Strategic friendships are crucial to establishing a vibrant business network. We know it’s true, but sometimes we crank up that excuse machine: “I’d love to come to the meeting, but life’s a little crazy right now” or “I have to put in some overtime, because the business is struggling right now.”
Could it be the struggle arose because you don’t have a supportive network? When you remove yourself from the vital life of your local business community, you’ve cut yourself off from the very source that nourishes your business: other people with fresh ideas, interesting intel and — here’s the best part — other connections.
While the spirit of the age celebrates the independent entrepreneur, the truth is far different. We all need each other, because a community is much more than the sum of each individual. Communities are powerful as they are even much more than the sum of the members. They embrace collective values, yield collective experience and, most important of all, they offer friendship in a world where entrepreneurs need a sounding board and friends they can trust.
That’s why attending regular gatherings of other entrepreneurs is the secret sauce to take your business to the next level.