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Maria Gonzalez

Profile
Maria Gonzalez
Location
Brighton
Region
South East
URL
http://www.stridingout.co.uk/
Network
Striding Out

I’m the Local Network Manager for Striding Out in London and Brighton. I’ve lived in the UK for almost 5 years, being originally from Mexico. I studied a degree in Marketing in London and have been part of the Striding Out team since summer 2006.

Striding Out is a support network for young and social entrepreneurs. We provide a range of services such as networking events, coaching, workshops and training to help young people to start, launch or grow their businesses. My main aim and role is to bring together a community of like-minded individuals who help, share and support each other and to provide young people with affordable services that enhance their personal and professional skills.

Q&A

  • What are your tips for being an effective networker?

    I think whenever you go to a networking event and meet someone new, it is really important to build a rapport, listen and to show genuine interest about what the other person has to say. I think this makes people feel at ease and they are more likely to open up and have an interesting conversation.

    Networking is always daunting at the beginning and I remember being not very good at it. Practice makes perfect, so my best tip is just to keep going to events and it just gets easier and easier every time. Networking is a fantastic way of meeting new people, spreading the word about what you do and find potential partners and clients.

  • What is your advice to a young entrepreneur?

    It can be quite isolating working on your own, so networking is great of course, but also make sure you find a supporting community that you can tap into for advice and help. Young entrepreneurs are amazing people; dynamic, committed and full of enthusiasm, and its great to see them come together and bounce ideas of each other, as well as finding solutions for common challenges.

  • What is the best connection you have made or received?

    I guess the best connections I’ve made are when I introduced one of our members to someone that I know they are looking for. It is great being able to facilitate an introduction that may become into a successful business relationship, partnership or client.

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