I loathe it. No punches pulled, it’s just not something I enjoy. I’m an introvert by nature, so even the thought of all that awkward small talk gives me the jitters.
Odd then that I facilitate Does My Business Look Big in This? by Flourish Unlimited; a successful networking and membership group for female founders and women in business, right?
Well, no actually. Because when I first started out in business I soon realised that ‘old school’ networking events weren’t for me. I didn’t want to try to hold a conversation, whilst also trying to juggle holding my bag, drinking a cup of coffee, and eating a bacon sandwich at 7am every Tuesday morning. I also didn’t want to refer business to other people in the room, simply because they were in the room. It seemed to lack integrity.
So as many of us start to plan for 2022 with renewed vigour; setting resolutions and intentions that apply to our business development, as well as our personal lives, here’s seven New Year’s Resolutions you could make to ‘do’ networking differently, and in a way that will work for you:
No woman is an island. We all need support, advice, referrals, and great role models and mentors to learn from and to emulate. Indeed this can be the difference between sink or swim for your business – especially in the early days.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t give as much as you get, simply make sure that you feel aligned to those you are engaging with, that they’re driven by the same values as you, and that you have a mutually agreed way of supporting and ‘marketing’ each other.
Now I realise I’m using the word ‘network’ here, and you may be wondering how that even applies to you as a newly set-up freelancer, or an early growth stage micro business. So let me explain.
If you were working for a corporate organisation you would have an organisational structure. You’d ring HR to discuss a staffing issue, or Tech Support to resolve an issue with your emails. If you think of your network as your organisational structure – even when there’s only you IN the business – then you can’t go far wrong, and you’re never alone.
Of course you may be a tad nervous about picking up the phone and speaking to people at first. (In my experience, phone calls to arrange a coffee – in person or over Zoom – always have a better outcome than sending an email or LinkedIn message.) However, you’ll soon learn that people actually like you reaching out to them to pick their brains and ask them for their opinion, because it boosts their confidence to know they are considered to be an expert in their field. It also gives them an opportunity to explain to you more about what they do, which is great for both of you.
Soon, whenever someone asks you if you know someone who?… you have a real live person whom you know, like, and trust that you can recommend. And while you’re recommending them, they’re doing the same for you!
I can honestly say that this way of developing relationships got me where I am today much faster than suffering through endless networking events, having business cards shoved into my hand, and watching people glaze over the moment they realised that I wasn’t going to buy from them that day.
I’m not saying that all networking events are the same. Nothing is created equal. But the lack of authenticity and integrity I felt when attending many of these events, pushed me to do more for other women like me.
For me, there are two main things to find when searching for your network, or finding the right type of networking group for you:
It’s important that in any networking environment, or when engaging with anyone you want to be part of your organisational structure, that you feel confident and comfortable in being yourself and expressing yourself freely.
Once you are able to express yourself and your needs with confidence and in comfort, you are in a much better position to ask for what you want, and explain what you can offer in return. You discover a natural flow, and future conversations with other potential network members become easier and less nerve-wracking.
Once your vibe and your flow align, you’ve cracked it. You’ve found your tribe; that group of people who always have your back, and who always have your name on the tip of their tongue when they are asked if they know someone who?..
Make – and don’t break! – these resolutions in your business, and you’ll never short of referrals in 2022…and beyond!
Lucy Patterson is an acclaimed Business Strategist and Coach. She founded Flourish Unlimited (An Institute of Enterprise & Entrepreneurs Approved Academy) with a clear mission; to support individuals and teams to embrace the principals of design thinking, in order to solve complex business and life problems with creative ease.
One of only 16 people in the world to have completed Babson University’s Inspiration USA Business Growth Program, Lucy is regularly called upon by the media for her opinion and expertise in this area.
