subject: Business Networking for the Whole Business Community [print this page] Business Networking for the Whole Business Community
Networking between businesses has never been easier than it is today.
There was a time when representatives of local business had to drag themselves away from their own concerns to attend meetings of the local Chamber of Commerce or business forum and, whilst that form of personal interaction is still crucially important for the purpose of knowing who is who in your local business community, there are now so many different ways of keeping in touch with others either within your neighbourhood or your niche.
The importance of the latter cannot be overstated. It has always been fairly easy to interact with business people operating a few yards along your street. Traditionally it has been more difficult to keep in touch with others operating in the same line of business as yourself who might be based in some other part of the country, or indeed in some other country.
Social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, along with business centred resources such as LinkedIn, have proved extremely valuable. They have almost literally brought the world to your computer screen. Today it is just so easy to communicate with anybody anywhere else in the world that we very much take it for granted.
But why would we wish to be in contact with other business people? In particular those with whom we are competing in the same often scarce market?
This question needs to be looked at from the perspective of different situations. If you were the manager of a public house, for example, and another public house was situated next door to your own (unlikely though that may be in this age of closures) then your neighbour and yourself would clearly be in competition with each other.
If however the other premises were located a few streets away you would in all likelihood share many of the same customers, who often tend to move around. You would have a common interest in maintaining the popularity and the quality of the area for incoming visitors, and in identifying troublemakers and sharing intelligence on such things as drug taking and general anti-social activity.
Of course most neighbourhoods will play host to a wide range of completely different business interests. Once again these will have a mutual interest in raising the quality of the area in which they operate so as to encourage more outside visitors who will, it is hoped, use all the services and retail outlets. They will have a mutual interest in putting a stop to crime such as robbery, vandalism and anti-social behaviour that has the cumulative effect of deterring custom.
Business networks provide a useful rallying point for local traders, but can also provide additional services such as training in starting a business, small business advice and support for those thinking of going into home business.
