Start a business, set up shop, and they will come, right? It would be nice if it all worked that way. If time has passed and you find yourself ‘drinking the economy kool-aid’, I have a little research project for you.
Ever heard the phrase, “Birds of a feather flock together?” While I’m a firm believer in philanthropy and helping out another, the business and scriptural principle we should be standing on is, “Iron sharpens iron,” not “The sky is falling.”
Successful people do what they see other successful people do. In business, you have to adopt the same kind of successful thinking – aggressively.
You will adopt the ideals of the company you keep, of the people you hang around. If you’re surrounding yourself with people who just don’t see success being possible, you’re in trouble deep.
Here’s an Analogy:
What if you saw your child hanging around with kids that were obviously emotionally bad for her? Would you persuade her to develop a new peer group? Would you start limiting the contact she had with them and start encouraging healthier relationships? We all know that wouldn’t be enough! She’d throw a fit if you tried to be so “controlling,” am I right?
The most effective way to help her change course would be to help her find other things she loved to do, and do them, in order to be around a different peer group. Then a good mom would meet their parents and through those relationships, she’d be able to encourage healthy relationships for her daughter that might even involve family cook-outs, football games, or deeper friendships. That, my friends, is the purest form of networking.
Why Do You Need Networking Skills?
We need to surround ourselves with others who are pursuing success. Relationships are so important, and healthy ones are necessary for the right business mindset, too. People who know how to make it work, help us understand how to grow. There is wisdom in a multitude of counsel. Believe it or not, you probably hold the key that unlocks a hang up for someone else!
On the flip side … take a good, hard look at the worst, I mean the worst, example of a business in your industry. If you find that you’re handling activities like they are, that’s your clue. It’s time to trade up. You’ve been too long in a rhythm of doing business that will never be progressive without a change of attitude and strategy.
You know how to do what you do. Now it’s time to turn that into a successful business. That’s a different kind of thinking, and a different way of handling affairs. Be the expert in your field. If you’re not one now, become one. Develop strong, healthy business relationships that will help you see how it’s done.
Leave a Reply