Five networks you need post-corporate career

networking event, name badge and coffee, networkOne of the scariest things about leaving corporate life to set up your own business is the sense that you’re ‘going it alone’.

And it’s easy to convince yourself that you need to do everything – something I believe distracts women from pursuing what can be an incredibly rewarding career path. Even the title ‘self-employed’ is off-putting as it indicates every element of the business must be conducted by just one person, but relying solely on yourself is an incredibly limiting, time-consuming and stressful thing to do.

Right now I’m celebrating my 10th year of working for myself and while some of the success I have enjoyed is absolutely based on having the freedom to develop my talents without corporate constraints, there are a huge amount of people who have been involved in helping this ‘one-woman business’ to sustain itself for so long. People who I think could be viewed as belonging to five critical networks:

1.    The old firm

Even if you want to set fire to every last item on your desk, don’t burn or disregard the positive relationships that you built up during your corporate career. While you may put the company to one side in your mind, leaving an organisation can positively change the dynamic that you have with your former colleagues. One thing that was a huge surprise to me was the amount of people at my old company who were genuinely interested in what life was like ‘on the outside’ and were keen to offer me a helping hand, introductions and recommendations. It’s many of these connections that I have to thank for the first contracts and projects that got my business off the ground.

2.    The business network

Setting up on your own requires quite a mindset-shift. From having spent the best part of 20 years with a payroll department sorting out my relationship with HMRC, paid holidays, healthcare and ready-made customer lists there were a myriad of new things to learn, do and worry about. I strongly recommend spending some time looking for a business networking group. Whether you want women-only, industry-specific, business masterminds or something a little less formal, there will be a group for you. Join for the support, opportunity to learn and ability to help others. Believe me, your friends or your other half will want to support you but if they’re not self-employed too they will struggle to help you navigate some of the nuances nearly as effectively as a business network can.

3.    The industry network    

Now this doesn’t to be a formal networking group – it might just be the people and organisations you follow on LinkedIn, but think carefully about the sector that suits you best. Just because you’ve left a tech or law corporate it doesn’t mean you can’t operate in that world anymore. You’ll have far more insight and knowledge than you realise which is of value to others. Plus, being an independent voice who understands how larger organisations / the wider sector works makes you a great combination of a safe pair of hands + fresh thinking.

4.    The giving network

One of the greatest pleasures when you’re running your own business is to be able to help others – but this doesn’t mean letting people take advantage of you and asking you to do stuff for free. Instead, be intentional about who you want to help and what you’d like to offer. Aligning closely to one organisation where your values match brings benefits to both parties.

5.    The ‘letting off steam’ network

It’s so easy to get wrapped up in work when you work for yourself. The fear that if you’re not working, you’re not earning is powerful so make sure that you don’t neglect the people around you who make you feel good about yourself. The ones you can count on to buoy you up if you’re feeling run down and can help you rationalise unfound fears. The ones you’d do the same for in return. Sometimes spending time on strictly non-work activity with some really close friends can give you the energy you need to tackle whatever the business throws at you.

About the author

Toni KentToni Kent is an experienced writer and performer who is trusted by large corporate IT organisations to represent their business leaders and brands through a mixture of ghost writing, coaching and motivational speaking.

With twenty years of experience in technology and as an advocate for women supporting women, Toni is frequently booked by Women in Business networks and organisations that want to promote gender parity. With lived experience of how work transforms the life prospects of women from disadvantaged backgrounds, she is proud to be the official event compere for Smart Works Reading – an organisation that helps women return to the workplace via free interview coaching and work-appropriate clothing.

Toni is also a columnist for Berkshire Life and has written three books of humorous reflections on what it means to be a woman: Reasons to be Cheerful Parts One and Two and I Need a Wife. Her books are all available via Amazon.

You can follow Toni on Twitter and LinkedIn at @tonijkent


Read this next…

business collaboration, teams working togetherWhy your team needs to network and how to motivate them to get going

Many people shudder just on hearing the word ‘networking’ and indeed very few people genuinely love it. However, in most service businesses in particular, it is essential that client facing individuals are confident and skilled enough to get to know people in the marketplace. This is predominantly done at events both in person and online. Without understanding fully why networking is important and how to do it well, the danger is that people either avoid it or they go for a short period, don’t make a lot of effort yet feel they have ‘ticked the networking box’.

diverse woman working from home on sofaHow to network remotely

Social media is about a sharing of ideas and should not be thought of solely as a driver for selling and some sort of free advertising platform. Virtual networking is not altogether different from actual networking. In fact, if you simply don’t have the time, or are living and working in lockdown under Covid-19, building your network online is important to feel connected and engaged, surrounding yourself with ‘virtual’ people where you all try to help each other. It is important to be authentic, so you build a rapport with those you are connected with.


If you are a job seeker or someone looking to boost their career, then WeAreTheCity has thousands of free career-related articles. From interview tips, CV advice to training and working from home, you can find all our career advice articles here

Visa - WeAreTheCity - Pioneer 20 - nominations open
WeAreTech Festival 2024 advert

Upcoming Events

march, 2024

Job Board Banner

Related Posts