Geert Conard's Blog, page 11

What about LinkedIn Premium Accounts ?

LinkedIn is the most important online network
for professional use. If you are a business owner, manager, freelancer or
consider yourself a professional in what you do, you SHOULD have a profile on
LinkedIn. Today LinkedIn counts over 135 Million members and is still growing
by 2 members every second !!!


Most people use the free available tools, which
are already a fantastic toolbox to grow your network and keep in touch with
your contacts.




In recent financial updates we have read that (paid) Premium Accounts have
doubled. People don't throw away money, so we got interested in the extra
available options once you become a Premium member.
What are the available paid subscriptions on
LinkedIn ?



In general there are 3 different series of paid accounts :



·        
Accounts for
Recruiters

·        
Accounts for Job
seekers

·        
Premium Accounts


In total
LinkedIn offers 10 different paid accounts, each of them offering a different
mix of extra tools to enhance your networking capacities.




I'll give
you a short introduction to the most important tools. I also added links to
short video's for most of these tools. 



Inmail :
Send emails to people outside of your network. Inmails are included in some of
the paid accounts, but can optionally be bought in all accounts.
http://youtu.be/oqwOJe6Ho70


Openlink
Network : When you join the Openlink network as a paying
member you allow anyone on LinkedIn to message you free of cost. This makes you
reachable for much more people.

http://youtu.be/aS1iA5E4f4o


Advanced
searches : In all accounts you get extra search options that
help you reach your target audience. You will also get more results compared to
searching with a free account.

http://youtu.be/x0ysye1wLks


3th degree and
group connections : Normally names outside your second degree are
hidden. Paid memberships all get to see at least the first name of these
contacts.


Who has viewed
my profile : Instead of the last 5 people you get the complete
list. This was actually the single reason why I upgraded my account. This
complete list together with the extended statistics on the same page make a
very valuable tool to measure your networking efforts on LinkedIn.

http://youtu.be/SYVU_0jJwPs


Profile Organiser : This is a very useful rolodex tool to keep
your most important contacts close at hand. Bookmark profiles for later use and
add notes about this person.

http://youtu.be/lYKbu5X00bs


Priority
Customer Service : All paying members get priority customer service.




Full overview of tools and features of all 10 paid
LinkedIn accounts



A.     
Accounts for Recruiters





B.     
Accounts for Jobseekers









C.     
Premium Accounts
If you are not a recruiter or jobseeker, the
Premium Accounts will be the most interesting and offer a range of very useful
tools to enhance your networking efforts.




There is a little catch to this overview, when
you click on the upgrade buttons on LinkedIn you will usually find options to
upgrade to Business, Business Plus and Executive. You will have to do some
extra effort to discover the cheaper option to upgrade to Personal Plus. In
this video you will find a possible solution
for this, I have also found other ways.

What do I post where on Facebook?

If you are an entrepreneur or business owner
you probably wonder where to post your content on Facebook. You might already
have started a Page or Group for your business, next to your own profile.
Sometimes it's very hard to decide where to post. In this article I will
explain how we are handling this for our own activities. This guideline is also
usable for entrepreneurs with multiple businesses.


First I would advise to use a Facebook Page for your business instead
of a group. Groups were the first option a long time ago but today Pages are more
convenient and give you the tools to operate as easy as with your own profile. Sometimes
I also notice personal profiles that are used for a business, but this is not
allowed by Facebook's terms of use.



Important to know is the fact that you can moderate a Facebook Page with
multiple people.

A Facebook Page can also have a username (e.g. www.facebook.be/itconsultservices), a group doesn't have this option
!

So now you have your Personal Profile and your Facebook
Page.


What to post on the
Facebook Page of your business ?




·        
Links to your own
blogarticles, written on your company blog. If you don't have a company blog
you can write short articles using Facebook Notes, directly on the page.

·        
Links to
interesting articles about your industry or expertise, found on other blogs or
newspaper websites.

