The Great Resignation Requires Networking

Where did all the workers go? That is the question recruiters, employers, and customers ask regularly in this post-pandemic world. Restaurants close early, shipments are delayed, and being “understaffed” is a pandemic in and of itself.

4.5 million Americans left their jobs in March of 2022. I even heard one story of a dishwasher leaving their job because “it didn’t bring him happiness.”

There are many reasons for the Great Resignation: retirement, career changes, feeling under-appreciated, COVID vaccine requirements and the overall desire to focus on work/life balance, to name a few. Many leaving the “traditional” workforce are starting a new career working for themselves.

The question is less “why now,” than “why, how?” 

How do you effectively and efficiently achieve goals as a new business or in a new industry, while creating a life you love? One that provides financial security and work/life balance? Working in a new industry and manifesting your ideal scene in how you spend your time is not as simple as one might wish. Often, we end up working harder, not smarter. This usually means there is no true “clocking out.” Sure, maybe you’re showing up for yourself rather than someone else, maybe it means truly doing what you want, when you want, but it can also feel like herding cats 24/7 while leaving a pile of dishes in the sink to answer emails so you don’t lose a lead.

Many businesses I consult with want to turn, immediately, to paid advertisement. Although larger companies with a sizable advertising budget and established brand-awareness can benefit from this, when you’re first kicking-off, it can be a costly and ineffective solution. This is especially true in our post-pandemic society. Collectively, we are sick of screen-time, we are sick of scrolling, and we are especially sick of being sold-at. 

Across the board with my clients, whether they are a lawyer with a state-wide practice, a geologist working regionally, or a mom-and-pop corner bakery, I have seen in-person networking be the most effective means of growing business. 

Why is that? When you get to know someone organically you are creating the “know, like, and trust” factor that is essential to investing in your particular service. 

Why networking? Well, we’re not in college anymore and meeting new people outside of the workplace is, therefore, super tough. When was the last time you actually made a new friend whom you didn’t work with, or was the spouse/partner of a colleague? Networking groups exist specifically to solve this problem.

How many times do you have a conversation where someone says they’re thinking about selling their house and “oh— of course you should use Jackie for that because she’s awesome!” Because you already know/like/trust Jackie, you have zero qualms about promoting your favorite realtor. 

It is faster, cheaper, and more effective when you as the business owner/representative have those cheerleaders out there, promoting for you. The best way to do this is to continuously add to your network purposely and authentically. 

Please: stop relying on Facebook ads for your business growth. 

Please: stop paying someone to upgrade your SEO. 

Please: get out and meet new people, and follow up with them, with the express purpose to develop relationships. 

The Great Resignation is a move toward empowerment of the individual to execute creative, entrepreneurial ideas that lift us up as a whole. By strategically networking and lifting your biz-buds up with you, it becomes an easy win/win.

What is strategic networking? It is the movement towards a customizable set of options to meet new people/professionals, because there is no “one-size-fits-all” answer to business growth. By simply showing up, you are creating authentic relationships that will bring sales down the road because the real sale is in who you are- not your product/service.

Leave your sales pitch at the door. 

-Kelsey Mathes, Membership Director, Tipclub INC, the world’s first strategic networking organization.