This year’s Business Show promises to be a big event for small British businesses, but is it really worth all the hassle?
Being the owner of a small business can be extremely rewarding, but it’s never simple or easy. Important decisions need to be made every day and as 2016’s Business Show draws nearer, many businesses might be wondering what’s in it for them.
What is the Business Show?
It’s a simple concept with a huge following: the business show is a two-day event where small business owners and influencers gather to network with each other. Some “networkers” are looking for investors, contributors, customers, or maybe even future employees. Others are looking for advice and inspiration, or perhaps they want to give advice and inspiration to others.
With about 25,000 business people in attendance, the possibilities for business owners at the Business Show are almost endless, but is it right for you?
Racking Inspections, Racking Inspection Training, and Small Business
At Storage Equipment Experts, we spend a lot of time networking with small businesses. Our day-to-day work means delivering racking inspection training to small business staff and SEMA-approved racking inspections to warehouses across the UK. We like to help small businesses by making them safer. Often, when small businesses meet, it’s a mutually beneficial relationship.
This, in essence, is what the Business Show is all about. It pushes businesses beyond the idea that capitalism is all about competition. Sometimes, a lot of the time actually, business is about working together.
However, it’s important to know what you want to get out of B2B conversation. We deliver top-quality racking inspection training and expert racking inspections in accordance with HSE standards. Though, for some businesses, networking is less clear cut. When business people are unclear about what they want in a business-to-business exchange, the results can be ugly.
Not being prepared is a big mistake for many small businesses at networking events. Sure, you want to talk to people, but why? And what do you want to say? This is where the elevator pitch comes into play. In other words, if you can’t explain who you are and what you want in the space of an elevator ride, then you’re not sufficiently prepared for a networking event.
Suppose you bump shoulders with a big leader or influencer in your industry. What would you say to them? How would saying that benefit your business? If you don’t know the answer to those questions, then you need to think of one before you run the risk of seeing them at a networking event and having nothing to say.
The Business Show 2016 will not be the Perfect Opportunity for Everyone
Not every single small business in the UK is attending the Business Show 2016. Some of that might be a lack of awareness, budget constraints, time constraints, or maybe just bad organisation. However, there are many small businesses that will have made a conscious decision not to attend the business show even though they could have done.
The reason for this is that the Business Show is not some magic event that will suddenly make your company successful. It is a networking event, like many other networking events, which businesses need to be clear and realistic about if they plan on benefiting from it. If you can’t think of any way that networking at the Business Show will help your business, then perhaps you need to put more thought into what will help your business.
Sometimes it helps when events are specific. At Storage Equipment Experts, we are always sure to attend the big health and safety events. We are also clear about our aims at these events; we want to learn about the latest developments in the world of warehouse safety.
Networking is about knowing what you want. We believe that interactions between small businesses can be very fruitful. That’s why our business model is based on ensuring other companies receive the UK’s best racking inspection training and best racking inspections.
Whatever you’ve decided to do with regards to the Business Show, contact Storage Equipment Experts to network with the small business which delivers the best racking inspection training and pallet rack inspections in the UK.