·        
Status updates
directly connected to your business.

·        
Pictures of
business events or trade fair visits, directly connected to your business.




What to post on my
Personal Profile on Facebook ?

·        
Status updates
regarding your activities, your business(es) or even your personal life when
still appropriate to build your credibility and reputation.

·        
Links to your own
blogarticles, shared from the Facebook Page of your business (Or articles
written on Facebook Notes)

·        
Check-in's from
Foursquare or Facebook Places, when appropriate to build your credibility and
reputation (e.g. When you are attending business events, workshops, trade
fairs, …)

·        
You can share even
more personal updates, postings and photo's, but I would recommend to limit
these shares to the people you want to be able to view them.




Last month I wrote about the perfect mix of mindsets needed to be successful in
using Social Media for your business. This is of course directly related to the
lists above.

Networking should always be the Nr. 1 activity, marketing should be the least
present among your postings. Nevertheless visitors should always be able to see
and experience your skills and credibility.



You can be the expert in your industry within your network. Make sure your
profile wall and Pages are always fine. Don't allow garbage postings by games
etc.

Your personal profile and business page should always look professional and
display you as a true professional in your industry.

Je (baby)foto op Facebook ?

De voorbije weken viel het ons weer op hoeveel vrouwen een
foto gebruiken van hun kind als profielfoto op Facebook. We kunnen ons met de
beste wil van de wereld geen enkele valabele reden voor de geest halen waarom
iemand dit zou doen. Allereerst omdat het in
strijd is met het gebruiks-reglement wat stelt dat al je profielgegevens
van jezelf moet zijn. Deze regel geldt voor zowat alle Sociale Netwerken
en is niet meer dan een uitstekende ethische netwerkregel waardoor je de persoon
van het profiel waar je naar kijkt met zekerheid kan identificeren.


Enkele weken geleden heb ik persoonlijk nog een profiel
gerapporteerd (en laten verwijderen) omdat die persoon een foto van mij als
profielfoto had ingesteld.


Vergeet niet dat op Facebook door de verbeterde privacy
instellingen je bij een vriendschapsverzoek meestal nog enkel de profielfoto te
zien krijgt en geen enkele andere. Op basis van die foto ga je dus proberen te
herinneren of je die persoon ooit al ergens bent tegen gekomen. Veel geluk als
je dan enkel een babyfoto ziet !



We herhalen nog eens de top redenen om een duidelijke en herkenbare foto van
jezelf te gebruiken als profielfoto :


·        
Herkenbaarheid – Wanneer je deze
persoon tegen komt op vb. een netwerkevent zal je hem of haar ook herkennen.
Dit is nogal eens een probleem met vrouwen die graag hun uiterlijk wijzigen
zonder hun profiel mee te wijzigen (Lengte van haar, kleur van haar, … )


·        
Vertrouwen – Een profiel met
een duidelijke foto straalt ook vertrouwen uit. Tests met foto-loze profielen
hebben aangetoond dat bezoekers amper het profiel bekijken voor ze verder
surfen. Netwerken is iets wat je bewust en persoonlijk doet en dus zeker niet
anoniem.

Ons advies is nog steeds om te kiezen voor een
semi-professionele foto die toch een open indruk geeft. Als mannelijke
bedrijfsleider betekent dit om vb. te kiezen voor een foto in een mooi maatpak,
maar dan wel met een mooie glimlach die uitnodigt om met jou in gesprek te treden.




Dus vanaf nu zeggen we
"Enough with the Baby Profile Pictures: We GET IT, You
Reproduced" J

5 Mindsets to use Social Media for Business

"Social Media for Business" is the title of our
most popular workshop, but this month I want to focus on the exact mindset you
need to use Social Media and networking for your business.



In total there are 5 different mindsets that I
can define and you will be most successful if you apply a perfect mix of all
five.


