By Melanie of Sisarina Inc

It's faith in something and enthusiasm for something that makes life worth living. – Oliver Wendell Holmes

Starting a business from scratch is no small task. You can take classes, workshops, talk to other business owners, and read every book you can get your hands on but nothing will prepare you for opening your own company. Nothing.

I started a web company in 2001 while in college with no idea how to run a business. I found a need & filled it. I taught some of my marketing classes because I had more experience than my teachers at building websites. I made money helping my community while finishing up my degree & heading off into the ‘real world.’ It seemed so easy because it was a small town and had no competition.

Restarting Sisarina was prompted by a huge downturn in the economy. My boss asked me what I would do if he couldn’t keep paying me and I responded, "I’d work for myself." In May 2009 Sisarina Inc became a full-fledged company again with a designer, a developer and myself heading up the frontlines. June found me hiring an assistant & by January 2010 we had a staff of 10, an office in downtown Bethesda & things were moving along at the speed of light. I was on top of the world.
 

Running a business is just as much about appearances as it is about operations.

As a growing business, Sisarina ran into the same problems many other businesses run into with hiring, renting & renovating an office, clients, and cash-flow. The only problem: we had no idea others had these same problems.

Feeling like you’re alone is one of the scariest things about working for yourself. As an employer, you can’t talk to your employees (or even your friends and family, really) about your struggles because you want to maintain a sense of control over your business. It is at this point that you realize support systems within the surrounding business community are what can make or break your company.

Having built a strong support system, I reached out to two fellow business owners who showed me I wasn’t alone in my struggles. Being able to keep the appearance of normalcy while dealing with the drama and having an outlet for venting was a huge part of our growth. What a relief it was to know that others had gone through, and were still sometimes going through, the same things we had.

It takes a village to raise a child and it takes a community to raise a business.

As a huge proponent of community in every aspect of my life, I knew that the best marketing plan for Sisarina was to create a community. Twitter was just becoming a buzz word and I noticed that it had everything to do with the same kind of community I was always trying to create. Information sharing, local events and connecting were all things Sisarina's marketing plan had included, so I put together a Tweetup.

Ten of us shyly met for happy hour and in May 2009, #DCTweetup was born. The people Sisarina has brought into our community through networking, hosting events and finding resources have been the reason we've grown so much in such a short time. We were getting leads from people we wouldn’t meet until months later because they loved our brand and knew we were a resource to them.

15 months after Sisarina restarted, we are considered a success as 50% of businesses fail within the first year. Our portfolio is growing, our events are getting bigger and our brand is becoming well-known locally. Without the community we started building from the beginning, this would not be possible.

Tips from a new business owner:

1. Love what you do – It’s a LOT of hard work & long hours. If you don’t love what you do, it won’t be worth it.
2. Find advisors – Find people you can trust & who will make sure you never feel alone.
3. Be a part of a community – Create your own community/network of people - even if it's only a few people. People work with people they like.
4. Be proactive – Don’t think you’ll just hang your sign & clients will show up at your doorstep. Get out & find them.
5. Take a break – As humans, we need breaks... especially business owners. Schedule time away from work to relax & get refreshed. Your clients and employees will love you for it.

SERIES: And so begins a series called “Start a Biz” where we’ve asked other entrepreneurs to share their stories about starting their own business. They’ll tell you war stories, give you hope, show you how to learn from their mistakes and make you laugh. Get ready. Check back weekdays for the latest posts & get inspired.

BE A PART: If you’d like to be a part of the series and have started a business from the ground-up, contact us for information about how you can be featured.

The definition of networking is “to cultivate people who can be helpful to one professionally.” The core of this is lost on most business owners and salespeople.

To cultivate means to really work at something. In order to network well, we must plan to befriend those around us.

We work with people we like, not just people we know.

How many times have you been to an event where people asked you what you did then stared over your shoulder to find someone else who might give them business? Notice how I didn’t ask if you have been, because everyone has.

Networking is a subtle art form that has been so badly misused that people cringe when they hear of a networking event. But it’s typically not the event that’s scary, it’s the people. Some people still haven’t learned how to network without selling.

