Build your network before you go bust...

Build your network while things are going well. When you feel secure in your job or your business is running well, you also have more energy to build relationships. Do not wait until you have been fired or your business is about to go bust. It is too late to start weaving a lifebelt when you are already in the freezing water.

In this video from 17 March 2010, I am back in rainy Florida. The weather has been unusually bad for months, but cold weather and the orange harvest are not what I want to discuss. I have been reminded how often people only start making themselves visible when they urgently need to.

Build your network before you need the lifebelt

The other day, an editor-in-chief left a Danish computer magazine. A few days later, he wrote on Twitter that he had finally got his blog going. I went and read the post. It was good, and he wrote that he now had time to do it.

My first thought was: Would it not have been a good idea to do that a long time ago? It is not just a question of having time to write. It is also about building something before you need it.

I think I see a related pattern on LinkedIn. Suddenly, someone starts connecting with a lot of people in a very short time. When I see someone make 40 connections in a couple of days, I often suspect something is on the way: a lost job, a dismissal or problems in the business.

That is my interpretation of the pattern, not something I can know about every individual. But I find it thought-provoking that the interest in networking so often wakes up when disaster is close.

You have more to give when you have energy to spare

When you have just been fired, are upset or are short of money, you rarely have the same mental energy. That is understandable. But it can also make it harder to establish the contact you need.

I use the very blunt example of someone sending 200 LinkedIn invitations in 24 hours. To me, that can look desperate. It is not necessarily the most interesting way to start a relationship if the other person senses that your main concern is an urgent problem you need solved.

That is why I think you should use the good periods. Are you an employee who feels secure in your position? An entrepreneur with a business that works? A manager with energy and things happening? Then now is the bloody time to get out and network.

You have more energy to meet others and contribute something. Relationships do not have to start with you asking for help. You can build them while you have something to give yourself. I describe my own experiences as an entrepreneur in Iværksætter til jeg dør.

Get the blog and the relationships going now

Start your blog while you have energy to spare, and get it working. Create your Twitter account and start gathering people who are interested in what you have to say. Go to networking events, and join a trade association if it is relevant to you.

Those are the opportunities I point to in the video. You do not need to wait for a crisis to make yourself visible or get to know people in your industry. On the contrary, it becomes easier when it is not constantly about saving something here and now.

My point about the lifebelt is simple: Prepare while you are still on dry land. You cannot count on building a strong network in an instant when your head is already under water.

A historical contribution and an invitation from 2010

I finish by inviting people to Aminotastic on 27 March 2010 in Køge, where there is also a chance to hear more about networking. It is the event from back then I am talking about.

I also encourage people to follow my posts and sign up for the newsletter at thorborg.tv. At that point, the newsletter has not been very frequent, but I expect to send it once or twice a month. I will not promise a fixed schedule. Little contributions like this are among the things I want to send out. Back then, you could also subscribe via RSS or to the individual posts.

But what matters most is not signing up with me or my event. It is building your relationships while you are doing well. Get out and build that network before you get fired or go bust.

Best wishes, Martin

Location:N Federal Hwy,Boca Raton,USA