Monday, 30 July 2007
Networking for women with techie tendencies
As the summer holidays roll on, networking opportunities dry up a bit. But I did enjoy a meeting of the Nottingham Girl Geeks the other week - dedicated to bringing geek-speak to the non-geek community. An excellent presentation by search engine optimisation expert, Susan Hallam, who will be pleased to know that the hypnotism worked this time :)
Monday, 16 July 2007
Congratulations to Women 4 Women
Last Friday's event run by Women 4 Women went down very well. "I've been telling people how brilliant it was" is what one participant emailed me this morning to say. Well done, Christina, for organising a successful day of business workshops.
Sunday, 8 July 2007
What makes a great business women's network? Your input on what you do and do not enjoy about networking - at View from the Top or elsewhere - is always welcome. Post a comment below.
Tuesday, 3 July 2007
Moaning Men... they're discrimated against, don't you know?
Once again, I've been collared by a chap complaining about how 'discriminatory' a women's network is. Not surprisingly, we were at a networking event - overwhelmingly dominated by men. Hey ho!
The case for women's networking is ably made by pan-European research by a group of organisations including the UK's Accelerating Women's Enterprise. Their research backs up a lot of the principles behind the women's lunchtime network in Nottingham.
For example, 70% of caring for children at school pick-up and drop-off times and during school holidays is undertaken by women - which makes the ultra-formal breakfast meetings that require week-in, week-out commitment a non-starter for many mumpreneurs. And goes some way to explaining why these are the types of networking events when men predominate.
But if I can chip in with my own observation... many women in business are selling products and services that are primarily or exclusively aimed at women (midwifery anyone?). So it makes sense that groups where men are in the majority are not rich networking opportunities for them - but that groups where women are the main focus will be much more productive.
The thing is, though, that networking isn't just about making a quick sale. There are many other benefits: meeting suppliers, gathering marketing intelligence, finding out about business support, and gaining social support in what can be a lonely way of life as a business owner. And if women don't attend mainstream networking events because their target market (other women) are in a minority at them, then they lose out one these benefits too.
So which is the worst form of discrimination? The type that excludes a whole group of business people because it doesn't offer them the same type of opportunities it does to others? Or the type that redresses this imbalance by presenting them with the chance to get the full range of networking benefits?
The case for women's networking is ably made by pan-European research by a group of organisations including the UK's Accelerating Women's Enterprise. Their research backs up a lot of the principles behind the women's lunchtime network in Nottingham.
For example, 70% of caring for children at school pick-up and drop-off times and during school holidays is undertaken by women - which makes the ultra-formal breakfast meetings that require week-in, week-out commitment a non-starter for many mumpreneurs. And goes some way to explaining why these are the types of networking events when men predominate.
But if I can chip in with my own observation... many women in business are selling products and services that are primarily or exclusively aimed at women (midwifery anyone?). So it makes sense that groups where men are in the majority are not rich networking opportunities for them - but that groups where women are the main focus will be much more productive.
The thing is, though, that networking isn't just about making a quick sale. There are many other benefits: meeting suppliers, gathering marketing intelligence, finding out about business support, and gaining social support in what can be a lonely way of life as a business owner. And if women don't attend mainstream networking events because their target market (other women) are in a minority at them, then they lose out one these benefits too.
So which is the worst form of discrimination? The type that excludes a whole group of business people because it doesn't offer them the same type of opportunities it does to others? Or the type that redresses this imbalance by presenting them with the chance to get the full range of networking benefits?
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