Image by ShashiBellamkonda via Flickr

When you hear the word “network”, you probably think of the wireless internet connecting your computers or even of sites such as Facebook. However, there is another important type of network: the people who you know in the small business world. While you may think of them as acquaintances, colleagues, or even friends, these people form part of your small business network.

The most successful business owners in every field are those who have successfully made relationships. These people often have a Blackberry full of contacts they have made in the business world. These contacts often become suppliers, employees, customers, and collaborators. It never hurts to have a few more people on your side, which is why we offer the following tips for building your small business network.

1. Don’t let your fears hold you back.

   Many people are wary of aggressively building business contacts because they feel that they are too introverted or otherwise just not social. You may also fear rejection or worry that you will spend too much time for a limited amount of payoff. However, networking does not require that you invest huge amounts of time or that you be a natural public speaker. You likely deal with people successfully on a daily basis; simply place yourself in places where potential contacts will be and act naturally.

2. Set goals.

   Try to quantify, measure, and evaluate networking the way you would any other aspect of your business. For example, try to attend one networking function every other week and to follow up with three contacts on alternate weeks. Routinely take time to go through your contacts and touch base with a few of them. These types of contacts will build a network organically and give you a list of people to turn to when you have a question or need a favor.

3. Get organized.

   There was a time when businesspeople had a Rolodex, but few use that kind of system anymore. However, your contacts still will need more management than a Contacts entry on your cell phone. Many people find that making a database is the best way of dealing with this issue. List your contacts, their business, any pertinent information such as birthdays, and the last time you contacted them. This will help you easily access information and keep track of a growing network.

4. Be a good contact.

   Everyone dreads dealing with someone who is always asking for a favor, but we all love to help an old friend. Keep your contacts on an ‘old friend’ basis by sending them cards at applicable holidays. When someone does you a favor, thank them personally and warmly. In other words, be the kind of guy that people want to have in their own network.

5. Be your brand.

   You may think that your brand is limited to your logo design and your marketing plan, but you in fact are a personification of it. Making contacts is not like making friends; you are representing your business and need to toe the party line. Think about what kind of person your brand would be, and then try to be that person when acting on behalf of your small business. Personal branding is an important part of small business branding, and networking is a great way to build your personal brand.

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Personal Brands: Five People Who Made It Big By Branding Themselves and Everything They Touch

Many celebrities now are focusing on building their personal brand and creating an image that fans and colleagues can trust. However, this was not always the style. The following five people were branding themselves and their companies long before brand was a verb.

1. Oprah Winfrey Logo Design

The Oprah brand is one of empathy, compassion, and caring. However, this brand wasn’t built so much through ad campaigns and billboards as it has been through sheer honesty. Oprah Winfrey has been open about her struggles and shown women the tools that she has used to overcome them. This is a position of extreme sincerity that is both commendable and very easy for women to identify with, leading millions to watch her show, subscribe to her magazine, and identify with any cause she promotes.

2. Martha Stewart Logo Design

Martha Stewart’s personal brand has been strong enough to stay with her through numerous scandals and personal missteps. Regardless of the figurehead’s personal behavior, the Martha Stewart brand is one of gracious living, attention to details, and dedication to home and hearth. In an era when many women work, the Martha Stewart brand has an attraction that is impossible to deny. She re-introduced traditional housewifery at a time when women were ripe for the message.

3. Hugh Hefner Logo Design

This name may look out of place in a list of businesspeople, but make no mistake: the Playboy brand based on Hefner is and always has been the selling point of the magazine and products. Few magazines have bestselling books, apparel, and other lifestyle items associated with them, so this company’s merchandising success is evidence of the power of Hugh Hefner’s brand. The Playboy image of a gentleman with a love of the female form was carefully crafted and continues to be powerful decades after its inception.

4. Mary Kay Ash Logo Design

Mary Kay Ash has made multi-level marketing a respectable job by allowing millions of Pink Ladies worldwide to feel empowered. The combination of traditional femininity and attention to appearance with business and achievement is an image that resonates with modern women who feel caught between two conflicting worlds. Mary Kay Ash and her personal brand gave women permission to be ladies and businesspeople, a message that many women were eager to accept.

4. Steve Jobs Logo Design

This iconic CEO resurrected Apple from a dying obsolete machine to a cult classic. This is due not just to the machines, but to the man. Unapologetically quirky and savvy to the preferences of closet nerds everywhere, Apple as led by Steve Jobs became not a second best brand, but a preferred one that is worth any drawback. This keeps people lining up for the next innovation from this niche brand.

As you can see, a person can effectively be a brand, representing a company and inspiring others to buy into it as well. These five people found great success, often building businesses from the ground up with little more than their personal integrity. This is a branding message that everyone can learn from.