Networking-a lunch worthwhile?

Three years on, was ‘lunch’ worthwhile?

New to networking three years ago, it was quite daunting to walk into a room of businesswomen with no expectation of what was about to happen. With the benefit of hindsight, it was one of the best decisions I ever made along the route to being successfully self-employed.

I had spent almost thirty years, the whole of my working life, with my feet placed firmly in pathology laboratories across London and the South East. I climbed the ladders of the NHS Laboratory Medicine machine, both as a scientist and a manager. I found myself with an employer who didn’t particularly care about me, or about anything else come to that. I had three children in three different variations of wrap-around childcare. I spent my days at work, commuting, or asleep. The dreaded R word was mentioned. The department was to be restructured, we were top heavy and not ‘fit for purpose’, and someone would have to go. Redundancy. And why not, I thought. It can’t get worse.

The NHS wheels turned very slowly. Eventually, clutching my cheque, I found myself not having to set the alarm clock for 6.30am and free to visit the supermarket on a Monday morning. I had two choices. Stay at home for a year with the children and return to pathology after being a “mum on a career break” or be my own boss. I chose the latter. I had two transferrable skills. I could teach biology and chemistry and I could write complicated scientific theory and policies in a way that could be understood by people with a variety of educational levels. Why not?

I went to the bank. I found someone to do my books. I found a small group of willing A level students – a seventeen year old daughter does actually have a use. I placed a small ad in the Yellow Pages. I contacted everyone I could think of who was involved in publishing for the pathology market. I found someone who constructed a website. Slowly it happened. I found students who wanted help with A level biology, and I found clients I could write for. I was earning money and I was no longer an employee for someone else. Everything was looking good, but there was one fly in the ointment. Something I had never even considered. I was lonely. I had spent over half of my entire life as part of a team, the laboratory team and the wider NHS team. I had been used to walking down a corridor and knowing almost everyone I saw. I had walked into the staff dining room on a daily basis and had someone I knew to sit with. Suddenly my world had shrunk to my children, the children I tutored, and the mums of the children at the local primary school. I needed some adults.

By chance, a local magazine dropped through the letterbox. In it was an advertorial for a local lunchtime business networking group for women. ‘An opportunity to meet with friendly, likeminded businesswomen, have lunch, and listen to an interesting post-meal speaker’ was the gist of the message. And once again I thought, why not indeed. A telephone call later and my place was booked. Then my usual self-confidence wobbled a bit. I wasn’t really a businesswoman, I supposed I was running a business, but I’d arrived there almost by accident, not really the stuff of Dragons Den. On the day in question I found what almost equated with business dress lurking at the back of my wardrobe. Skirt and jacket, not matching – but it would have to do. After all, when you wear a labcoat all day and mess around with blood samples and chemicals, jeans and sweatshirt are standard work attire. I drove to the venue feeling slightly sick, slid through the door and tried to find a seat at the back. Women said hello to me and asked me what I did, I mumbled hello back and felt a bit of a fraud. I watched, and I learnt. Lunch was good, the speaker excellent and I went home with a handful of business cards that I wondered what I should do with. Debbie Gilbert phoned me, we talked about my business and what my business needed. We talked about where I wanted to go, and Debbie explained the principles of business networking and suddenly it began to make sense. It wasn’t really any different to my NHS contacts, I knew lots of people there, in fact I used to joke that I could walk into any hospital in Central London and find someone I knew to have a coffee with. The principles were exactly the same except that my contacts would be the local business community.

I booked for a second event. This time I knew what to expect, I even rehearsed my minute to the children. They looked bored. I still didn’t have much to wear, but arrived on the day feeling slightly less sick. A couple of people greeted me by name. My word, they actually remembered me. I sat next to the lovely Barbara Hoffmann – now there’s a networking pro. The penny was dropping, networking has nothing to do with demanding business, but involves putting names to faces and personalities to business cards. I decided to sign up for a year, I wasn’t sure how much I would gain, but didn’t think I really had anything to lose – apart from a bank account lighter by a year of membership payments. At the end of ten months I reviewed the situation. I had found people who had helped me with my business and my personal life, I had had some decent lunches and made friends – so I had fulfilled my original intentions. But I hadn’t actually got any business from it. So, was it cost effective? No. Should I renew my membership? Um, I wasn’t sure. And then, as these things happen, within a week I was asked to provide three pieces of science writing for two different clients. Both clients being people I had only met directly at those networking lunches. When my membership renewal date rolled around, not only had I covered my costs for the entire year, I was in profit. I signed up for a second year.

As of last month, I committed to my fourth year. The networking company is now a mixed group and rebranded in 2009 to Viva Business Networking. I now fully understand that business networking is first and foremost about building solid relationships. Build relationships consistently and reliably and in time, the business comes of its own accord. I have had sufficient business over the last two years to make renewal an easy decision. I’ve also had my back manipulated and the then three-year-old’s verruca “magiced” away. I’ve had my household bills lowered and my Christmas present difficulties resolved. I’ve had photos taken and been taught how to use LinkedIn and Twitter. I’ve found quiz team partners and even a wedding reception venue. I’ve a wealth of experience on a variety of topics ready for me to tap in to should the need arise, And yes, I also have some grown-up friends of my own that I can meet for lunch.

Georgina Lavender

www.georginasscience.co.uk