My local Chamber has worked for me; I met my second client through a networking event, and I just wrote an article for their ezine. There is another member that wants to schedule a consultation.

I researched BNI and NAWBO, and I have decided not to join them at this time.

So I suggest your local or regional Chamber, and your state’s Small Business Association branch. That has also worked for me as I recorded an interview with them today; free publicity is great!

@kc_kreative No good meetups here yet htat I’ve found. I used to go to one at Tysons’s called DC Computer Consultants–it’s not all developers and I had fun.

I have been to one chamber so far (where my business is) and have two more close by to check out.

I have joined NAWBO here, and a group called SWIM (Smart Women In Marketing)

The right fit is important, so I am trying everthying a few times. I have met a few really great women who are good sharers, so am learning . Luckily here, @kc_kreative it’s not a big deal to drive 10 or 15 miles in most directions at rush hour–especially not with what traffic I used to deal with in DC!

@karenataylor I didn’t think about the State SBC- thanks

@joanmuschampfagnani

I’m not a fan of BNI-style groups that require weekly appearances. 

I’ve had more luck with tweetups (Twitter In Real Life) which I’ve hosted myself for the past few years. 

In addition, there’s a Facebook Maine group that I occasionally frequent. There are also plenty of other entrepreneur groups, too. 

Have you joined local LinkedIn groups? I’ve found most of the local networking groups for business are also there, so it’s a great place to find local people.

I’m not sure what your new locale is, but a simple search on “New York City” or “Portland, Maine” or “Carson City” in the groups section of LinkedIn should get you all the local groups. Join them, then ask around.

What do you do when you’re in Small town usa with no Chamber?

I think it depends on where you are located and who your target market is and whether your are B2B or B2C.  If you are in a small community, and your services/products are local you might want to check out any community groups whether they are business or social just to make connections and friends.  “Word of mouth” is a powerful referral.  As well, Meetups are a good way of connecting with groups online and locally in person.

If you are in a larger area, the Chamber is always a great way to connect as long as you are committed to showing up regularly so they get to know you.  I found our BNI is very effective – most members defect when their business has grown to the point where new customers come primarily from referrals of past and current customers.  BNI is a large commitment of time and money but it does work.

I found many womens groups in my area and at least half are women who are in business for themselves.  Women are predominately the decision makers on purchases and rely heavily on referrals.

Or if your business is online, whether local or national/international look for Meetups, Forums (especially industry related if that applies to what you do), and Groups through Social Media like Facebook and LinkedIn.

Thanks- while I’ve done or looked into quite a few, there are some here I didn’t think of. I will look for TweetUps @rich-brooks.

I will look for more LInkedIn Groups (local) too.  One I’ve found is terrific!

@joanmuschampfagnani I’ve started a meet-up where I’m one of the resident experts. It’s worked beautifully and I’ve gotten a couple of consulting gigs from it. I also belong to a marketing group which has monthly meetings. This has been very valuable. I don’t get much business from the members … but the visitors are a treasure. And of course there’s social media. The best kind of networking because I get to network in my pj’s! I’ve gotten gigs from all over the US from my social media “networking”.

I am a long time member and huge fan of BNI. It brings me a lot of new and recurring business every year. Yes – we attend or send a sub nearly every week. That keeps the momentum up. And with 25 to 50 people in a chapter, as I get to know them it becomes a pleasure rather than an obligation to bring referrals – as a web developer my clients do ask on a regular basis for referrals to graphic designers, photographers, printers, PG gurus, Mac gurus etc. I give these referrals within my chapter when I feel confident but I go outside it when I do not. I actually get enough work between BNI and social media that I have not needed to join any other groups. I go to the Chamber and other groups occasionally but ‘just because’.