Mindset 1 : Non-professional use



Almost 10% of all people on earth use Facebook.
Recent numbers show 60% of Internet users in Belgium are using Facebook. Lots
of people are using other networks too. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Netlog,
Xing and Ecademy are the most popular networks in Belgium right now. 

Those people who aren't entrepreneurs or
business owners probably use Social Media to share photos, connect to their
family and friends, search for old school friends, organize a street BBQ and so
on. Professional users will also engage in these activities with their
family and friends.



This is what I would define as non-professional
use. It does however take part in building your image and credibility. Do you
share drunk pictures of a bachelor weekend or do you choose to share pictures
of a trade show visit which could also be interesting for your job ?

You are the one who decides what people get to
see when they visit your online profiles. And remember … You never get a second
chance to make a first impression.



Mindset 2 : Networking


Social Networking websites were originally
designed to get in touch with people you know and connect to new interesting
people. You can grow your network with minimum effort and get to know people
through their online profiles, blogs, comments and other actions. Easy to use
communication tools make it easy to start a conversation and get to know more
people. Even for the most timid people the threshold is very low when using
online networks. To boost the relationship it might still be needed to meet
face to face, but this will be easier because you already had contact online.
The first thresholds have disappeared



Mindset 3 : Building credibility



LinkedIn, Facebook and some other networks
allow you to share links to interesting articles, blogs, video's, … any
possible content on the world wide web. By sharing content from your industry
you will build credibility on your expertise. Even better is to write articles
yourself on a blog and share those on your Social Media profiles. You will
provide a mix of your own views together with expert advice from your industry
leaders. People in your network will automatically link the topic of your
choice to your name and refer people to you with any question or demand on that
topic. I strongly believe that in your network you can grow to be an expert in
your industry just by sharing high quality information and views on that topic.




Mindset 4 : Marketing
Social Media websites offer many possibilities
to market your products and services. You can set up events or groups to
connect to your audience and get them involved. This however is still the
trickiest mindset because your network won't allow you to spam them daily with commercial
information. If you apply a mix of all mindsets the smallest amount of posts
should be the marketing related posts. If you share great value, people will
also be interested in your commercial message. If your focus is only on
marketing your business, people will turn away and loose interest.




Mindset 5 : Peer support
Last but not least there is a different kind of
networking which is very important for small business owners. While many
networking websites and events cater the need to grow your network, some other
networking formulas cater the need to have your own advisory board or
brainstorming group to help you with problems and ideas. This kind of peer
support needs a lot of communication which can easily be established through
the use of Social Media. By creating a safe and secure forum on a Social
Networking website you can have your own advisory board ready for input at any
given moment of the day.




Apply the right mix
Whenever you meet newbies on social networking
websites or events they often focus too much on just one of these mindsets.
Often they focus very hard on marketing their business, while the nr. 1 target
of networking is of course to grow your network of contacts.

The magic formula to
be successful in networking is to find the perfect mix between these 5
mindsets. In the first 3 years, you only need to focus on a mix of the first 4
mindsets. Once you have established a quality network you will possibly want to
add the fifth mindset to create a secure source for peer support. At the end
you will need all 5 mindsets, but you have to be very careful to apply the
right mix. Your story will become more interesting and people will be more
attracted to you.



People will see you as a real person (1) who wants to grow his/her network (2),
who is an expert in his/her industry (3), who has interesting products or services
to offer (4) and who has surrounding him/her with other high quality networkers
(5).

Foursquare Verified Business

Don't forget to check-in next time you visit Zakenkantoor Conard-Vanhove.

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Networking for Business

A few weeks
ago I was networking with a couple of entrepreneurs when we decided to answer
the question "What is your most important professional frustration ?". I didn't
need much time to think about it and my answer can probably be translated to any
expertise, industry or occupation.






Since 2004
I'm spending at least 5 hours each day, every day of the week,
networking and using Social Media. During these years I have attended many
networking events all over Europe but also spend a lot of time exploring
websites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Xing and many others.



