One of the great things about being self-employed is that you can pick and choose the type of work you do. When you work for someone else, if your boss asks you to do something you don’t particularly enjoy, you don’t really have much say in the matter, but when it’s your own business, you have the option of subcontracting the project, referring the client to another service provider, or simply saying no.

There can be a downside to having this much flexibility. When you’re not forced to step outside your comfort zone from time to time, you deprive yourself of valuable opportunities to grow, personally and professionally. Here’s an example.

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Much has been said and written about preparing for networking events by developing a 30 to 60 second “infomercial” that you can use when introducing yourself. But then what? Since introverts don’t particularly enjoy (or excel at) making “small talk,” the next step can be very challenging, but blogger Meghan Wier has come up with a great solution.

In her blog post, What’s Your Story?, Meg describes the process of drafting a 3-5 minute synopsis that you can have on tap when someone asks you to “tell us a little about yourself.” You know that situation is inevitable, so why not be prepared? You’ll feel more at ease, and you’ll be more interesting too – both of which will help you to network more effectively.

If you think you can’t run a business because you don’t want to network and market yourself, you should read Melanie Mendelson’s Business Success Tips For Introverts. Melanie is an introvert who reached a six-figure income in her third year of business, so she must know what she’s talking about!

I’m just thrilled at the number of fellow introverts who have introduced themselves to me through this blog, especially those who also blog about introversion. “Quiet Keith” is a recent visitor whose blog is titled Introverted Success. When I stopped by his blog, his post Why Introverts Hate Networking Events immediately caught my attention, since networking is one of my favourite topics.

As an introvert who has been self-employed for six years, I can absolutely relate to Keith’s comments and agree with most of them. I’ve been to a few networking events where I slipped out as early as I could because I was overwhelmed by the crowds and the activity, and because I felt I’d already taken part in as many conversations as I could manage. However, I’ve been to many more where I was among the last to leave. This is how I’ve made networking less painful:

1. Choose smaller, more structured networking events. I’ve found that breakfast meetings work well for me. For one thing, it’s usually a smaller group than you’d find at after business cocktail party-type events. With less time devoted to “mix and mingle,” instead of choosing between a series of brief interactions or being a wallflower, I can engage in an extended, and often meaningful, conversation with the person next to me. In addition, since many typically aren’t “morning people,” the chance of getting inundated with sales pitches is minimized.
2. Don’t play the numbers game. A lot of people (probably extraverts) try to exchange business cards with as many others as possible, but I don’t see this as true networking, which is about forming and building relationships. Instead, I make a point of catching up with people I already know and introducing myself to a couple of new people. If I don’t feel like talking to someone, I don’t. I consider it a big deal if I come home with three business cards. After all, for us, it’s not about the quantity but the quality of the relationships.
3. Plan in advance what I want to say. This applies especially to my 30-second self-introduction. Being prepared helps to eliminate some of the anxiety around having to stand up and introduce myself.

There are lots of other networking tips for introverts on this blog, so if you hate networking like Keith does, I hope you’ll find some suggestions that will make it tolerable, and maybe even enjoyable!