When you are an entrepreneur, especially starting out, networking can be the critical component in growing your business. Until 2020 came, that was pretty easy to do. Your local Chamber of Commerce might have monthly Mixers where you could mix and mingle with other entrepreneurs and develop relationships. If you were a member, they would include you on their Directory of Businesses and send referrals your way. You might join a BNI group (Business Network International) or Young Professionals. Small business networking post-pandemic has certainly changed the way we network at all.

Aside from the Chamber of Commerce options, pre-pandemic you had other options. If you had school-age kids, there were always opportunities to network with parent groups and sports groups. If you belonged to a church or club that would provide opportunities as well to grow and deepen your relationships.

The Pandemic Changed Everything

Things changed last year when, suddenly, our networking opportunities changed. In fact, they pretty much disappeared. The one major exception, and the one that took off like a rocket, was social media. It became the solution to networking and marketing your business and selling your goods and services. It was the safe, socially distanced way to put yourself out there.

What’s the Future of Networking?

While things have started to shift back, there is still a void in ways to network that will allow you to really create relationships, and ultimately customers. Only time will tell if we are going back to the old ways or if there is some sort of “new frontier” out there with fresh and exciting opportunities.

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