I started networking before I started my own business

I’m going to let you in on a secret, I joined Mums in Business international when I wasn’t actually a Mum in Business, I was just a mum! I had recently moved overseas from London, UK to living in a cave house in the mountains of Gran Canaria. I was lonely, feeling like I’d lost my identity, I used to run my own therapy business, have a great social life and lots of friends, now I was virtually a recluse in the mountains with a new baby constantly attached to me and no friends to speak of! I didn’t imagine going back to work as a therapist but I had no idea what else I could do, so when I spotted the MIB Facebook page I joined up straight away, one out of two ain’t bad?!

I’ve been in Gran Canaria for almost five years now and have had a few different jobs during that time. I’ve also met lots of mums, women like me who have moved here to a new country with their families and who are not sure what to do next. Often we can’t go back to the job we were doing before kids, or we choose not to, but living in a new country with fewer friends and connections can make it difficult to decide what we do want to do, or what is available to us. That is why I became a MIB leader for the island, to offer a place where we could all come together once a month, plus ongoing support through the Facebook group, and offer support and encouragement for the women who have an idea for something new/different but don’t know where to start.

Networking encouraged me to  start my own business

It’s true. I can honestly say if it hadn’t been for MIB I doubt I would have felt so inspired to start my own business. It was nothing big or fancy, but it earnt me enough money to pay for our families Christmas presents that year and for me to do a beginners Spanish course, so I’d say that’s a good result!

I had joined MIB and was enjoying listening to the free trainings and talks that happened over in the main group. I had also joined my local group, and although they weren’t having any events at the time, we did have a few coffee and chats through a Facebook chat room. Listening to the stories of so many successful women gave me such energy and inspiration to do something for myself. I was at home all day with my baby, surely there was something I could do from home that would help me earn some money myself.

Everyone in MIB was so encouraging when I spoke about this goal in their online networking sessions. I thought long and hard about what skills I had and what I enjoyed doing and came up with the idea to start sewing handmade dolls and ornaments, especially as Christmas was coming up. I made a couple to practise and shared them on my social media pages and immediately I had requests to buy them. I continued to share my work and more people asked if they could buy or commission something as a gift. I had set myself the goal of making £500 before Christmas, (we were just a couple of months away) and with a lot of determination and working until late some evenings, I exceeded my goal with ease!

How can I join in with networking if I don’t have a business yet?

If this question resonates with you, I get it. I felt the same and I really had to put my big girl pants on and get out there when I didn’t feel confident at all on the inside. But no one in the MIB community ever made me feel silly for coming along to the networking meetings before I had a business. And I was still able to participate fully, by sharing my ideas and opinions and supporting other members who were asking for advice. Being around women who were smashing their goals gave me the desire to do the same!

If not having a business yet is putting you off networking, then let me tell you a bit about our Gran Canaria group. I started the group here to support those women who don’t have a business yet, who are here in a foreign place, often with small children, who’ve left their previous careers behind and now find they’re dreaming of something else. Some of them have a clear idea what that could look like for them, others don’t have a clue yet, but meeting alongside women who have established businesses here already and know how hard it can be when you’re starting out, everyone feels supported and encouraged to share their ideas, their challenges and what’s holding them back. For those with businesses already the group offers a space to share what they do and make connections that could help them to grow. 

On the day of an event the room is always buzzing with nervous energy when we start, but as those conversations start to happen the energy shifts to something more like excitement, as a dozen or more women start making connections, becoming more inspired and feeling their ideas take shape as giving them a voice makes them more real.

You really don’t need a business to benefit from networking 

At the heart of it, networking is about making connections and building relationships, usually with a group of people who share at least one thing in common. MIB is a networking organisation aimed solely at women, so there we have our single, most important point in common. In-person events are a great way to make new friends, surround yourself with other like minded women, share your dreams and goals and challenges, and I think most importantly be inspired! No business needed, at least not to start with!

I’d love to hear from other MIBs who aren’t in business yet. How can we leaders support you at this stage, what are you looking for from training, events etc? Please share in the comments!