Birds of a Feather

I’ve said in this column before that running your own business can be a lonely task.  Business owners often feel they need to retain a certain ‘distance’ from their employees... and even within close teams there are some issues that just can’t be discussed with ‘subordinates’ in the business.  And with the ever-increasing demands of the business, the owner can find him or herself constantly ‘head-down, bum-up’ in working mode.... with little time for personal rejuvenation, reflection or connection with the outside world.

This is why it’s really important for business owners to spend time with other business owners.  Same industry or different, same size or different – it really doesn’t matter.  What matters is that as a business owner, you have a space where you can discuss the challenges that are unique to running the show.... with people who understand. 

So how do you create such a space?

1. Just invite some fellow business owners out for lunch – doesn’t have to be anything formal, just a get-together for the sake of getting together.  No agenda, no structure, just a couple of simple rules – business owners only and anything discussed remains confidential within the group.
2. Attend networking functions where you know other business owners will be.  Often times industry associations are good for this, though other times you’ll need to look outside your industry for ‘owner’ associations – local Chambers of Commerce are a good starting point.
3. Attend business seminars and conferences that are of interest to you – if they are interesting to you the other people who attend will, by definition, have similar interests... so you can create some new relationships with like-minded people.  I’m not directly in the marketing industry but one of the best events I attended recently was for marketing professionals – because I met other people who had similar interests in the latest marketing trends.

There is a reason birds of a feather flock together.... as business owners we just need to create our own flocks.

Cat Matson is the Director of Client Development at Alito, a management consulting practice for SME’s dedicated to igniting their clients’ performance.  Sign up for the Ignition newsletter at www.alito.com.au or contact Cat on 3289 5500.