We’ve talked about volunteering and networking here in the Home Business blog, but I think that many of us have a tendency to isolate and work away solo in our small, home businesses. We forget how important it can be to get involved in our communities or even know where we can go to get involved. The truth is, involvement can really benefit our business efforts, as well as give our lives more of a sense of balance.
Whether you get involved on a neighborhood or community level, or on a larger scale with your city or region—involvement gives you the opportunity to expand your sphere of influence. This can be different from networking in that you have a chance to get to know people better (not just shaking hands and exchanging business cards at a networking event) by working together on a shared interest or project. You get a chance to really show your stuff and promote yourself as a person as well as your home business. This adds to your credibility and your reputation.
I think the other thing that involvement does is that it gives us outside influences that can inspire and invigorate our work and business too. Things get stagnate if they exist in a vacuum and involvement contributes to a sense of relevancy in our businesses and our daily lives. So, where should you get involved? It depends on your interests and passions. Follow your heart—whether it is to church, social activities, human services, charities, local or city government, or even national political issues. I don’t think it matters as much what you get involved in, as long as it is something you are genuinely interested in and can sink your teeth in and work to make a difference. That passion you feel for a particular group or project will shine through and influence people as well.
Also: Relationships are Important in Business–But Don’t Abuse Them
Recreation–a Great Time to Talk Business–Sometimes