When it comes to your company's network, there are a few entities at play. From the professional networking you build to grow your company to the underground wires that connect you to the world, each carries a special weight. People are better and business is better when we all interwoven.
Philentreprenuership
Another word for our network is community. We are a part of the community of entrepreneurs whose vision is not only to succeed, but also to make the world a better place. Often it is the same passion that brought about the new business that lends itself well to the world of philanthropy. It may also combine success with fulfillment in a way that business alone cannot.
Self care and fulfillment are becoming everyday staples in our vocabulary in ways that previous generations may not have even imagined. Workplace morale is a real concern for a lot of businesses, so it stands to reason, people are looking outside of work at the world around them as well. The more society examines the motivations of giving, it appears that there is little delineation between the desire to gain and the desire to give.
In 2017, the charitable donations for individuals and organizations were at an all time high and continued on into the season of 2018. The more we succeed, it appears the more we want those around us to benefit as well. If giving is such an important part of our community network, how has technology impacted that bond?
Technology and Giving
The available audience alone has expanded exponentially over the last few decades. We think about how easy it is to connect with each other, our teams, and our clientele from those changes. Charitable donations and giving have become as easy as a share or a click in some cases. Personal computers were only owned by 8% of the population in the 1980’s, now people carry their computer in the palm of their hand.
Think of how many times we have been hit with the Red Cross or disaster relief campaigns after tsunamis, hurricanes, and fires. Chances are you or someone you know donated simply by texting HELP. Celebrities are using their platform all the time to reach thousands of people in their network to assist with the causes they deem worthy.
Networking also extends beyond those who donate, but to those that are affected. Need is all around us, but finding the ways to connect people together was once difficult. One charity that Cima has partnered with in the past, United Way of Denton County, is a local subset of a national agency dedicated to helping all kinds of needs. Their help page is full of resources, including a mental health hotline. Denton County is our own backyard, so helping out services like this that have a national presence and local chapters means our charitable donation is going to our local network in a truly meaningful way.
Community Economic Development
Turns out, giving back to the community can help economic development as well. Volunteering to clean up the streets one day, or participating in a local job fair are ways that local business makes their community a better place. But you already know that! What you may not know is the ripple effect that actions like this have. It develops community leaders and role models for future generations and each improvement builds on the last.
This goes back to the inter-connectivity of our community network. One person thriving while others are suffering will bring down the whole in the long run. Linking arms with your fellow business owners to success together can bring lasting impacts to everyone.
Developments to Networking Technology
While you are working to improve your human network, there were some leaps in the technological network as well. Cisco outlines 5 new products that are going to change the networking game.
- WIFI 6
- 5G
- Digitized Spaces
- SD-WAN
- Machine learning
Each of these are going to prove a massive improvement to the networking game in their own ways. Some are going to help a bit more behind the scenes, but the coolest for small business will be the ability to examine digitized spaces. Digitized spaces, as new product, will track the pattern of behavior for individuals within a given space. This will allow business owners to analyze how their customer interacts with their store and what products or services are frequented. Examining those actions could mean drastic improvements to the bottom line and eliminating wasteful services.
If you have a business that offers services for A, B & C, and you discover that service C is costing you money because people do not prefer it, think of the savings. That money could then go to expanding services of A and B to increase profitability even more.
Understanding our human network just got that much easier.
Networking Solutions
While the networking between people has come leaps and bounds, the underground Networking Solutions could be a bit behind. We can’t all afford to lay new cables for our business needs, so creating a network that works for your business and does not break the bank is key for success. Learn what best fits you and your business by filling out the survey on our home page. We service the Denton County area as well as the greater Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
Don’t hesitate to call us at (972) 499 - 8260 and see what we can do for you or check out our socials to see what we are doing for our community network!
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