The Internet makes it easy to connect with people around the world, but you can’t tell what someone’s thinking or know their true personality through e-mail. You can tell whether or not they can spell and how often they check their e-mail, but that’s about it.
Sure, you can use Skype to work with clients and to network, but you’re still not shaking hands, hugging (I’m a big hugger), or getting the opportunity to read someone’s body language.
When I first started working from home several years ago, I couldn’t wait for the FedEx or UPS delivery person to drop by. That was my first clue that I needed to get out more.
I know it’s easy to sit in your home office in your comfy clothes and connect with other business owners online. Not many people who work from home miss having to dress in business suits, skirts or heels for work every day. I don’t.
Sometimes, though, you need to leave your home office.
Dressing like your corporate counterparts and making an effort to go to a business get-together every month or so is a hassle, but it’s worth it. Think about the face-to-face business connections you’d miss if you stayed in your home office every day.
Connect with others a few ways:
- Join a local business group. Check your local business journal’s Web site, look online for trade associations that fit your business and look at your local Chamber of Commerce site to find out when they meet.
- Make new business contacts through a Tweet meetup or Tweetup. Find a Tweetup in your area on Tweetup Meetups.
- Look for conferences in your area and around the country. I still stay in touch with a few of the business contacts I’ve made at different conferences.
There’s nothing wrong with making business connections online, especially through Twitter and Facebook. But there’s something about the energy and enthusiasm that surrounds local business events and out-of-town conferences that’s hard to recreate online.
