Business networking online opens new doors for start-ups
Author: John Dunsmure, Managing Director, The British Chambers of Commerce
Publication: New Business
Date: April 09
In today’s economic climate, starting up and growing a new business may feel like a mad idea. And yet in fact it’s true that a recession offers unique opportunity for small businesses.
The innovation, adaptability and passion that you find in SMEs are often the very ingredients that big businesses lack – and what is actually so badly needed at critical times like this.
Advances in technology and the consistent development and efficiency of online business networking websites, means the prospect of starting up that business you’ve always dreamed about need not be an isolating treadmill that it might once have been.
Quite the reverse – and in fact it’s very easy for entrepreneurs to get connected while still feeling supported in a virtual trusted business environment.
And if you’re not happy about going into a potentially uncomfortable organised networking event, networking online is a great way to help you crystallise your ideas without even having to buy a business suit.
It’s about harnessing knowledge as well as creating the framework for sustained and steady growth for your business – something that can seem bewildering in the initial stages of setting up a new venture.
Consolidating all of this has been a priority for the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and its UK Accredited Chamber Network. And its newly-developed the Business Network Online (BNO) website is groundbreaking in its approach and range of services – and especially useful for those hoping to set up a business.
The new website takes the best from other business-orientated social networking sites like LinkedIn and adds one very crucial new function – solid, relevant tender alerts via email or SMS texts.
The tenders are bona fide and come from trusted private and public sources through the BCC’s already-established network of business contacts, helping companies focus on future business as well as getting on with the job in hand.
The BNO uniquely matches business skills with business requirements, helping companies create momentum and focus – and with that comes the added benefit of increased sales and cash flow.
For many businesses, start-up or existing, the most valuable commodity of all is time. This site will not only help businesses search for more competitive quotes from a wider trusted supplier base more easily, it will also help to open up new markets and explore new ideas via responsive networking opportunities both locally and across the UK.
It takes the worry and often the guesswork out of future sales and gives businesses a solid platform on which to market its own business-to-business skills.
Unlike other professional networking sites, the BNO isn’t about collecting ‘colleagues’ that have no relevance to your business. Here each contact you make has a realistic prospect of making a meaningful impact on your actual business, from solid advice to mutually-beneficial working.
John Dunsmure, Managing Director of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “Business networking is here to stay – those that embrace it fully will benefit in terms of building their company’s profile and driving sales.
“Ultimately it allows you to reach more people with less effort, to identify and connect with the right people more quickly - as well as reducing travel time and expense. The BNO has addressed a gap in the market by consolidating what was already out there and adding to that format to really give businesses a boost at this critical moment.”
A version of this article first appeared on www.newbusiness.co.uk.