From my
personal and practical experience I have distilled valuable tips and advice for
entrepreneurs. Always with a razor-sharp focus toward small business owners,
but also applicable for management teams in larger companies. Networking events
and Social Media are accessible for everyone and the huge load of social
networking tools can be used in many ways to grow your contacts network, build
credibility as a professional in your industry or use it for social media
marketing.



So what was
my most important professional frustration ? Every dog in a jacket calls
himself a Social Media Expert and jumps on stage all over the country to speak
to an audience, trading their knowledge for a bottle of wine and a sandwich. I
have seen speakers who handled topics like fiscal tips, investments and Social
Media in less than 6 months. They jump on every hot topic and talk about any
subject that's demanded.



I often
hear negative comments when I meet people who have attended a presentation or
workshop on my favorite topic. In most cases this is caused by a lack of
practical experience from the speaker.

I don't mean the technical experience, but the right mindset you need the
audience to understand.



It's very
important to really transfer the right mindset you need while networking and using
Social Media, to be able to receive a positive return for your business. When
an entrepreneur or business owners is using social media for business, he or
she is actually networking while using social media as an instrument.



Until the
breakthrough of Facebook there were only 5 speakers in Belgium who handled
these topics, while being heavy users of social networking themselves. Today these
pioneers are still active as speakers, trainers and coaches, but their names
start to fade away in the large list of available speakers.



I am very
grateful that I was part of this group of pioneers and during the past
decennium I was able to study the evolution and growth of social networks. A
growth in speakers on this topic could be a good thing, if they challenge
themselves to deliver high quality. We would love to see many more qualified
speakers who put lots of work and effort in researching their topics. It hurts
to see that Social Media has grown into a 'quick win' for many others.



Now what
does networking really mean to me ? What is the most rewarding way to network ?

What should
be avoided ?






During the
past decade I have heard and read many definitions and statements on
networking, something that I won't do right now. I do however want to try and
make clear what it's all about. Some time ago I heard a brilliant lady say "The
value of your networking efforts can be measured by how much people talk about
you when you are not there". It isn't enough to meet and get to know many more
(business) people and grow your network, you also have to make sure they
remember you when an opportunity comes by!



I consider
a person to be part of my network when I know who he or she is and what he or
she does for a living. Of course this also has to be true the other way around.
Only if this is true we can also refer people to each other successfully and
that's what networking is all about : Helping
each other !



Helping
each other is something you can do by referring someone to the right person to
help with his or her demand, question or problem. Helping each other can also
be done by giving some advice or a good tip to set them off in the right
direction toward a solution. Many times you will be contacted by someone in
your network to get them in contact with someone very specific from your
network. You can open a door to enable them to contact someone much more easy.
Some Social Networking tools like LinkedIn and Branchout have specific tools
onboard to make this easier.



Social
Media are no substitute for offline meetings. By meeting each other face to
face and exchanging stories while enjoying a cup of coffee or a glass of wine
you will create an extra level in your connection which will make it easier to
remember each other when needed.



An
important issue is the 'Elevator pitch' in which you have to be able to present
yourself in just a couple of minutes. Most entrepreneurs will keep it short and
tell you who they are and what activities they handle in their business. It's
often more valuable to tell people what you are looking for and how they would
be able to help you. In some businessclubs (e.g. M4M) moderators will help you
to make sure you have a positive networking experience.



My golden
networking tip never changed since 2004 : "Don't sell !". Networking is
building a network, selling is something completely different. Sales can be a
logical result of your networking efforts, but networking and selling are
really two completely different activities.



I wish you
a lot of success with your networking efforts in this new season !

Netwerken met je business in het achterhoofd

Onlangs zat ik met een aantal ondernemers te netwerken toen we besloten om te antwoorden op de vraag "Wat is jouw grootste zakelijke frustratie?". Lang hoefde ik er niet over na te denken en mijn antwoord is vermoedelijk ook heel eenvoudig te vertalen naar gelijk welke expertise, sector of vakgebied.




