NETWORKING WAHM

Archive for the ‘BUSINESS’ Category

It’s a hard economy, what steps can you take which are not costly, benefit your business and are easy to do?

5 TIPS -

1) Start bartering with you local contacts for services. Use the bartering “topic”, as a means to network and meet more local businesses.  Take the topic out into your city or town and ask other local businesses, if they would be interested in bartering. If they don’t already, branch out and develop your bartering group. If you city or town doesn’t already have one this may be a fantastic networking opportunity for all of your contacts. Think of bartering as a way you can decrease your expenditures and still keep your business fully functional.

2) Offer you employees bartered services as bonuses. Many bartering groups use gift certificates. By offering your employees gift certificates, you form a good a working partnership with other companies. This will be a great way for you to form a new networking group. If you have more than just yourself to take advantage of bartering, you’ll spread your business name. Often your employee, will develop into a new repeat customer which is a winning situation for the other business.

3) Join as many coffee business networking groups as your time will allow. Often they are not advertised, so you may need to ask around and use the Internet to find the groups.

4) Rather than having to push yourself to always sell your business. Just invite local contacts you would possibly like to do business with to your coffee group. Let the natural friendships form.

5) Use social media to network your business. Often we use it solely for our personal use. Promote your specials, new products, bonus deals, coupons etc. with social media. You would be surprise how well it works. For those who use it regularly, no advertising compares to the reach which social media has.

Networking  is the most solid way to grow and develop yourself  as a business professional, by networking your business will naturally grow. You can do both at the same time, most of us learn almost through osmosis just by being around others. You not only meet potential clients, but also friends you’ll learn from. Networking is a tried and true method of growing any business. Networking doesn’t have to cost a lot,  you can become your own advertising and marketing consultant. You just have to be sincere and yourself. How great is it to know, you yourself, are your own best marketer and salesperson ever!

With a new year around the corner, many of us are making new plans for growth and change. The New Year is coming up, how are you planning on changing your business and social  life. Have you given thought to adding  any new networking groups to you marketing plan in the new year? Your should try to add a few groups each year. Drop out of  networking groups which have not worked in the past year in helping you grow your business.  Try to find the networking groups which will be more effective in your growth. Seek out the groups which are not far for you to travel to. Time is money and money is time, including travel time. If you start your research online try to find the groups in your area which will best serve you.

In thinking about joining more groups in the new year. Also think about professional organizations, entrepreneur groups, and technology groups. Think outside of the box, maybe join the groups you can learn from in addition to offering just networking opportunities.  Think about your own skill set and what you could benefit from learning when looking into groups. Classes are also a great way to network.  In doing so you can grow your list of contacts, from an ample group of contacts to a new substantial group. Just think of how much you could grow your business, if you substantially increased your contacts in one year. How much would you grow?  Really contemplate on doubling your contact list over time.

We have all given of our time to causes over the years. Have you ever considered drawing together your local contacts, to help a cause together?

No better way, for your contacts to truly be themselves and get to know each other on a personal level first. Down the road, maybe trying each other’s services or products.  Networking on a professional level is much more stuffy. Networking in a fresh and different way, to bring local people together. Bring your favorite local people in your network to get to know each other, in such a selfless way, is fantastic. Networking done face to face, on your home turf in a low key way, how  fun, and  it’s all for a good cause. It doesn’t get any better and you’ll feel great after! 

For WAHMs,  it’s the perfect way to get to know other WAHMs,  in a more relaxed way. Our challenges are not being able to get out as much as we’d like, with our work being at home. Doing work for a cause, would be the prefect outlet of us occasionally.

Idea:  You could create a team.  For example -  Susan G Komen Race for the Cure, it would be perfect cause for women coming together. Being able to  train as a  local team of business people, make new friends and business contacts while raising money of a great cause.  Read the rest of this entry »

Please come  over and join our Circle of Moms Community. Please feel free to ask your questions. I have often given thought to starting a forum for Networking WAHM. Circle of Moms is convenient for most of us who are Facebook users, I felt it was logical choice.

