Briones: Networking ought to adapt to assist various Ottawa companies

Article content material

Final week, I attended a small networking occasion focused at immigrant girls entrepreneurs. Full disclosure, I used to be one of many organizers, together with Maria Rasouli, founding father of Escape Bicycle Excursions.

Article content material

Initially from Iran, Rasouli described one ache level in her journey as an immigrant girl in a largely male-dominated business: “Solely one other girl of color, solely one other immigrant, solely one other particular person with an accent who has walked in my sneakers will get what it’s prefer to personal a enterprise in a unique nation,” she stated.

Article content material

The results of this get-together was folks connecting at a deeper degree than most “conventional” enterprise networking alternatives actually enable for. Occasion planners, digital entrepreneurs, service companies — we had been all current and went just a few ranges additional into dialog. A few latest immigrants from Ukraine, for example, felt snug sufficient to speak about their journey fleeing the battle, settling in Canada and opening their enterprise — six months after touchdown in a brand new nation.

Article content material

Some of these conversations at networking occasions solely occur if the networking occasions are intentional in offering one thing completely different. In dialog with different entrepreneurs, I hear increasingly the necessity to join and work together with others. Entrepreneurs are usually not thinking about simply the same old small speak, trade of enterprise playing cards and LinkedIn profiles. They’re actively in search of alternatives to community otherwise.

That’s precisely what Sarwar Qureshi, an entrepreneur himself and founding father of Past Networking, is doing. His networking teams goal entrepreneurs who’re in search of activity-based socializing and networking. Over time, they’ve organized actions which have included paintball, paint nights, axe-throwing, artwork excursions, and a wide range of different occasions.

Article content material

The December vacation celebration is one in all their most-attended occasions. “A theme that has emerged is that some small companies could also be too small to have a vacation celebration, or team-building occasion for that matter, on their very own. Particularly solopreneurs. By having a celebration open to all, numerous these entrepreneurs can take part and really feel a part of a much bigger group,” he stated.

Qureshi additionally acknowledged that almost all of networking occasions occur throughout valuable household time. A father himself, he determined to incorporate family-friendly occasions at which a unique degree of connection can occur between attendees. “Occasions which have actions assist strengthen the connection between the attendees quicker,” he stated.

Maybe the pandemic modified the best way we wish to community after just a few years of not having the ability to do a lot. Small-business house owners are in search of significant connections, in-depth conversations and interesting environments. They wish to community in a means that’s completely different.

It’s time for extra networking alternatives to look as various because the small companies they aim.

Karla Briones is a neighborhood immigrant entrepreneur and proprietor of International Pet Meals Kanata & Hintonburg; founding father of the Immigrants Creating Entrepreneurs Academy; and an impartial enterprise marketing consultant. The opinions listed here are her personal. Her column seems each two weeks.