Sinds 2004 besteed ik minstens 5 uur per dag, 7 dagen op 7, aan netwerken en Sociale Media.
Tijdens deze periode heb ik dus niet alleen heel veel netwerkevents bezocht in binnen- en buitenland, maar ook gigantisch veel tijd doorgebracht op Social Media websites als Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Xing en vele andere.




Uit mijn persoonlijke praktijkervaring distilleerde ik bruikbare tips en adviezen voor ondernemers. Steeds met een scherpe focus naar bedrijfsleiders van kleine ondernemingen, maar evengoed bruikbaar voor management teams van grotere bedrijven. Netwerkmeetings en Sociale Media zijn immers toegankelijk voor iedereen en de ettelijke beschikbare online netwerktools kan je op meerdere manieren gaan gebruiken voor het opbouwen van je contactennetwerk, om jezelf als professional te profileren of voor Social Media Marketing.




Wat was dan mijn grootste zakelijke frustratie? Dat elke hond met een hoed op zich vandaag profileert als Social Media Expert en voor een broodje en een fles wijn overal in het land presentaties geeft. Ik zag zelfs sprekers die op een tijdspanne van minder dan 6 maanden op podia stonden met achtereenvolgens topics rond Fiscaliteit, Beleggingen en Sociale Media. Ze springen dus voortdurend op elk onderwerp wat 'hot' is of waar er vraag naar is …




Ik vind het dan ook bijzonder jammer dat ik soms negatieve commentaren hoor als iemand naar een presentatie of workshop over mijn favoriete onderwerp is geweest. Heel vaak is de oorzaak te vinden bij het gebrek aan praktijkervaring van de spreker. Dan spreek ik niet over de technische kant van de zaak, maar over de juiste insteek voor je doelpubliek. Het is belangrijk om duidelijk te maken welke gedachtegang noodzakelijk is om uit al die inspanningen ook iets positiefs voor je business te kunnen halen. Als ondernemer succesvol gebruik maken van Sociale Media betekent immers dat je gaat netwerken met Social Media als instrument.




Tot aan de grote doorbraak van Facebook waren er in België amper een vijftal sprekers actief over deze onderwerpen, die ook zelf intens gebruik maakten van deze netwerken. Deze pioniers zijn ook vandaag nog steeds actief als sprekers, trainers en coaches al vervagen hun namen meer en meer in het overgrote aanbod aan sprekers. Ik ben heel dankbaar dat ik bij die eerste pioniers mocht zijn en dat ik in het voorbije decennium de opmars van de sociale netwerken van nabij kon zien gebeuren.
De toename aan sprekers zou geen probleem mogen zijn, ware het niet dat de kwaliteit eraan ten onder gaat. We zijn er zeker voor te vinden om een groter aanbod aan gekwalificeerde sprekers te vinden, die werk en tijd steken in research en gedreven zijn door hun onderwerp. Het is echter storend om te zien hoe Social Media een 'quick win' geworden is.





Maar wat betekent netwerken nu concreet voor mij? Wat is de meest vruchtbare manier om te netwerken? En wat is zeker te vermijden?


In de loop der jaren heb ik meerdere definities en statements over netwerken gehoord en gelezen, waarvan ik me voor dit artikel bewust zal onthouden. Ik wil wel proberen om duidelijk te maken waarover het gaat. Ooit hoorde ik eens iemand zeggen: "Het succes van je netwerkinspanningen kan alleen afgerekend worden op hoeveel er over jou wordt gepraat wanneer je er niet bent". Met andere woorden is het niet alleen de bedoeling om meer (zaken)mensen te leren kennen en je netwerk dus te vergroten, maar er tevens voor te zorgen dat ze ook aan jou denken wanneer opportuniteiten zich voordoen. Ik beschouw iemand als onderdeel van mijn netwerk als ik weet wie die persoon is en wat hij of zij doet. Andersom moet het uiteraard ook het geval zijn. Alleen op die manier weten we genoeg van elkaar om succesvol andere mensen naar elkaar te kunnen doorverwijzen en dat is uiteindelijk waar netwerken om draait : Elkaar kunnen helpen!




