Here's how to network as a solopreneur

“Spectacular achievement is always preceded by spectacular preparation.”
Robert H Schuller

One of the most important skills that you can develop as a solopreneur is Networking and that process begins with solid preparation. Networking can assist you to not only meet like-minded professionals but also shape your future team and keep a finger on the pulse of your industry.

Why should solopreneurs care about networking?

Solopreneurs cannot remain ambivalent about networking. It’s critical to their professional success. Several research into business networking carried out by Ivy League Universities and Big Tech companies concluded that professional networks lead to more business opportunities, enhanced capacity to innovate, wide-ranging and deeper knowledge, steadfast advancement, and grander status and authority. Similarly, several studies in social psychology have confirmed that individuals establish the most collaborative and longest-lasting connections when they work together on assignments that require one another’s contributions.

Networking is an integral part of a solopreneurs market research activities. That being said, based on the specifics of your product and business model your business strategy is going to differ. Your goal, when you start your business, is to recognize your riskiest hypotheses and then test them in ways which are the finest combination of fast, economical, and effective.

Networking 101: The building blocks

As a solopreneur how do you decide - if your product is solving a problem? Whose problem are you trying to solve? Who is the key decision-maker in the sales process on the customer side? Well of course, you reach out to individuals who you believe can address these questions. So, this preliminary effort is the building block of networking.

Before you meet with any new people you have been thinking of introducing yourself to, find out who they are and what their business is. Find out what's important to them: goals, challenges —inside their business and out. Basically, you should try to find out what this person is like as a human being, what he or she feels intensely about, and what’s happening within their company. Did the person have a decent or bad quarter? Are they launching a new product? Psychology experts suggest that people naturally care, generally above and beyond anything else, about what it is they do. The point is, you have to reach beyond the abstract and get to someone as an individual. Find a way to become part of those things that are of most interest to them, and you will have found a way to become part of their life.

Identifying your target audience

To find your target audience go where they hang out. For example, if you are a game developer you will find your target audience in Unreal Engine, Unity Asset Store and itch. io. Similarly, if you’re hoping to network with DIY crafters, you might decide to attend scrapbook conventions or join Facebook groups aimed at makers. Some strategies that you can adopt to identify and network with your target audience are:

1. Industry conference: A successful conference's agenda is always created to maximize the participants' time. Your own goal at such conferences is to maximize the brief windows of opportunity you might get to become intimate with other interesting people you haven't met before. How can you achieve this? Before the start of the conference find out from the lead organizers who are coming. This doesn’t have to be privileged information. Once you have this information prepare a bio of the individuals you would like to meet. Equipped with knowledge about a person's needs, or passions, you can do more than connect; you'll have an opportunity to bond and impress. Try to go to conferences in your industry. Even virtually - many of them have "breakrooms" where there are tables for small group discussion.

2. Career Fairs: Companies attend career fairs to recruit the ideal candidate for a particular job. However, a solopreneur can also take advantage of a career fair to meet one on one with company representatives that could potentially be responsible for getting a client. Your goal as a solopreneur should be to find out what skills the company is looking for in a candidate. Armed with that wisdom you can directly pitch your services stating how your firm is ideally suited to address the challenges faced by the company and why it makes financial sense to hire an external vendor rather than a full-time employee.

3. Influencers: The easiest way to identify influencers that you should partner with is to take a look at your buyer personas. Once you have identified the influencers look for their products or services they offer. If you can afford it, purchase their products or use their services. No matter if you require that product or not, you’ll buy that product to essentially ‘buy their time’ and trust me on this, they will respect it, a lot. This minor investment will help you obtain easier access to them. Now, take your newly built connection to the next level by providing them huge value. Yes, you heard it right - instead of expecting value from influencers, give them value.

4. Strategic Volunteering: Strategic volunteering takes place when you choose a volunteer role that combines your personal and/or professional goals so that they are aligned to the volunteer service you integrate into your life. Real case studies have shown time and time again that strategic volunteering has the ability to not just enrich, but reshape your business.

5. Submit your product in a community: Building a community takes time. The good news is you can easily access existing communities and social sharing platforms like Indie Hackers, Reddit, ProductHunt, Twitter, Kickstarter etc. In my experience, it makes far more sense for solopreneurs to build the product and then focus on marketing so that whichever of these communities’ benefit from your product get to know about it. Then, if the product is discerned enough, or provides sufficient value, those communities will pick up on the product and establish the first echo chamber to give you the beginnings of product market fit.

Networking is a skill that solopreneurs need to develop. And like most in demand skills it takes time to develop your networking skill as well. The key to effective networking is to bear in mind how your own interests and goals align with those of people you encounter and how that can help you forge meaningful working relationships. Any work activity becomes appealing when it’s linked to a greater goal. Ergo, frame your networking in those terms.