This post is Day 27 of 30 Ways In 30 Days To Redesign Your Life With Photography. This series seeks to provide you with practical steps to get you from wherever you are today, to exactly where you want to be – this year! If your goal has always been to take your photography to a whole new level, hang on and start enjoying a new lifestyle you’ve always dreamed of.

When I say the word “networking” what do you think of? Everyone has a slightly different slant to the connotation of the word.

You may have thought about a particular group you go to regularly, and how you interact with people that are more then business owners – they’ve become friends.

You may have thought of the word fear – you hate walking into a group of unknowns, and be expected to walk up and start a conversation.

You may have thought about online networking – yep, Facebook and Twitter, wondering how you can gain more leverage by using social networking sites.

Whatever your idea of networking is, it ultimately impacts how successful your business will be.

Is It Networking or Notworking?

I worked with a mentor a number of years ago who helped me grow my business. He had an interesting view of networking. He felt that most people weren’t networkers; they were notworkers.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, networking means: the cultivation of productive relationships for employment or business. The key emphasis should be placed on the word “productive”. [Read more…]