Dealing with those less-than-supportive friends is an issue that few people talk about when it comes to dedicating your life to a startup. Having great friends around you for support is a must, but unfortunately, sometimes the people we love and expect to support us most can surprise us in adverse ways. Has this ever happened to you?

Look at the people you surround yourself with. Are they people who you respect? Do they motivate, stimulate or teach you? Do they discourage you, slow you down or get jealous about your successes? If they are uncomfortable with your lifestyle, fight you on your choices and influence you to make decisions that you later regret, you need to take a serious step back.

The wrong influences for an entrepreneur don’t necessarily have to be overtly “negative” to be counterproductive. Maybe you have friends who just don’t support what you do by not realizing how important your business is to you. Of course, the first thing you should do is to help them understand. But if that fails, there are a few things you can do to keep yourself on track:

• Remove, avoid or limit negative or counter-productive influences from your life.
• Don’t discuss business with people who don’t care or don’t want to understand.
• Surround yourself with people you admire and who motivate you.
• Read about other entrepreneurs who excite you.
• Accept the fact that you’re different. And be proud of that. You’ve worked very hard to get where you are. Don’t let anything or anyone chip away at your success or pride in it.

NETWORKING 301:

Contact Management
Once you start meeting a lot of great people, you’re going to need to keep track of them.  Get in the habit of collecting business cards and passing out some of your own.   Make notes on the back so when you get to your computer you can send new contacts a personal email about what you spoke about.  Store the cards in a box or binder, or better yet, scan them into a contact manager or online address book with notes to help you remember the person or conversation details.  Consider getting a cell phone that enables you to email your contacts and you’ll have all the tools you need to network like a pro.

Hosting Events
If you’re a student or still actively involved with your campus, invite the biggest people you want to meet to come speak.  If you’re involved in a professional or community organization you can use that platform the same way.  Invite influential people to visit and participate in worthwhile events. You can always host your own event independently too.  The more creative the hook the better.

Meeting Powerful People
When you start to become a power networker and meet some of the bigger people in business, make sure to adjust your paradigm accordingly.  They are people just like you, however, they command a different level of reverence based upon their experience.  Always be sensitive to their time and any other immediate demands on them, like speaking, appointments or a tight schedule.  Also recognize that their attention spans are going to be a lot tighter, so your conversation hook has to be strong and memorable. You’ve got to dazzle them with your confidence and poise.  Get your personal elevator pitch down tight for these too!  And don’t forget to always show respect to the gatekeepers – their assistants, staff, husbands/wives, or anyone else guarding their time and schedule.

Brand Yourself
When it comes to networking, whether you’re getting your feet wet or getting your groove on, never forget that you’re a brand too. Build it carefully and maintain it with the respect it deserves.  Go to YSN.com today to build your PROJO – “your professional mojo”, an online professional profile that you can be proud to share or have found by anyone of these great people you’re meeting. Take the YSN Assessment if you want to really pack a punch with any introduction or want to know how to position yourself in the most compelling way.

Written by, Jennifer Kushell

YSN – Expert Advice on Career Advancement and Tools for Professional Development

Hi! I’m Elizabeth Grace Saunders, a time coach and founder of Real Life E® and a member of the Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour. Inc magazine, NBC, and The Chicago Tribune are just a few of the places where I’ve appeared, and here are my “dream career” tips:

1. Try It: I worked at three corporations, a small business, and a non-profit before realizing I loved entrepreneurship. You don’t know what you really want until you try it.

2. Talk to People: Since high school, I’ve regularly reached out to people in the field that I wanted to pursue. Through informational interviews, I found out the back story on life in the industry.
3. Notice Your Energy: If you’re doing what you should be doing, your work will energize you. No matter how good you are at something, you shouldn’t do it if it drains your energy.
4.  Surround Yourself: You could be doing the perfect work but be miserable in the wrong environment. Notice what culture makes you thrive.
5. Follow Demand: If you have no clue what to do, look for areas of job growth and pursue them. You’ll most likely be happier in a high demand field where you’re paid and treated well than one where you always have to struggle.

Elizabeth Grace Saunders is a time coach who empowers women business owners to achieve work/life brilliance.TM  If you want to end your feelings of overwhelm and guilt and step into the future with confidence and enthusiasm, go to www.ScheduleMakeover.com TODAY!

