The business world can be a difficult and lonely place at times, but it doesn’t always have to be. Turning to your neighbors and taking the time out of your schedule to meet and talk to the business people around you can help to make sure your business space is simplified, comfortable, secure, and more enjoyable. Building a network in your community takes effort and time but, in the end, it will provide more advantages than you think.
Building relationships with nearby businesses can boast advantages by supplying a support system, idea mixing pot, ‘neighborhood watch’, maintenance simplicity, and potential business. Just by going over and introducing yourself, you are setting the groundwork to build a relationship that could benefit both parties and create a friendship that lasts a lifetime.
Being a part of a neighborhood allows you to talk with other similar-sized business owners about the struggles and trials they are going through right now. It gives you a platform to be able to compare notes and discuss trends of the area, what is working, what is not working, what you’ve been noticing about outside factors affecting sales, and things of that nature. If you are struggling with your business, you can seek advice or support from your neighbors and ask about tactics they are using and ways they have seen their business increase and mold it to fit your business plan.
A neighborhood also gives you a sense of security. Maybe you lock up for the day and take off a little early. You can be confident that your neighbors are watching out for your store or office. If they see some sketchy character or suspicious activity, they can notify you or your city’s public safety. Not saying you’ll need it, or it will ever happen, but it is nice to know that you have people around you that you can trust to watch over your place when you aren’t there and vice versa.
Another big factor of being a part of a community around you is the general maintenance of your place of business is easier to handle. If you need a cleaning service, or trash removal, or lawnmowing service, being a part of a group allows you to easily set up the services from the providers that they are using. Makes things simple and convenient for you and for the people that are doing the maintenance.
Lastly, the building of relationships and community around you could easily lead to potential business. Whether that be directly from one of your neighbors or if it’s someone that they can refer to you. Those relationships help build word-of-mouth marketing (which is the best kind of marketing) and help to establish a foothold in the city that you belong to.
Now, I’m not saying you must go out and meet everyone and be best friends with everyone in a 10-mile radius. What I am doing though is challenging you to go out a block, each direction from your business, and introduce yourself. Go to the corner store and say hi to the owner for 2 minutes or go across the street to that new restaurant and ask about the history. Just connecting with your hometown can open a lot of doors for you in the future.