Elkaar helpen kan dus door mensen die op zoek zijn naar iets door te verwijzen naar de juiste persoon die hen daarmee kan helpen. Elkaar helpen kan ook door een advies of tip te geven die iemand weer in de juiste richting zet naar een oplossing voor zijn of haar probleem. Heel vaak zal iemand uit je netwerk ook bewust beroep op je doen om hem of haar in contact te brengen met een heel specifiek iemand uit je netwerk. Sommige Social Networking websites zoals LinkedIn en Branchout spelen daar ook op in en geven je een aantal tools in handen om dit proces nog te vereenvoudigen.




Sociale Media zijn zeker geen vervanging voor netwerkevents. Door elkaar in levende lijve te ontmoeten en onder het genot van een koffie of een glas wijn te luisteren naar elkaars verhalen creëer je een band waardoor je elkaar ook sneller en beter zal herinneren wanneer het nodig is.
Een belangrijk aspect daarbij is de zogenaamde 'Elevator pitch' waarbij je jezelf in enkele minuten voorstelt. De meeste ondernemers houden het op een korte voorstelling van zichzelf en de activiteiten van hun bedrijf. Het is echter veel waardevoller om ook specifiek aan te geven waarnaar je op zoek bent en hoe anderen je hierbij het best kunnen helpen. Bij sommige businessclubs, zoals M4M, worden er moderators ingeschakeld die je hierbij helpen zodat je zeker bent van een optimale en geslaagde netwerkervaring.




Mijn gouden netwerktip is sinds 2004 nooit veranderd : "Don't sell !". Netwerken is bouwen aan je netwerk, verkopen is iets totaal anders. Verkopen kunnen een logisch gevolg zijn van je netwerkinspanningen, maar eigenlijk hebben beide activiteiten zeer weinig met elkaar te maken.





Ik wens jullie alvast heel veel succes met het netwerken in dit nieuwe netwerkseizoen!

Anarchy in the UK - Impact for Small Business Owners

I absolutely know that there are deeper problems involved in these riots and some problems need to be handled with a structural solution. However I feel the deepest sympathy for those small business owners who see their stores trashed, destroyed or even robbed empty. These small stores which we all love to visit during our travels to the UK aren't multinationals with large bags of money. These stores are owned by hard working self employed people who followed their dream and opened a small little store of their own. In best case they even provide work for a few more people.

This kind of violence and destruction of other people's property is something that I just can't agree with. A lot of these businessowners will have to close their stores and horrible times will start for them and their families. Even if their business survives, it will cost them multiple years of hard work to cover the loss and finish the paperfight with their insurrance companies. It's already known that lots of things are probably not even covered by their insurances (theft of stock, intentional fire, ...).



I do know that a lot of these rioters see this as their only way to get attention, but by using criminal acts they loose respect. I hope most of the victimised store owners will be able to survive and re-open their store to continue their dream. (Photo: Reuters)

Running a Business in a Brave New World

Two years ago, in my second book 'Friends with Benefits' I described the growing need to network and collaborate because the world and the economy have changed drastically in the last 30 or 40 years. The economy is clearly moving toward a world of micro businesses, working together in partnerships and projects.



Earlier this month I read Penny's blog on Ecademy asking the question whether most startups are self-employed businesspeople or 'real' startups. I didn't comment to this blog because I had a problem understanding the question. This article will be my comment ;-)

Being self-employed is in no relation at all to the shape or size of your company. If you're a one-(wo)man-business you are self-employed. If you are Mark Zuckerberg and you've built a +2000 people company from scratch, you're also self-employed. It's simple : You either work for a company and get a paycheck at the end of the month OR you run your own business.

