If you own a business then one of the keys to success is getting out and meeting other business people. There is value in having friends in the same industry but there is even more value in having friends in industries outside of your industry. People that are not in your industry are not ‘inside the bubble’ that others in your industry are and will be able to give you a fresh perspective on how your business is doing.

You can network with other business people in traditional ways like your local Chamber of Commerce, Business Improvement Association’s and attending local events. I personally try to attend as many events and local business groups I possibly can to build my connections in the community.

If you do attend one of these meetings be prepared to not make many business connections right off the bat. The typical event is filled with other business people who are only interested in selling their product or service to you. It may take you awhile to find those business people looking to build relationships but once you do it is worth it.

One group that I am a big advocate of is a business group called Thinkreferrals. Although the company name suggests that it is only about referrals the groups are focused on relationship building. After a relationship is built referrals come naturally and never forced.

Other non-traditional ways of networking are LinkedIn, Facebook and Forums. I have tried many of these online networking sites and very few of them make networking very difficult. Without the human interaction the relationship building is very slow.

How do you network with other business people and what has worked best for you?