’s not about selling but learning how you can help others.” 

 

If you are a small business in Horsham, then there is an array of networking groups and events available for you that you can use to your business's advantage. This article will consider the different Horsham networking groups and networking events, as well as the benefits of why small business networking can be beneficial. 

 

There are many different benefits that come from engaging in small business networking. Some of these include: 

 

One of the main advantages of networking is the fact that you can share ideas and knowledge with people who work in similar industries to you. Whether you’re pitching a new idea, asking for feedback, or just having a general discussion, networking will allow you to truly see things from another person’s perspective. 

 

Also, if you are just getting started, chances are you will have the chance to meet people who have been in a similar position to you and so will be able to give you advice on any obstacles you find yourself at. This will allow you to have an opportunity to learn from different peoples’ experiences, avoiding common pitfalls as a result and overcoming any issues you find yourself with on the road to starting your small business. 

 

Referring to the aforementioned quote by Karen Burge, she comments saying, “I’d say 80% of my clients have come through networking.” It is networking that will result in more opportunities for your organisation that you may not come across organically. This could lead to other opportunities rather than just work as you may meet other colleagues, form a potential partnership, and get referrals for your product or service. 

 

Though these opportunities are out there, it’s impossible to say when they may manifest themselves or how they will do so. As such, regularly attending networking events is important as a way to really capitalise on the potential opportunities that come with it. 

 

It can be tough to sell yourself and your business, especially if you haven’t had to do anything like it before but one thing that’s important when selling yourself is confidence. The more people that you don’t know that you try to talk to, the more you’re going to build on your confidence. Your business growth depends on regular communication and making connections, so perfecting these skills is important. 

 

There are a wide variety of networking groups available in the Horsham area that will allow you to meet local business owners and reap the benefits of small business networking. Though most groups have recently been meeting via Zoom, they are beginning to meet again in person as lockdown fully eases. 

 

Regardless of your intent with networking, whether it is meeting potential customers, looking for advice or meeting suppliers, some of the below events are the best way for you to get into it. You may have to go through a bit of trial and error to find exactly which group is right for you. As Chris Cooper from Seofon Business Services Ltd comments, “networking has to work for your business. There are many, many groups so take time to experience them and select the ones to commit to that work for you.” 

 

The Horsham Business Show is a great event to start on, it’s priority is to showcase the diverse range of businesses all around Horsham. It is a great place to promote your small business and it encourages small businesses to network with one another as a means to get the most out of one another’s business. 

 

This is one of the most established networking groups in the World, having been set up 34 years ago. It is made up of different chapters and allows one person from each trade to join a different chapter. There are currently three groups in Horsham: 

 

BHCC provides a supportive and friendly environment that allows you to meet new people and grow your business. They hold monthly lunchtime meetings that have different speakers as well as open networking and an update on the Chamber. 

 

Sussex Connections is for sole traders, local enterprises and business owners who are hoping to capitalise on and thrive as a result of developing long-term relationships and generating solid results from people in the surrounding community. This is a group you need to pay for, but it is only done on a pay-as-you-go basis, so you don’t need to worry about committing to anything. 

 

There are many benefits to engaging with a local business network as it could drum up a great deal of business for you as a result. This will be good for generating traffic to your website, which will need to be slick and easy for people to find and use so they can easily track your business down following a networking event. 

 

If you are hoping to stay local when it comes to web design and would like to consult a Horsham web design company, you may want to consider enlisting the help of it’seeze Horsham. This local web designer specialises in making unique websites for businesses, regardless of their size or how long they’ve been operating. 

 

If you would like more information regarding it’seeze Horsham, then do not hesitate to get in touch and let us help grow your business