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The journey of building your own business can be a lonely one. The demands on a new small business owner are significant, and you can easily get mired in the trenches trying to make magic happen on your own.
I have one simple message for you: don’t let yourself get stuck in the mud, spinning your wheels. There’s a world of guidance, inspiration, and support out there for you – if you know where to look.
A world of resources
If you’re feeling lost, young padawan, have no fear. There are resources to turn to at every point in your business journey. Here are a few ways to leverage them:
The key is connection, and the right time is now
The most important thing is to make connections with other people. Reach out and identify like-minded business owners, customers, mentors, and others who resonate with your objective and can help guide you and amplify your message.
In my experience, other entrepreneurs fit this bill wonderfully. They’re collaborative and generous, open to brainstorming and sharing the pitfalls they've experienced in their own businesses. They're the kind of folks who are willing to reach back and lend a hand to new entrepreneurs as they embark on their own journey.
When should you look for this kind of supportive community? Ideally, right out of the gate. As soon as you make the decision to build a business, you need to start building a network.
And what if you already have an established business? As the Chinese proverb says, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
Even if you feel too busy working on your own business to find time or energy to seek out a supportive community, know that you’ll incur a significant opportunity cost by not dedicating time to nurturing connections early on. Having a network of other people can provide opportunities for growth and support you may not have been aware of. And if you truly don’t have time for networking, you may need to hire someone to take over part of the business so you can focus your energies on making valuable connections.
Create community online and off
Of course, there are many opportunities to find your tribe online. The key is to take advantage of digital and in-person opportunities to build community.
You may have dozens of digital friends and connections in your industry through LinkedIn or Facebook. But when you actually put your feet on the ground at an industry conference or trade show, you can start putting faces to names and making deeper connections. That real-world interaction is what brings the world of digital connection to life.
Remember: people do business with people.
Entrepreneurs can get complacent trying to leverage digital tools, building click funnels, and creating Facebook ads, expecting some magic pill to grow their business. But my most interesting conversations and fruitful collaborations have often been the result of attending conferences.
If you're not out there making real-life contacts and building relationships, you’re missing out.
Remember to peer out of the trenches
The mission of the SAP Business Exchange is to provide a peer-to-peer channel for customers and users of SAP Concur products. Our vision is that the SAP Business Exchange will be part of your daily routine, a place where you can find your tribe and grow your business with the resources on offer.
It bears repeating that when it comes to making connections, there’s a cost to doing nothing. So, as you’re putting the sweat equity into your young business, remember to peer out of the trenches and grab the lifelines waiting for you. I hope our community can be one of those lifelines.
Finally, here’s a list of resources mentioned in the article, plus a few more you might find useful:
Organizations
Podcasts
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