When we are given the choice, we gravitate towards people who are similar to ourselves. Despite the old adage 'opposites attract', it can be said that it is romantic relationships that bloom brightest when it comes to the matter of like mindedness, however a crucially important aspect of driving your business forward effectively is by associating with like minded people who share the same professional ambitions and attitudes as your own.
Building relationships with such people will help you construct your business more actively and efficiently because you each share the same infectious drive and determination that in part defines the entrepreneurial spirit. No matter how niche your area of interest or expertise may be, in this age of connectivity it is almost a certainty that you will be able to find a group of individuals you can strike a chord with. Many opportunities exist for attending events on differing scales of formality where you can start bonding face to face and strengthening your connections.
Bouncing ideas off these kinds of people is invaluable. Such environments lend themselves incredibly well to both the spark and evolution of ideas and creative thinking, cross examining their feasibility with people who like you, should be well versed in evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of a proposal. You have effectively got a focus group right there in front of you. Whilst as we know how liberating it can be to unleash your latest rant on your poor victim, detailing the assortment of obstacles that have landed in your way, such a network of like minded professionals should be able to offer up more tailored and specific advice and guidance to your problems rather than people simply just being an ear. Though you might not know it, you have travelled the same paths and hurdled the same obstacles to get to where you are today. Your learning curve can be dramatically shortened by having like minded people share their experiences with you, more than likely helping you fast track around future setbacks.
You should ask yourself, what is your professional network like at present? The work of leading motivational speaker Tony Robbins is well worth investigating. He suggests that "you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with" which might be a scary thought but it leads on nicely to a quote with which you may be familiar. "If you look around a room and you're the smartest one there, then you're in the wrong room". The chances are, if you're working from home then this statement will ring true, unless your dog happens to be Lassie. You are a product of your own environment, so if your interpretations of your surroundings are becoming increasingly negative, it is time to ring the changes. A fear of the unknown can unfortunately play a factor in inhibiting you taking action and these sorts of events require you to be open and receptive to sharing experiences, but be brave and take those steps remembering that you are all in the same boat and that there are no stupid questions.
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