Tag Archives: networking

Don’t Overlook the Power of Small Talk

Think your time is precious and that if you have to chat your way through one more cocktail party or networking event you will scream? If you are trying to build a business, all those opportunities for small talk can actually result in an increased profit margin and a fatter bottom line. Small talk can really yield big results… Done properly–and that means listening attentively and asking the right questions, you can actually garner quite a bit about a person from a brief, seemingly meaningless conversation. Chatting about the weather, sports, current events, or other typical topics found buzzing around … Continue reading →

How Many Conferences Should You Attend a Year (if Any)?

There are pros and cons for attending conferences as a home business owner. The challenge is to figure out if the cost of attending the conference pays off in terms of knowledge, exposure, and networking. I’m not talking about businesses where you do the bulk of your sales through conferences and expos—but the type of professional conferences that are geared toward specific fields and trades. Is it worth it to attend, and if so, how many conferences should a person attend in a year? Conferences can be expensive. You have to factor in your tuition, the price of hotel rooms … Continue reading →

Business Really Is Personal

In my years of working as a fundraising professional there was one tried and true rule that we reminded people who were working to raise money–”People give money to people, NOT organizations.” This is a good rule to remember in our home businesses too–people form relationships and spend their money with businesses where they feel connected to the people. We can definitely use this reality to help us build our own home businesses! I do not mean to suggest that we should be paranoid and confuse business relationships with personal ones, but in reality, people get attached to people and … Continue reading →

Nametags and Networking Go Hand-in-Hand

I know, I know– I’m not too fond of name tags as a rule either. I’ve written before several months ago about the importance of wearing name tags for some types of businesses, but I was recently at a network event and it dawned on me how incredibly necessary name tags are in order to make the most of the opportunity to network and promote a business. If you don’t have a fancy little pre-made name tag, wearing one of those “Hello, My Name Is:” tags is far better than not wearing anything at all. Believe it or not, people … Continue reading →

Empty Nest Syndrome for the Single Parent

Empty Nest Syndrome is a difficult time for any parent but for the single parent, it can be an exciting but also heartbreaking time. I remember when my daughter was 18. Just two weeks after her birthday, she decided to move out. Although my son was still at home at the age of 20 while attending a nearby university, I was devastated. I remember thinking that she was so young and just not ready but she was legally an adult and it was her right. Although I tried to talk her out of going, she had her mind made up. … Continue reading →

Do You Have an “Elevator Marketing Pitch?”

In my years spent working in fundraising and marketing for nonprofit organizations–both as employee and as a consultant–I encouraged those who worked with these organizations, whether they were employees or volunteers, to develop a speech or a way of explaining what the organization did in the time it took to take an elevator ride. Often we get started and we can talk and talk about our businesses and what we do–but we don’t always have that kind of time to make a first and lasting impression. We need something strong, brief, and inspirational that we can share with confidence and … Continue reading →

Networking With Former Coworkers

Just because we’ve left the traditional work world behind (or at least we home business owners may have partially left it behind) doesn’t mean we should let our connections with old coworkers go. Former coworkers and colleagues can be an important group in our extended circle of connections (or sphere of influence) and it can be very worthwhile to keep those connections alive. I think I am a fairly common representation of the modern professional–many of my best friends (and even a few romantic interests) have come from work. We spend so much time focusing on our careers and work … Continue reading →

Making Time for Networking

Working from a home “office” can be isolating–without coworkers and colleagues right down the hall or across the room, it can be tough to remember how important networking and mixing with other professionals and community members can be to keeping a career alive (not to mention just expanding your sphere of influence). Of course, it will depend on the type of work you do–but whether you are working in sales, providing a service, or producing a product, networking is a useful activity. The fact is, it just takes more effort to leave our home office, get a baby-sitter, or juggle … Continue reading →

How Volunteering Can Help Your Business

Looking for ways to boost your business, expand your network and get more involved in your community? Volunteering is one way you can do a lot of positive things all at the same time. You may know that volunteering is good for you and your community, but it might not have dawned on you that volunteering can actually help you build your business too. Get involved with volunteer projects, committees, fundraisers and even joining a board of directors for a nonprofit organization are ways many individuals extend their social and business contacts. Volunteering is a really fabulous way to meet … Continue reading →

Let’s Talk About Pregnancy Support Groups

Aside from proper prenatal care and nutrition, the most important thing a pregnant woman needs is emotional support. The obvious sources include husband, family, and friends. But very rarely are all these people going through what the pregnant woman is going through at the same time. It can be very rewarding to branch out to sources of like-kind, and the internet offers many. Families.com is one such source of pregnancy support. Visiting the Pregnancy Forums will lead you to other women to chat with about the many issues of pregnancy. These women are going through pregnancy just as you are, … Continue reading →