Networking and the Growth of Business

January 17, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Small Business Summit 2011 Pre Event Photo 22

Image by Grant Wickes via Flickr

I had an opportunity to sit with a couple young entrepreneurs this morning. In spending this time with them, I was reminded about the idea of networking and the growth of business. Without this time of networking I would not know about their business nor would I be able to refer them to my clients who might well need them.

While networking has always been a part of business success, it seems that in today’s business climate driven often by online marketing opportunities, that real networking has suffered. It’s easier to “shoot” someone an email or direct them to your Twitter account than to sit down for a cup of coffee. While these technologies have their place in every business, they should not and really cannot take the place of the face-to-face contact that is the essence of networking.

Networking is important because:

  • When I am looking into your face I can hear the sincerity of your words.
  • When I am looking into your face I can see the passion in your eyes.
  • When I am looking into your face I can tell your confidence that you display.
  • When I am looking into your face you can see the same things in me.

It is when we can gain the confidence in each other that only this kind of conversation brings, that we will readily refer each other and our businesses to our clients, family, and friends.

Every business should recognize the value of this kind of networking and realize how important it is to the growth of our businesses.

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Creating a Business Identity

May 4, 2011 by Leave a Comment

I have spent the past couple months talking to and working with a group of small business owners who are working hard getting their new businesses up and running or to re-tool as the result of difficult economic times. It has been a great time talking with them and hearing their views on a variety of subjects associated with business growth.

The one area that has fascinated me the most that of creating your business identity. Now, most people when they think of business identity are immediately drawn to the word “branding.” However, in this case branding only makes up a small part of a businesses identity.


Business identity has three primary parts:

1. What is the company’s personality? It is easy to see that a company like Zappos has a different personality than one like, say …. Merrill Lynch.
2. How does a company interact with current and potential customers? Again, the inference here is that some companies prefer a more casual approach while others prefer a more formal one.
3. In what way does a company share its successes with the community? Some companies use press releases and public relations to get their message, some companies sponsor local events to benefit the community in some way, and some companies actively serve the communities from which they derive their successes.

As you can see, identity is much more than branding. Identity is the very heart and soul of the business, while branding is how that identity is seen and understood.

Creating an identity should take place in the planning stages of a business, but is often not considered until much later. But, no matter when, having an identity is the key to long term success or failure.

What do you think about the necessity of a company identity?

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