Business networking can often be a hard practice. Selling yourself to others, who are also trying to sell to you, often feels unnatural and awkward. While there are many tips for successful networking you can follow and reasons why networking is important for entrepreneurs, it can be easier when you join The Alternative Board (TAB).
Here are three reasons why:
1. You gain exposure to different industries and types of people
Our advisory boards are made up of owners from non-competing industries. This means they are entrepreneurs you probably wouldn’t meet otherwise. We know that whatever industry you’re in, business owners face the same sort of challenges and will have had similar experiences. This includes everything from people management issues to exit strategies.
Therefore, by joining TAB, networking is made easier because you build connections naturally as you collaborate around the board table. For example, you might be looking for a good IT agency and another member might refer you to someone they have used. Additionally, you become a known business in your industry that members will refer their connections to as well.
Here is a TAB Member, Mike Hodge, who has been with us for 10 years, talking about his experience.
“Many thanks to Dave for the time invested with CimLogic via TAB. Being part of a ‘relevant’ network has made an extreme difference to the way we do business. I have saved money, paid less tax, received better service from existing suppliers, and been able to use a wide range of new business services which I didn’t even know existed.”
2. You join a local, national and global network
When you join a TAB advisory board, you build relationships with other business owners on your local board. Plus, through our TAB Connect platform, you can network with other entrepreneurs in the UK and in 23 other countries around the world.
With numerous online options for collaboration available, from forums to messaging apps and social media, choosing how to network can be overwhelming. TAB Connect helps you find other business owners so you can help each other in a meaningful way.
TAB Connect is our exclusive, online networking building platform. It enhances communication between board members and unites members in similar industries from across our global community.
We have had TAB members connecting and referring each other since we started in the US over 30 years ago.
Here’s a video about TAB Connect:
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3. You will be given the skills to network successfully
Your fear of networking might be holding you back. Well, advisory boards exist to help you overcome those personal obstacles.
TAB isn’t a replacement for attending networking events, it complements and enhances your ability to do it. Whatever weakness you have in this area, your TAB board will be able to suggest different tactics or avenues to go down where they have found success in the past. That goes for any aspect of running a business, not just networking.
Also, by meeting ambitious professionals through the advisory boards gives you practice on presenting yourself and pitching your business. You will learn how to build meaningful relationships with other entrepreneurs where you learn from each other and help your businesses thrive.
Jolanta Lankwoski, from Sampson Products Ltd said “My confidence has grown enormously as a result of the support from Simon and TAB. Every time I take what feels like a big issue to my Board, I come away feeling that it is much easier to deal with because of the advice I’ve been given by people form very different businesses and backgrounds.”
Read more of Jolanta’s story.
More reasons to join a TAB Advisory Board
Making networking easier for you and your business is not the only reason for you to join an advisory board.
Download our guide to discover the benefits of advisory boards.
