Recently, a fellow business colleague asked me to come to a local business networking meeting that excited her. Krista, it's before work hours; you can share your elevator speech, and attract lots of new business! Ugh! I secretly thought. Not only was it held at the exact time I get my kids off to school; it was too structured and artificial for me. Then I heard about the National Military Spouse Network run by Sue Hoppin, a born connector, and I thought…YES! This is more my style. Sue is so obviously living out her passion of helping military spouses recognize and achieve their dreams, goals, and ambitions regardless of the twists and turns inevitably part of military life. Sue's idea of connecting with other professional military spouses that value collaborating, supporting, and encouraging is brilliant; I can be myself.

I find that military spouses are forced to do a lot on their own. Work, clean the house, raise the kids, help a friend in need, and pack the house up when necessary; and deal with life's added challenges. The tasks are different for each of us, but the feeling of being overwhelmed is often universal. So when we begin our professional journey we often try to apply the same formula of doing it all. The problem is that successful people do not accomplish success all alone--they have lots of opportunity to learn, lots of support, and lots of cheerleaders. The National Military Spouse Network is a safe place for me to share my ideas and get heartfelt feedback.

In Self-reliance, Ralph Waldo Emerson stated, "to believe in your own thought … is genius." How often have we looked at the successes of others and said, "I could do that!" But then we dismiss our own thoughts--doubt them, postpone them--because we don't trust in our ability to really follow through on our good ideas. Then we get discouraged when we see someone else pursue our idea! What we really need is a little support and encouragement and then we can create the character we desire, changing our circumstances and taking action toward success. We have to stop beating ourselves up for not being able to do it all alone and instead embrace a cheering squad. No profession or independent business is too small or too large for the owner to benefit from a networking group. A networking group is a powerful tool because it takes the guess work out of everyday professional struggles, and allows us to focus on our strengths, rather than feeling that we have to know everything. I met a military spouse who sold Body Shop products independently and was struggling until she began networking with a woman who understood social media and networking online. Lisa was able to reach a whole new level of success. A study from the Small Business Administration showed that, between 2001 and 2004, business owners with an advisory board grew 44%, while those without one only grew 25%; support makes a big difference! What I love about Military Spouse Network is that I am networking with others that truly understand my challenges and can help each other each step of the way.

Top 4 Benefits of Networking

But, this time its wrapped up with being part of a loving community, how perfect!

Networking provides growth opportunities. When you join a network, have a goal in mind about what the networking group can do for you professionally so you don't get lost in the details and can progress. Consider, if you have a valuable $150 product to sell then you need 700 people who are very interested in that product as part of your network to earn a six figure income each year.

Networking gives you access to unlimited resources. Even if you don't see someone in your immediate network with the skills you need, there is power in numbers. Often people who can't help you on the surface know someone who can, but you need to be willing to ask for help and trust that the answer is out there.

Networking allows you to contribute. Don't be shy in your network. When Sue first mentioned to me that she is starting a professional network I didn't just want to join, I wanted to contribute. I asked her if I could submit an article on networking as a way of becoming a more intimate part of the group from the get go; what can you do?.

Networking is an easy way to nurture professional relationships. So often we begin developing a priceless relationship, but do nothing to sustain it. Taking a day or a month (depending on the type of business), set work tasks aside and just check in with others or offer a colleague a new resource--a great way to nurture the relationships and cheer each other on.

Krista Wells, Ph.D. is The Military Spouse Coach a career coach, and contributing writer for several military publications such as milspouse.com, militarymoney.com, and CinCHouse.com. Krista is a motivational speaker and delivers workshops on military bases worldwide. For more information on how to book Krista at your next spouse event please contact Krista@militarysposuecoach.com