Well-connected

One of the best ways to improve networking is to be actively involved with a group of like-minded peers and entrepreneurs, writes Jayanti Menches

Suzanne Liu, chairwoman, Women Business Owners Club

Networking has numerous advantages. Take it from a pro who spends five days a week making the rounds, chairs a non-profit association and runs her own business. Suzanne Liu, chairwoman of the Women Business Owners Club (WBOC) and founder of S. Liu & Co and ComSec Services Limited, knows what she is talking about.

"Hong Kong is like a 'village' where networking works best," states Ms Liu. "Networking has helped me tremendously in my business and personal life. In small business, customers and clients prefer to deal with people they like and trust." According to Ms Liu, one of the most effective ways to network is to become the chair of a non-profit organisation and to get involved with community work. "You will gain a lot of respect from your existing and prospective customers," she says.

Towering presence

Ms Liu practices what she preaches. As chairwoman of the WBOC, she heads a non-profit organisation that promotes the interests of small business owners. The club consists of 200 members, 13 of whom are men, and all of them come from predominant SMEs. They are mostly service providers who own their own business in the legal, medical, accountancy, education, health, beauty, public relations, marketing and financial planning fields.

Members pay a HK$350 fee to join the club and an annual subscription of HK$500. Their benefits include continuing education, networking opportunities, business referrals, newsletters and a membership directory.

One way the WBOC increases recruitment is by holding its annual introductory seminar How to Start and Run Your Own Business. Potential members are requested to attend. Ms Liu was invited to speak at the seminar in 1998; she later joined the WBOC and began to volunteer her services. She worked as treasurer for three years and has been running the club since last September, along with her board of directors. "We're business owners and we are women, this makes us a unique organisation," Ms Liu says proudly.

Ms Liu has put a lot of time and effort into promoting the WBOC, and she seems to have got a lot back from the organisation. The club has provided her with a venue for networking opportunities. It has also allowed her to obtain a higher profile within the business community and to take on a position of trust and respect. And her role is important for her self-development. She has improved her public-speaking and interpersonal skills, and gained more self-confidence.

Ms Liu is involved with other business groups besides the WBOC. She is very active with the Australian Chamber of Commerce. She also works closely with the American and British Chambers of commerce, and finds time to support women's groups such as Women in Publishing. And she is a member of the Entrepreneur's Club, a male equivalent to the WBOC.

Building on referrals

After spending 15 years in Australia, Ms Liu returned to Hong Kong in 1988 in search of new business opportunities. Having worked for accountancy firms KPMG Peat Marwick and Coopers & Lybrand, she established her accountancy business in 1995. Word-of-mouth referrals and networking have been the cornerstones of her successful business. "If you want to promote your business over a rival's you've got to show your face," stresses Ms Liu. "I now have 800 people in my WBOC prospect list and 220 people in my chamber's social function list." If successful networking can be measured, her numbers are indeed impressive.

More information about Women Business Owners Club can be found at www.hkwboc.org

Taken from Career Times 2003/10/24