February
25feb09:0017:30International Women's Day Conference & Exhibition 2025 | ThinkFest IWD
25/02/2025 09:00 - 17:30(GMT+00:00)
Millennium Point - Birmingham
Curzon Street, Birmingham, B4 7XG
Join us for a kick-ass International Women’s Day Conference & Exhibition, celebrating and empowering women from all walks of life! International Women’s
Join us for an inspiring and empowering event celebrating women’s achievements and promoting gender equality. The International Women’s Day Conference & Exhibition will take place at Millennium Point – Birmingham. This in-person event brings together influential speakers, thought-provoking discussions, and a vibrant exhibition showcasing the talents of women from various fields. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect, learn, and be inspired by remarkable women from around the world. Come and be part of this incredible celebration of women’s accomplishments and the journey towards a more inclusive society.
The Event is split in two, a ticketed Conference and a free to attend Expo.
FREE TO ATTEND EXPO – This part of the event will feature a number of exhibition stands as well as seminar stage delivering content to individuals, small businesses and young females. This is completely free to attend and we have content running throughout the day.
For more for more information about all of the sessions we are running, please take a look at our website. www.IWDExpo.com
We look forward to welcoming you all there, don’t forget it’s not just for women, we need more men in the room to create a greater alliance for gender parity.
10:00 AM Welcome & Introduction
10:30 AM Motivational Networking
11:00 AM How to Start and Scale Your Business
11:30 AM The Magic of Writing Your Book
12:00 PM Funding Females
12:30 PM Mental Health & Wellbeing
1:00 PM Women In STEM
2:00 PM Women in Media
3:00 PM Empowering Girls for Career Success
4:00 PM Building Your Personal Brand
4:40 PM Monetise your Passion
5:10 PM Finish
PAID TICKET CONFERENCE – The content delivered at the conference will be targeted towards senior leaders across business and corporate as well as third-sector organisations. We will be exploring a range of different topics, looking at key issues that women face and what we can do to improve the experience for women in the workplace. A key part of the conference will focus on how we increase the number of male allies for females and have a dedicated panel of speakers discussing this. To top it all off we will be hearing from fashion entrepreneur Karen Millen OBE, founder of Karen Millen.
25feb10:3011:30The FTSE Women Leaders Review | Report Launch Tuesday 25 February 2025
25/02/2025 10:30 - 11:30(GMT+00:00)
We are delighted to extend to you a special invitation to the live broadcast launch of the FTSE Women Leaders Review report on Tuesday 25 February 2025 from
The FTSE Women Leaders Review has made remarkable strides, with the FTSE 350 achieving over 40% women’s representation on boards ahead of the target. However, our work is far from complete. Achieving gender balance and diversity on boards and leadership teams has never been more crucial to harness the wealth of experience, expertise and skills essential for business to navigate complex issues successfully.
With just one year remaining to reach our recommendations, realising genuine equality and enabling further progress will require a united commitment from us all to achieve the 40% women in leadership target and to drive more appointments of women into the ‘four key roles’; the Chair, Senior Independent Director, CEO and Finance Director.
We therefore warmly invite you to join us for the 2024 report launch, where we will share new and exclusive findings on the progress made in achieving gender balance during the year. We are delighted that the Secretary of State for the Department of Business & Trade and the Minister for Women & Equalities will be sharing their support for the Review, and we are excited to host a panel of distinguished guests who will share insights on how they are accelerating progress.
Our panellists include:
– Allison Kirkby, CEO BT Group Plc
– Lee Chambers, Business Psychologist, Speaker, Author
– Yetunde Hofmann, Non-Executive Director Cranswick Plc
– Mary Ann Sieghart, Author of ‘The Authority Gap’
Please confirm your attendance at this virtual event by completing this registration form. If you encounter any difficulties during the registration process, our team is available to assist you at [email protected]
This year, our event will be exclusively a live broadcast, and so we encourage you to share this invitation with your network.
