4 reasons women struggle with networking

I love networking. When I see it’s on my calendar for the week, I get excited. Chatting with other businesswomen and exchanging stories, ideas and referrals, I get to have fun while doing business. What’s not to love? Well, good question…

I do remember first starting networking and feeling more than a little bit nervous. I had an argument in my head. One side told me to go for it. I’d just started my business and needed to get myself out there. The other side told me to run for the hills because what if this happened and what if that happened and surely it would all go terribly wrong.

Luckily I pushed through and went for it because I’ve met so many amazing business friends and clients through networking. And it wasn’t as scary as it seemed! But I completely understand why women sometimes struggle with networking. I think we all do at first. So I surveyed the Small Business Vibes community to get their thoughts too. 

Here are the main things we were worried about when we first started networking and how it didn’t stop us from enjoying networking and the community and clients we get from it. 

“I’m new to this.”

Perfect! Networking really helped me at the beginning of my business. I didn’t just find my first clients but also other women I could talk to about the realities of running a business and I learnt a lot from them. 

You don’t need to have everything figured out to come to networking. You can be new and still trying things out. Networking is a great place to do that because you can test different offers or ideas. We’re happy to share our thoughts and experiences. 

This was at the top of the list of what SBV members were worried about when they first started networking. They didn’t know what to expect and were worried they wouldn’t know enough about business to have things to talk about. What if they couldn’t think of what to say under pressure? 

It turns out it wasn’t as bad as they feared! They all said finding a supportive group helped them get comfortable with networking. They felt like they could relax and enjoy themselves.

“I’m an introvert!”

I get that walking into a room of strangers is an introvert's worst nightmare. But I promise you, it’s not as bad as it seems. The point of networking is to grow our connections by meeting new people. As a new person, everyone there will be happy to welcome you and find out how you can support each other. You have a great common interest - owning a business. I can talk about that for hours! You’ll be surprised how quickly 2 and a half hours go.  

When I was talking to the SBV ladies about this, they mentioned the fear of pitching. They were very intimidated by having to do a 60-second pitch in front of a load of strangers. Not every networking group uses that structure. At SBV, we like to keep things conversational - it’s more enjoyable for everyone. 

We do have 3 open mic spots where people are selected at random to share with the whole room but you can opt out of that with no judgement or pressure. Although once you’ve got used to talking about your business, you might be crossing your fingers hoping you get picked!

My top tip is to introduce yourself before the meeting. We have a Facebook group where you can connect with fellow attendees and the hosts. Introduce yourself in there so you’ll see some familiar faces on the day. Let them know it’s your first time and they’ll look out for you.

“Don’t I need to have a ‘proper business’?”

You’d be surprised how many women doubt the legitimacy of their business. They worry they’re not big enough to go networking. To that I say no one is too small to go networking! Everyone starts somewhere and grows at their own pace. It doesn’t matter how many clients, sales or team members you have, we want to get to know you. 

At Small Business Vibes, we meet women with all different-sized businesses. Some have literally just started. Some have been doing it for years. Some are celebrating their first few sales and others are celebrating taking on a new team member. So our SBV ladies found it a welcoming and supportive environment.

If you’re struggling with this one, think of it this way… People go networking to grow their businesses. Is that what you want too? Well then, you’re a perfect fit. 

“Doesn’t everyone else know each other?”

While we get new people coming along to our meetings all the time, we do have regulars at each location of Small Business Vibes. They’ve got to know each other really well so are great at referring each other business.  

That being said, our regulars love meeting new people and will be very eager to talk to you about what you do and how you could support each other. It’s the name of the game really! Who knows how you could help each other? You could collaborate in some way, introduce each other to clients or have a good chat that generates a new idea. 

I would recommend going to a networking group regularly. Getting to know other businesswomen massively helps with referrals and you’ll find people you can talk to about the ups and downs of being your own boss. 

See networking can be fun! It’s one of those things that gets easier with time. The more you do it, the more comfortable you get introducing yourself and talking about your business. Lots of our SBV ladies struggled at the start and now love it. I do suggest trying multiple networking groups too because different people gel with different styles of networking.  

If you’re looking for a networking group for women who take business seriously but not themselves, give us a try. Our members like our style of networking because there’s plenty of time for meeting and getting to know other businesswomen. We don’t have guest speakers, just open mic spots where randomly selected attendees can shout about their business to the whole room. You can bring along samples too to showcase what you do. We’re there to have fun, build genuine relationships and do business. Find your local meeting and try us out pay as you go.