For all that is said about self-employed entrepreneurs and stay at home parents, being able to be a part of a greater community I believe is essential. For well over a year I was working on my own at home, more or less constantly. I personally did not mind this, but of course there were times when I felt somewhat cut off from the world outside. I am certain many parents would recognise this and agree with me.

The one positive thing was that I could limit the amount of negativity that I took on board, but it also, to a certain extent prevented me from seeing the bigger picture of creating a more visible profile for my business. I was relying on word of mouth, something which should not be underestimated, but without me being the one at the forefront promoting the business, it did not lead to where I wanted to be. I believe that no matter how well you intend to market yourself and “get your name out there”, if it is the first time you work for yourself you are bound to fall into a number of entrepreneurial traps.

Working for yourself unfortunately does not come with a manual, unless you go through the route of an enterprise board or mentoring facility. You learn on the job, for better and/or for worse. Many people think they have everything under control until they somehow are reminded to look “back into” the company rather than just from the inside out. It is a tough exercise and not always a view you want to see. To all of a sudden realise that you may have misinterpreted you customer base, misunderstood what they want, it isn’t easy or something you ever want to realise. Well, know that unless you leave it until your business is about to go into receivership, then with some clever re-thinking and re-structuring you may be able to turn things around. Remember that the banks, the state and the society around you want businesses to succeed, they do not want more “failures” and they do want more jobs. It is in everyone’s interest to make entrepreneurial ideas work and come to life.

So, no matter where you are on your business journey, open up to the wider community, dare to join in Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and all the other social media networks. You will be amazed at the amount of people who are in the same boat as you, people who you may never meet, but who can become good friends and great partners in making your business succeed. What makes us scared of joining in, is usually a lack of understanding the tools themselves, what they can be used for and how they can work best for you. Just because everyone is on Facebook does not mean that it will be the best tool for you and the same goes for all the other networks, you need to figure out what suits you best, stick with it and make it work for you. Take the opportunity and go to one of the many meet ups that are happening around the country, like the first ever SMEcommunity tweetup in Birr, Co. Offaly a couple of weeks ago. It was not only an event aimed at helping entrepreneurs promoting themselves and their businesses but also a great way of meeting up with like minded people, and put a name to the “sometimes” obscure twitter names. Please note that I wasn’t there myself, but next time, I will have the time properly booked into my schedule.

Dare to share, and become a part of the greater entrepreneurial community.