27feb08:3014:00Clarity Connect International Women's Day Conference | Clarity Leadership Ltd
27/02/2025 08:30 - 14:00(GMT+00:00)
Bloomsbury Ballroom
Bloomsbury Square, London, WC1B 4DA
Ahead of IWD2025, please join Clarity Leadership as we hear from leaders and generate discussion around the key themes of gender equality. Ahead of International Women’s Day
Ahead of International Women’s Day 2025, please join Clarity Leadership as we invite you to join us for an open and inclusive morning of presentations and lively debate. To follow the IWD 2025 theme, #AcclerateAction, the speakers will be generating discussion and debate around female leadership, gender equality and the creation of an inclusive and more gender-equal world.
We will be joined by two exceptional leaders, Lee Chambers, Founding Director of Male Allies UK, and Riham Satti, Co-Founder and CEO of MeVitae, Creating Fairness in the Workplace. They will share their experiences, challenges, and the obstacles they’ve overcome in their efforts to create a more equal world.
We also invite you to hear research, experiences, and views from a group of leaders who identify as women from several leading organisations, including Pfizer, Microsoft, Vodafone, Reckitt, and Bayer. The speakers join us from all over the world and around the UK, providing a global perspective on their discussions. This is the culmination of six months’ work by 16 leaders who identify as women, who have been through our Women in Leadership Programme. The final part of their journey has been the design and delivery of this event.
This is an event for everyone and we look forward to welcoming you!
Free
27/02/2025 12:30 - 13:30(GMT+00:00)
We are delighted to be joined by Laura Bates, Best-selling Author, Keynote Speaker and Founder of the Everyday Sexism Project.
Laura will be setting out the existing and potential ways in which emerging technologies can have unintended negative impacts on women and marginalised groups, both in and outside the workplace. From the metaverse and deepfake technology to AI and adult robots, these technologies are fast becoming the building blocks of our future societies, so it is vital that we understand the risks and act now to prevent them from reinventing existing forms of inequality in our brave new world.
Laura Bates is a best-selling author, keynote speaker and founder of the Everyday Sexism Project. Her books include Everyday Sexism, Girl Up and Fix the System, Not the Women. Laura writes regularly for the New York Times, Guardian and others, and is a frequent media commentator and consultant for TV productions tackling issues around gender inequality.
She works closely with government, schools, businesses, police forces and bodies from the United Nations to the Council of Europe on sexism and inequality.
In recognition of Laura’s work surrounding sexism and gender inequality, she was awarded a British Empire Medal in the 2015 Queen’s Birthday Honours List and has been named Woman of the Year by Cosmopolitan, Red Magazine and The Sunday Times Magazine. She is also an Honorary Fellow of St John’s College, Cambridge, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
Please note, this event will be hosted as a Teams Town hall. Please register your place on Eventbrite and we will share the Teams meeting link.
We look forward to seeing you!
free
27feb18:0020:30Planning and Goals Workshop | WeAreTheCity
27/02/2025 18:00 - 20:30(GMT+00:00)
Nomura
1 Angel Lane, London, EC4R 3AB
Join Dr Vanessa Vallely OBE to discover why and how to create your career strategy and plan in order to
This interactive session is aimed at injecting the “va va voom” back into your career.
Dr Vanessa Vallely OBE, CEO of WeAreTheCity, will share why leaving your career solely in the hands of your line manager is no longer enough. Vanessa will provide insights on how to take charge of your career, create a strategic plan, and actively seek opportunities to propel your professional growth.
The workshop focuses on why and how to create a career strategy and plan, to unlock your potential and path to success. This session is not about theory, science or blue sky thinking, it is about a realistic look at what you want to achieve and actions to take in order to get where you want to go!
Session includes:
By the end of this session, participants will have the foundation of a career plan they can continue to develop and implement throughout 2025.
We will close the evening with networking and drinks/canapés.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Please note that on arrival at Nomura guests will be asked to provide photographic ID, a passport or driving licence.