Why networking is so important as a mom!

Networking is important for everyone. It builds relationships on all levels whether it is professional or personal and opens up doors for opportunities to present themselves. Networking should become a routine even for introverts. It can be hard to get out there and be social for many of us, but who doesn’t like to make new friends or have new connections? If you are a working mom it is important on a professional level because it can allow for you to have connections through partnerships, career opportunities or even just having someone to bounce ideas off of how seek advice from. How many moms out there help one another on a professional level? If you don’t, you should be. I work with at least 7-10 other moms that are self-employed promoting each other and networking regularly because we understand that while we aren’t in the same industry ultimately we are doing the same thing – running a business and being the best entrepreneur mommies we can.

Equally important as professional networking is personal networking. I feel as moms we often neglect this. We get stuck in our routines and fail to branch out. We fail to meet new people, make new friends, allow ourselves to grow and connect with others. We often don’t make time for this and we should be for many reasons. First having a solid network allows us to have a support system and we need that. We need to know we are not alone in parenthood and we are fighting similar battles. Moms need to be able to have other moms to talk to for advice, suggestions, or just someone to empathize with. If we aren’t getting out and meeting new people allowing ourselves to expand our network we are robbing ourselves of what can be an invaluable and necessary part of our livelihood. It’s good for our mental and emotional health to have a strong support system to fall back on and unless we are getting out there and making that happen, we’ll lose it.

So where do we begin? Start by just making it a daily routine to be friendlier. Compliment other mothers on their kids clothing and shoes or whatever you find interesting; it will start up a conversation. Start attending playgroups or talking to other parents at the park instead of sitting alone on the bench. The more people you surround yourself with and network with, you will start to understand which people you find are best to socialize with, which people offer the best advice or recommendations, and so on. Be sure you are reciprocating this as well; it can’t just be a one way street, because at some point your network will need you too.

Networking is a great tool, so don’t be shy, use it moms!