Success Spotlight is an on going series you can find on the YoungandSuccessful blog. Each week we’ll highlight one of our awesome YSN members or successful young person! Stay tuned…

For submissions contact media@ysn.com.

YSN – Expert Advice on Career Advancement and Tools for Professional Development

Networking 201:

Who Are the Best People to Know?
Almost everyone is interesting in their own special way, but if you’re looking to build your career, you need to meet as many people in the working world as you can. Events in the industry of your interest are the perfect place to develop your network with people who are share similar interests . If you’re interested in advertising, online media and or marketing – check out OMMA - they organize events all over the US several times a year.  Company execs and staff come to these events to meet new people and learn about current trends.  During any break, luncheon or cocktail hour make it a point to talk to at least one person. Look for someone you saw on a panel and ask them a question. Most likely they will be interested to hear your opinions on the subject of their discussion.

How Do I Meet Them?
Meeting people can (and should) happen everywhere you go!  Hotel lobbies, elevators, restaurants, coffee lines and shuttle buses are the easiest. Anytime you’re standing around professionals there’s an opportunity to start a conversation.  At a cocktail party, meet new people around the food, drinks, or registration.  At lunches and dinners, choose your seats strategically.  Sit yourself near interesting looking or sounding people. At trade shows or presentations, walk right up to the people speaking or exhibiting and ask a question.  At any organized event, ask the staff to help you meet the right people.  Connecting people at the event makes the event more successful for everyone.  When networking online, comment about something you found interesting on the profile to get them to engage in a conversation.

Build a Killer Network
Once you get into the swing of networking, start assessing your progress. Think about the types of people you already know and who’s missing.  What types of new people would be helpful to meet? Then go find “connectors” (people who naturally connect people for fun, their job, or both).  They can typically introduce you to people you want to know or at least give you some advice to get you a lot closer.  Meet people who make things happen.  Surround yourself with them and you’re sure to raise the bar on both what and who you know.

Tackling Events
Every event is different so devise your plan of attack to ensure you can get the most out of them.  Go through any event material beforehand to learn the schedule and Google anyone or any company that looks intriguing. Remember to get some sleep the night before.  Dress to impress. Try to always carry business cards, a nice pen, and always have something to write on. Practice how you’re going to introduce yourself in a quick and compelling way.  Know what you’re looking to accomplish before you get there and make it happen. Make some great contacts in the beginning and you’ll have friendly faces to turn to the rest of the day or night.

For tips on building your pitch take the YSN Self-Assessment and get a report all about you — use the insights to craft a personal pitch using the worksheets.

Written by, Jennifer Kushell

YSN – Expert Advice on Career Advancement and Tools for Professional Development

NETWORKING 101:

Get Over the Fear
You can be the most popular kid in school, but when it comes to meeting people in the business world, don’t think you’re alone if your first instinct is to panic. If the notion of meeting top recruiters, executives and CEOs freaks you out or transforms you into a shy and awkward shell of yourself, it’s time to confront the fear. Build your confidence quickly by diving right in.  How?  Find a pool of executives (at a career fair, party, or conference), acknowledge that the new environment may sting your nerves at first, then push yourself to talk to at least one person. You’ll quickly see that the more you do it the easier it will get!

Have Fun
Networking can be a lot of fun.  Meeting new people opens you up to new experiences and brings adventure into your life.  Frankly, that’s what your job search should feel like too–an exciting exploration of new opportunities.  If you approach networking with this perspective, you may even start to love it!  Remember: New people = New Friendships/Advisors = New Opportunities!

Why You Need to Build Your Contacts
Your ability to catch and hold the attention of people in the business world has a huge impact on the opportunities you’ll be offered throughout your life.  Just don’t look at everyone you meet as a means to an end. Few are going to want to help you if you approach your conversations with a “what’s in it for me” attitude.  Expand your network of relationships and nurture them.  When you need help opening doors, are looking for some advice, or need a job, the people in your network will be your first responders.

What to Talk About
Keep in mind that the people you network with have families and friends, they eat and sleep (or don’t), travel, and dream about their futures – just like you. Break the ice by introducing yourself and asking them about their day. If you’re at a conference, ask if they are having a good time, have had a chance to walk around, what so you think of the event so far. Comment on something interesting about their booth.  All you need to do is get a conversation started and let things flow from there.

Written by, Jennifer Kushell

YSN – Expert Advice on Career Advancement and Tools for Professional Development