As female entrepreneurs, networking can feel like a nightmare. Many entrepreneurial women have attested to feeling increased levels of anxiety and impostor syndrome while networking. This is a HUGE problem because networking can be the difference between thriving and bankruptcy. Here are 5 powerful ways to ease your anxiety and make networking feel less like a nightmare and more like a daydream.
Network while the Stakes are Low
As a female entrepreneur, I know that not every day in business is a high-stakes day, but there are a few on which I would never try to build my network. For example, you would not want to start networking while opening your first brick-and-mortar or launching your first course.
Why is that? As female entrepreneurs, some of us are prone to higher levels of anxiety and impostor syndrome in high-stress situations. Therefore, it would be best to reserve networking for simpler and less anxiety-inducing days.
When you network while the stakes are low, you are most likely to consider new ideas and business collaborations. This is vital for new entrepreneurs! Networking in this mindset can accelerate your business and income exponentially.
As a rule of thumb: Networking works best when it feels like a conversation between friends and less like a conversation between you and your boss.
Start Networking Online
Another familiar problem that makes networking feel scarier is being terrified of meeting people in person. As a chronic introvert, I relate to this feeling heavily. I started building my network by meeting people online first until I was comfortable talking to people in person.
Some of the online platforms I used were:
- An online networking platform that is committed to “connect[ing] the world’s professionals to make them productive and successful”. I highly recommend LinkedIn! In the near future, I will write a post on how to properly use LinkedIn to the advantage of you and your business.
- A new app with the intention to “build a social experience that felt more human.”Clubhouse is where I connected mainly with other female entrepreneurs. The clubs I recommend are W.I.N Women Into Networking, Hey Girl, You Can, and Womxn in Business.
- Meetup is an app created to ”make it easier to organize local groups or find one that is already meeting up in real life”. Now, I know the “in real life” part is a bit scary for my fellow introverts but have no fear! Many groups also have zoom links so people can attend the events virtually as well. I have learned everything from business funding to writing a successful post on Meetup from the safety and comfort of my home.
Each of these platforms has its strengths and weaknesses, I recommend you try all of them to find which one you prefer the most.
Network with People You Know
The easiest method of networking is networking with the people already in your immediate circle. If you are in college, start going to your college’s events and talk to the students who helped create them. Most likely, that person is not only a leader on campus, but a leader in their personal life as well making them a valuable asset to your network.
Are you already working? Try talking to some of your coworkers to see what they do in their free time. You may be surprised to find out that someone you have sat beside for years has been running a side hustle the entire time. This person may have some valuable stories and lessons to share with you that you wouldn’t be able to find online.
Maybe, you’re not working and you’re not in school. I recommend you spend time in places you envision the most successful version of yourself would be. This could mean going to Starbucks in the wealthiest zip code in your city, instead of going to your local Starbucks. Eventually, after seeing you around so much, someone will ask you what you do. Just like that, you have a budding high-value network.
Focus on the Other Person
Usually, when feelings of anxiety and impostor syndrome take over, it’s because you’re thinking too much about yourself. Take the pressure off by aiming the focus at the other person. Ask them questions about themselves and build your conversation from there.
Like I said earlier, as a rule of thumb: networking works best when it feels like a conversation between you and your friend rather than a conversation between you and your boss.
Here are some questions you can ask to get the ball rolling:
What is the intention behind your business?
Why was starting a business important to you?
Did you always know you would become an entrepreneur?
What are some pitfalls that you overcame?
Is there any advice you would give to an aspiring entrepreneur?
What habit would you attribute most to your success?
How has your caliber of life changed since you became a business owner?
Have a Solid Plan
At the end of the day, “you do not rise to the levels of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” – James Clear, Atomic Habits.
You should go into networking with a plan and a clear intention. If you couldn’t tell from this pose I am very big on doing everything with intention and moving accordingly. The intention of Kat Clem & Me is to provide accessible knowledge to current and aspiring entrepreneurs with the hopes of creating more Women Owned and Minority Owned Businesses while simultaneously increasing the generational wealth within those communities. It’s a mouthful, but it gives me a north star in all my interactions.
You need to discover why you want to be an entrepreneur and what you intend to do once you become one. A tip to do that is to take yourself out of the equation completely and ask what problem in the world is easily solvable if (blank) happens? That (blank) is why you want to become an entrepreneur and the problem you thought about solving is your intent behind becoming an entrepreneur.
Now that we have our intentions, here’s the plan. Figure out who the important people are in that field and network with them, their close associates, and people who are fans of them. Is important to network with people at different levels of their careers, because everyone has a story to tell and a lesson to teach. Never disregard someone, because you believe they are too ”low” status to give you advice. When it comes to networking, the more the merrier.
Key Takeaways
- Network while the stakes are low because it opens you up to new ideas and business collaborations which may be responsible for exponential business and income growth.
- If you’re nervous to meet people in person, start networking online with platforms like Linkedin, Clubhouse, and Meetup.
- Network with the people in your current environment, because you never know how much knowledge they may have unless you ask.
- Anxiety and impostor syndrome stem from focusing too much on yourself. In order to ease those feelings, ask questions about the other person and build your conversation from there.
- Set your intentions and act accordingly. “You don’t rise to the levels of your goals. You fall to the levels of your systems.” – James Clear, Atomic Habits.
If you’ve learned something from this or enjoyed this topic, please leave a comment down below to let me know how you feel!
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