Selling is the base of all scariness in networking.
 

Here are 10 tips to help you stop selling & start building relationships:

1. Be engaged.

If you’re in a conversation, don’t look for other people to talk to. Enjoy what you’re in at that moment.

2. Network with everyone.

Just because someone isn’t a good client of yours doesn’t mean they can’t be a great referral source.

3. Be a resource.

If people know that you give out great information they’re more likely to want to work with you.

4. Be a connector.

If you see people who aren’t engaging in conversation, invite them into your group. If someone says they’re looking for a certain type of person & you know someone who can help them, introduce them to that person.

5. Stop talking about what you do.

Start talking about what you like to do and connect with people on a higher level than just work.

6. Don’t force a conversation.

Some people just aren’t meant to connect. If you feel stuck in a conversation, excuse yourself to use the bathroom or to say hi to someone else.

7. Don’t judge.

Just because someone has a job you’re not interested in, it might not define them. The person might be really interesting in other parts of their life. Ask them about those things instead.

8. Listen.

Stop blathering on and start listening. You’ll probably be remembered as a great conversationalist.

9. Networking happens everywhere.

Networking events aren’t the only place to network. Find unassuming places to meet people & practice friend-making. Those types of events typically result in business relationships.

10. Be yourself.

Stop trying to be a salesperson and just have a friendly conversation. People know when you’re trying too hard.

Next time you head to an event don’t have a goal of how many business cards you’ll get.

Instead, plan to make at least one friend. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much business you’ll get out of that.

Happy networking!

Also published at: Bring it to Fruition & Women Grow Business & referenced on Forecasting Clouds

Hi, my name is Melanie & I’m a connector.

I love connecting people around me so much that I will go out of my way to do it. This is something I do with my friends (friend-sharing), church friends & acquaintances (setting up group meetings), business colleagues (setting up networking events) and neighbors (referring them to other people I know).

When Small Act asked me to put together a webinar on connecting communities and setting up great events, I jumped at the chance. I’m not the type of person to keep things to myself. I’m always sharing information and trying to get others to use the knowledge I’ve acquired. Putting together networking events that are fun, friendly, and make you want to come back is my thing. Creating the perfect atmosphere by welcoming people, choosing comfortable venues and facilitating easy conversations is no simple thing, so I put together a presentation on how best to do it.

On June 22 I shared that presentation via Small Act’s webinar and was thrilled at the reactions of those in attendance. A huge thank you to all those who listened in. I’ve included my presentation below for your review.

Dave Saunders heard about what we were doing & posted a great blog post about it: Connecting Your Communities with Social Media

Another great resource I came across while putting this together was: How to Network

CONTEST:  In exchange for doing the webinar, Small Act gave Sisarina two licenses for their social media tool ‘Thrive’. After a quick tour of the software, I was hooked. They really know what they’re doing and although they’re working on a adding lot of great features, it’s already really useable & makes social media posting & tracking so much easier!

We’re going to be doing a contest to give away the other license of this software so check out my next blog post for information. We want to know more about how you use social media for your business.

Enjoy the Connect Your Community presentation thanks to Small Act!

Connect Your Community from Ask Small Act on Vimeo.

Check out Small Act's blog post about the webinar.

For many of us the places where were have moments of creative genius are unconventional to say the least.

A quick poll of coworkers, friends and family indicate that our inspirational moments happen in a variety of ways—whether it be in the shower, washing dishes, reading or as of recent—while shoveling.

Are super smart ideas generated from the mundane, or is it that we need to be more mindful of how our actions can influence our ideas? Maybe it isn’t that routine work frees up space in our creative brain, but rather we feel less constrained or pressured at that moment, so we are free to let our mind wander and play.

Being more mindful of what it is that brings creative enlightenment may let us recreate it elsewhere. Yet, perhaps it wouldn’t make doing such “mindless” tasks as productive for our right brains.

What do you think? Tell us where your creative insights come alive. Do you think they happen during those moments on purpose?