Networking during lockdown – A new found value

I used to think that networking was useful and enjoyable, but it now has a totally new value to me.

As a sole trader, I obviously have no colleagues. Everything has to be done by me. And the only banter over a coffee is within my own head – less than ideal!

But now that I can’t get out of my home office, I need that contact more than ever. However, it’s my BNI network that is providing the biggest value in all of this.

• understanding about where I am and what I am dealing with, from a same-boat standpoint. There are so many people who say they ‘know what you’re going through’ but a lot of them don’t. But the people in my BNI group are all in the same position and so DO understand.
  inspiration and motivation to keep going, even through this tough time. We all want to see each other succeed and will do what we can (from a distance at the moment) to help out.
• ideas on how to build my previous business offering, in order to be stronger once we come out of lockdown. Often the issue of working on my own is that I only have my own ideas to work with. This, of course, means that my ideas are the best ideas since they are the only ones. Once you start getting other people involved though, your own ideas get tested, tweaked, improved or completely blown out the water by something someone else says that is so much better.
• new inspiration on how I can pivot and change; to help people in their current work situations. Again, different people with a new viewpoint that isn’t my pawn will come up with far more new options.
• chat with peers with banter and amusement that helps me to relax and laugh. Although we come from all different walks of life, with some quite opposing worldviews and football allegiances, we can still laugh together, which can be a huge release just now.

And that’s before you consider the free online training on all manner of business and networking subjects that BNI Worldwide give us access to as well as the leadership opportunity I’ve got from helping to run a weekly gathering of 40 people.

If you don’t believe me, then try it for yourself. Come along one Friday to our online meeting and check out what I’m experiencing.

If I hadn’t already lost my initial scepticism about BNI’s value, then this lockdown period would certainly have banished any concerns I had.