Entrepreneurial spirit begins where creativity, opportunity, and business savvy meet. It all starts with an idea. However, even entrepreneurs struggle in achieving their dreams and need guidance. To recap, part 1 of this Blog series “Defining the Dream” laid out the process for attaining your vision through organizing and mapping out an action plan. Now that your vision is clearly defined, let’s continue building on the foundation!
Get Focused – Network Smartly!
There are three key aspects to keep in mind when building your network.
A) Core Network
Defining the Dream encouraged you to share your ideas and connect with like-minded people. A supportive and trusted network is essential to achieving your vision. As your business begins to grow, you will likely encounter a gap in a needed skill set. If your current network is unable to help with bridging this gap – keep networking!
B) Diversify your network to include varying skill sets
The second aspect of networking focuses on connecting with people with a diverse set of skills who can help you. As a Business Strategy Consultant, I’ve supported numerous clients who struggle in this realm. My clients opt to spread themselves too thin by trying to learn every skill necessary, some of which are not their strong suit. Learning these brand new skill sets can ultimately lead to a decrease in your overall productivity.
One client in particular is a Creator/ Developer for an app specializing in Augmented Reality (AR) technology. As my client’s company began to grow, he struggled with meeting priorities outside of his skill set. He needed to switch gears and focus on sales, marketing, content creation, speaking events, as well as continuing to develop his app. After engaging with me and working through his challenges, he realized a fair amount of this work can be delegated. His company – a one person startup – needed to diversify in its’ skill set. Given the demand in technology, we agreed to focus on building his network with Colleges and Universities seeking career defining volunteer opportunities for their students. He was able to provide volunteer opportunities to students in areas such as content creation and marketing, thus allowing him to focus on priorities such as sales, speaking, and developing his app. While it is challenging to let go and share certain responsibilities, this is an essential step in enabling your business to grow organically.
C) Build your network with Game Changers
The Game Changer network consists of people who can refer to your work, speak to your abilities, and can open the door to more opportunities. Typically, your game changer network would encompass former Managers, Directors, Stakeholders, Direct Reports and successful Entrepreneurs. Your Game Changer network will provide you with opportunities to learn from their experiences.
I mentioned the notion of a Game Changer network to another client. He was passionate about using his app to bridge the communication and information gap between doctors/ surgeons and their patients. Located in the USA, my client found immense interest for the usage of his app in many of the nation’s hospitals. He networked with multiple doctors, surgeons and nurses. Unfortunately, he continued to hit roadblocks when it came to selling his app, or having the appropriate channels to fund this new technology. While networking with doctors and surgeons, and providing demos of his app to them were helpful steps in progress, funding continued to remain a challenge. We discussed at length the challenges he was facing, and developed a solution; he needed to grow his Game Changer network. Since healthcare is privatized, we created a plan to grow his network of Game Changers through networking with Health Insurance Companies. In expanding his Game Changer network to Health Insurance Companies, he is putting himself on a path to garner interest and allow for his app to be used in hospitals.
Building and fostering your network is essential to progress, growth and development. Remember to lean on your network to enhance your skill sets. Share your challenges to uncover new strategies for overcoming them. Celebrate your successes to gain new perspectives. Building, growing and fostering your network are essential to success in achieving your vision, personally and professionally. Focusing on the key networking areas can help you achieve and maintain success in your career progression and business.