Networking Mom

Networking WAHM – Circle of Moms

I feel it is very important to support other women in their endeavors.  On both my sites I try to mention women entrepreneurs regularly.  I try to always show my feelings  - being very pro female entrepreneur.  I am proud to be a woman and just as proud of all the amazing women on the web. It is true the web is a very male dominated place or let’s just say it has been previously been very male dominated place. Times are really changing, more women are really thriving on the web. 

Many of us who are on the web regularly, have notice a trend which has developed. Careers are developing from the needs of successful wahms (work at home moms) needing to outsource some of their responsibilities.  All new branches of support services for web based businesses have exploded.  Outsourcing everything from emails which  someone else can help you with to  technology – tools which would make your life easier. You wish you could take the time to learn  it all yourself, but you need to focus on the more important things. You can only handle so much in a day, you need to prioritize. Doing things the older way costs you time. Help exists, why not try a new service to ease up the inbox or help you with your affiliates. Once you start to become overwhelmed with your new site or business reach out to other women, ask for help. Tell other women what areas you are struggling with. Someone may just know of a mom looking to start a career as a virtual assistant, she may what o start out by helping you!  Your business success, may just create another business success, which is exactly what’s happening with many wahms on the web.

Positive Visualization -  Dream it and develop an idea into reality. How would anything happen in life without positivity and having dreams?

Positive Visualization is key in attaining any goal.

If athletes and business people are all use visualization tools, so why can we all use them too?  Why are companies big believers in using a company motto and affirmations for their employees to benefit from? They simply work! The ending result is the product of  the desired goal.  How do all these things happen? Great customer service, a great end product, and a happy work place.  Think about it? Why else would so many companies be using them?

Visualizing your goal and believing you can succeed is the first step in  any goal.  We dream about weddings and graduations long before they happen for a reason We plan every last detail out, far in advance and make it become a reality.

An easy step in attaining our goals is just by really willing it to happen, by using positive energy to manifesting  the goals. It’s simple isn’t it.  You just have to have the knowledge of how it happens.

Tip: To help focus and develop your idea and organize it, use a vision board. Vision boards have helped many to see and attain their goals regularly. Basically a vision board shows you  the steps to achieve the goal, so you don’t loose focus, a visual outline of sorts.  Oprah is a big believer and user of vision boards.

The more you focus on your goals, the faster you’ll achieve them!

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The next step in the growth and development of Networking WAHM is  by joining relevant affiliate programs. If you have a program that would be an appropriate fit for the visitors of Networking WAHM, please feel free to contact me. I look forward to bringing resources to –  the stay at home moms, the work at home moms and the working moms, all who visit Moms Indulgence. If you are interested in having us becoming an Affiliate of yours, please feel free to contact me directly. Please contact me with your ideas, thoughts and comments.

One of the easiest ways to develop your network of contacts is to go to every party your invited to.  The focus is off you at a party which is not your own. There is no pressure on you. By going to a large variety of events you’ll meet many different people from all different backgrounds and businesses.

Learn as you go and watch others and how they network and learn from them. If  you have a contact who you feel networks well bring them along. Watch them as they use their networking skills and learn how they do it.

Direct sales parties, graduation parties, birthday parties, retirement parties are all fun places to network.  At this time of year there are many parities to attend. Never miss any event to mingle and learn from others.

So many of us would like to be great at networking or really want to be better at it? In  many of the networking groups you stand up and present your business to others. So do you have any anxiety about doing this? I know I do not like it, but will do it when needed.

So how can you become great in business if you  can’t do any public speaking? I really do think there are many people have stage fright and many us suffer from this. Many people have a real  public speaking anxiety issue, just the thought makes many nervous.

I know many people who really dread the idea of walking into a room of strangers at new meetings, events, etc. Are you one? A great tip is to get there early, so when the people start arriving they meet you first and you’ll feel more comfortable knowing a few people a little before it starts.

Many of us have public speaking fears. Do you hate the thought of getting getting up in front of a group.  You can take a class to work just on public speaking, it may just really help you in your business.

So the first step is learning about your fear or fears and facing it.  You can take small steps to face your fears. So you can network in all situations.