Building Relationships for Business Success with Sharon de Koning

It's Time for Success: The Business Insights Podcast

Sharon DeKoning: [00:00:17] Welcome back to It's Time for Success: The Business Insights Podcast. My name is Sharon DeKoning and I am the host of the podcast. Today I want to talk about something that often gets overlooked in business and is absolutely critical to success, building strong partnerships and relationships. I have a phrase I like to use, a business builds a community, and a community builds a business. It is deeper than that, and often the benefits will not show up for a number of years later. Today we are talking about relationships with suppliers, other businesses in the community, organization, and of course our customers. These connections aren't just nice to have, they can and will make or break your business. Let's dive into it. Why these relationships are so important, we're going to talk about how they impact your business and some strategies to make those connections even stronger.

Sharon DeKoning: [00:01:13] Let's start first with community connections. In any business, it's easy to get caught up in focusing only on our day to day operations. We get consumed within these four walls, we get sidetracked. Before you know it, you get here at eight. Before you know it, at six, something like that. It's a blur, our days as entrepreneurs. That has happened to me for about 18 years. I come to work, I work, and then I go home. I've been doing It's Time Promotions for about 18 years, and the last three years I can say that I'm getting better at being involved in the community. Let's take my failure with a grain of salt, and hopefully somebody out there listens to me and learns by it and jumps on the bandwagon really quickly. Stepping outside of your business and actively engaging with your local community is a game changer. I am very introverted, I know people think that's crazy and people tell me that all the time. I am game-on at work, 100%. After work, do you want to go here? Do you want to go do that? Nope. I'm very introverted, and to get me to go into a room where I know nobody, kind of makes me want to throw up. It's not my strong feature, and it makes me feel very uncomfortable. Therefore, I will find every excuse in the book not to do what I know I need to be doing. But there's ways around it. It's not easy, but keep in mind it's important. It's always not easy, those first few times. There's things that I've learned over the years, even the way you stand, make yourself feel open. When you go to those events, make sure you're standing straight, your shoulders back and do not cross your arms. Be open to people, do not turn your back on people. There's so many different ways of making it a little bit easier for people to approach you. That might be a different session, we'll talk about that. It is awkward, but it is critical for your business.

Sharon DeKoning: [00:03:03] By building relationships within your community, whether that be with other businesses or organizations, you enable growth through collaboration, support, innovation, and possibly an opportunity. Sometimes opportunities don't come down the road for years later. We actually have a podcast coming up with Pack Wong, and he explains relationships that he's built over the years and how that opportunity didn't arise for many years later. Just being aware, be out, be present, talk to people, be in your community, and he's a prime example of that, and I am a prime example of that also. Even though they may be not manifested, but being out in the community and talking to other businesses. I've actually had people reach out to me with opportunities. Whether that be by their business, or maybe an employee, maybe they have reference of somebody that might fit in my team. There's so many different ways of winning through it, so I highly recommend getting out of your four walls, out of your comfort zone, and attending these community events.

Sharon DeKoning: [00:04:06] When you're out with other businesses or community organizations, you're not just building partnerships, you're creating a network. You're creating a network of resources. Once you get to know these people or these organizations, you can reach out to them for ideas. For example, do you know of anybody that might fit our front end line at It's Time Promotions? That could just be somebody that you've talked to, resources you have more connections. That is just one example. These connections allow you to refer business back and forth. You share your insights, and sometimes an opportunity may arise that can change your life, which is exactly what I was talking about before. It may not be right now, it may not be tomorrow, but it will be someday. Just do your due diligence now for your future. Here's an example. Partnering with local organizations for events can help you reach new audiences that you might not have access to on your own. When you go to these events, you're talking to somebody that you kind of know, they might know somebody who you don't know at all, and it might even be in a total different network of work. That is a cool way of getting to know everybody. Just be open minded, shake their hand and introduce yourself. There's another way, you could partner with local organizations for events. Whether that be through sponsorship, a speaking opportunity, or even just being present by a table with your staff. These organizations or events, they might not need your service, but you are now on top of mind. Maybe not today or tomorrow, again, they might need it down the road. Being present for sure helps, and being top of mind for future orders.

Sharon DeKoning: [00:05:48] Also, when people see your business supporting the community or working hand in hand with other organizations, it strengthens your reputation and credibility. You're notched up a little bit higher on that ladder, so to speak. They're going to learn to trust you because of that, and again, you're top of mind. Also, creates a ripple effect. Your customers feel more connected to you and your business and your brand, because they see you as an active and invested part of the community. They're going to want to give back to you. You're there, your top of mind, you're giving back to your community. Again, down the road, they might know of somebody or they may need one of your services someday. The takeaway here is simple, don't underestimate the power of reaching out and building those connections. Attend local events, network with other entrepreneurs and get involved in initiatives that align with your business values. But don't overcommit. Be mindful of the hours to run your business, be mindful of the time for your family, and of course, yourself. Your health is important as well. So those three things are key factors and do not overcommit. Yes, we need to be involved, but you need to be involved with your family and yourself. You got to pick something that's going to resonate or align with your values.

Sharon DeKoning: [00:07:08] Here are some key community engagements that you can find in your community or ours, wherever you may be. I suggest picking a few that aligns with your values and your interests. Of course, it's a lot easier to talk to people when you're at these awkward conversations if you have the same interest or the same values. Keep in mind, your time available to you. Don't overdo it. The first one, top of mind for me, is BNI. It's called Business Networking International. We now have a chapter here in Lloyd which is the first ever. It's a structured networking platform. It's a referral-based organization, basically. It's really exciting that it's here in Lloydminster, I get to meet with local businesses at this BNI, we meet Thursdays. It's a great way to build our relationships, we pass on referrals, we get to learn, we get to do one to ones, there's all kinds of brilliant things in this BNI platform. If that's of any interest to you, you could reach out to me directly. I can help y...