Building a strong small business network is crucial for the success of a company. To improve your networking skills, follow these seven tips:

1. Have a strategy

For many small business owners, networking can be enjoyable. But, building your business network is not all fun and games. Approach your networking with a strategy that will help you reach your goals.

When creating a plan, figure out why you want to network. Are you trying to gain new contacts? Maybe you want to work on career development and learn from business advisers in your industry. You could network to become a thought leader and position yourself as an expert. Or, you might try to be a better leader and motivate your team.

Whatever the reason for networking, set goals to aim for and estimate the number of contacts you will need. Then, identify the kinds of people you need…