Last Friday, we had our usual fortnightly in-person networking meeting in Derby.

One of our charity members, Tim Strutz from Whispering Trees, gave us a few tips.

Whispering Trees offers a range of outdoor and therapeutic learning experiences tailored to meet the needs of vulnerable young persons.

Although Tim's tips were about Whispering Trees' services, everything he said had a lot in common with business networking; hence it was great to listen to him and learn.

Here is a quick summary of his talk.

In the last few years, many business owners have faced numerous challenges, including the COVID pandemic and the increasing cost of living. These challenges can significantly impact our daily lives and businesses, and it can be easy to react automatically and push ourselves further when we feel under pressure or in danger.

However, pushing ourselves too hard can often make things worse. The instinctive reactions of flight, freeze, or fight can cause us to become aggressive when we feel under pressure, which can negatively affect our businesses and personal lives. This is especially true when we are running our own business since our business directly impacts our personality, and vice versa.

Therefore, it's essential to recognize when we are getting closer to this state of mind and take the necessary steps to prevent it. While business networking is often about getting new business opportunities, it's also about helping each other.

Building a community within your business networking circle is vital to your success. It's not just about finding new business opportunities but also supporting each other and sharing our experiences. When you are part of a community genuinely interested in helping each other, you can find new ideas and perspectives to help you and your business succeed.

Doing so can create a positive environment that fosters creativity and support, leading to greater success for you and your business.

So, let's help each other build strong and supportive business networks and thrive together.