I have more respect for a manager who has built a small company with 5 people and does a great job, compared to a 500 people company with a manager on the payroll who's just earning his monthly paycheck and gets a big bonus when he gets laid off.

Half a century ago lots of businesses blew up to large sized mega-companies. In each large town we had factories and offices of the world's largest players (Coca-Cola, Ford Motor Company, Procter & Gamble, …). The hardest labor in those factories was mostly done by men while their wives often ran a tiny microbusiness at home, earning a second income while taking care of the kids. Today those tiny café's, grocery stores, candy stores and shoe stores have almost disappeared from our street view. I still remember them from my childhood days. But times are changing, aren't they?

A record amount of companies have gone bankrupt over the last decades. Lots of companies have grown into a bubble that bursted and left many unemployed. Most new businesses which launched during the last decade didn't grow into large companies. Most business owners deliberately want their company to stay a microbusiness. Less risk, less investments.

As also described in 2007 by Don Tapscott and Andy D. Williams in Wikinomics, in a networked society it will become easier for businesspeople and small companies to work together on projects, each focusing on their strongest skills.

I call this concept "Company 2.0" and I have been using it since early 1999. Back in those days we gathered a large group of freelance IT professionals and sold the empty slots in their agenda to large Internet providers. This group of freelancers became the installation and support field-team for several large telco companies in Belgium. By joining forces and operating under one strong brandname we could make them the perfect offer for a national support coverage.

A couple of years ago the big rush in broadband connections came to an end and I had to rethink the concept of this IT company. I refocused to a local market, serving small businesses in just two provinces. Because I'm a very strong believer in a networked economy I decided to build another team of professionals. Each member of the team is self-employed, flexible, expert in their specific skills and highly motivated. Today this IT company has a team of 6 people, all of them freelancers, shareholders or entrepreneurs. All of them strong believers in collaborating and growing together.

Together with my wife Tineke I'm now running three micro-companies. In each of these companies we surround ourselves with the people and skills we need.  For some specific projects this might not be enough, in that case we tap into our network and select the right people for the job.

Even as a micro business we are able to perform and deliver like a medium sized company.

So it's actually possible to run a company like a project, bringing together the skills you need to perform the business activities. Without large investments, without the risk of having to pay expensive employees through a slow period and always offering top level skills of professionals you would never be able to afford if you would have to hire them as an employee.

At the 4th #TwunchQ networking event hosted by Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne, I asked the guestspeaker and Top Economist Geert Noels if he had any good Economy 2.0 tips for small business owners. The best tip he could give us was the statement that small businesses don't necessarily need to grow. If you have a fantastic flowershop or a specialized cheese store and people drive 20 miles to buy products in your store, you ARE doing great and you won't be any happier if you open 3 additional stores. In a new economy you can be the best of the best in your local neighborhood and by collaborating with others you can handle larger projects without the need to grow.

This is Company 2.0 or Running a Business in a Brave New World.

Mixing Business and Pleasure with Branchout

Facebook is still the Nr. 1 Social Networking website where almost everyone is reconnecting to old friends and sharing holiday pictures with friends and family. The website has close to no competitors when we look at the free available communication tools and user friendlyness.



Many clever companies have tried to insert applications for business networking in this great platform but only few have succeeded (more or less)



After months of comparing I decided to give Branchout a try and up until now I'm actually very happy with the results.



Compared to the 3 degrees of networking that are included in your LinkedIn network, Branchout limits your network to the first and second degree. The most obvious tools are included, such as a personal profile, messages, endorsements, ...



Because of the very "we are all friends" nature of Facebook, people are very likely to endorse and recommend each other what actually makes this "professional network within your friends network" very valuable. Conclusion : Branchout is definitely worth a try !