Now think about what you need to do to expand your network. Think about where you should go, what networking groups you should consider joining and how much time you have available to invest in networking. Ask people from your existing network where they go and what they do and start there. Also think about groups such as alumni clubs, industry associations and social clubs and well as your personal hobbies and interests.

Attend networking functions organized by these groups and when you're there, work room. Enjoy yourself, shake hands firmly and smile. Show up early and leave late. If you go with a friend or colleague, split up. Play your 15 second commercial over and over again. Have a 45 second version ready too for those who are interested in learning more about your business. Spend two thirds of your time with people you don't know. Don't try and sell your services, focus on building rapport with people you meet. Collect business cards and make notes on back of them to jog your memory later when it comes to making further contact with people you meet. Show genuine interest and get people to talk about themselves.

If you get anxious when meeting new people, arm yourself with a checklist of conversation starters such as industry challenges, trends impacting your business, and questions such as "What brings you to this event?" or "Tell me about customers you like to do business with". End conversation with "If there's ever anything I can do, please call" and exchange business cards.

TENDING YOUR GARDEN

As noted earlier, this is part where most people drop out of race. Therefore, it's part where you can gain your greatest competitive advantage.

Failure to continuously follow through with people they meet is number one reason most people never reach their full rainmaking potential. Many people attend functions, meet new people, collect business cards, file them in a Rolodex and wonder why nothing ever happens.

In order to succeed in your business, you must not only have a precise understanding of exactly what it is you are selling and to whom, you must also make a commitment to sell it over and over and over again, often to same person! The average person has to hear a message seven times before they will remember it. Most sales are made after fifth contact and only ten percent of people have staying power to make fifth call. That means that out of a group of 100 competitors, you're only competing against ten of them. The difference between you and other ten will come down to effectiveness of your system for maintaining contact with people who can refer you business.

Here's how to tend your garden:

=> Follow Up Initial Meeting

Every day we hear of more and more companies who plan to lay off large numbers of workers (or have already) as they strive to reposition themselves to ride out what doomsayers predict will shortly become a full-blown recession.

As much as you can intellectually sympathize with a decision that effectively sacrifices a few for good of many (i.e., ultimate survival of business entity and jobs of all those left behind), if you're one in firing line it's pretty cold comfort that others will be more financially secure as a result of your sacrifice.

REBELLION AND VULNERABILITY

It's not unusual for people in such a situation to begin to rebel against idea of having their financial destiny in someone else's hands. Quite right, too. The response of many in this situation is to begin to think about working for themselves, to be free of tyranny of being dependent on others for their financial survival.

Unfortunately, however, failure rate of new small businesses is high and they take time to get up and running. So thinking about and actually starting a new business AFTER you've lost your day job is too little, too late.

For this reason, many people start their own business part-time, while they're still working full-time. This approach has several advantages, not least of which is a financial cushion (i.e., your salary) during time you're building your business.

The goal of most such business owners is to eventually become successful enough to allow them to quit their day jobs and work on their own business full-time. Fair enough.

As recent events have shown, however, no-one is immune from financial vulnerability whether you be employed in full-time workforce, a struggling home- based entrepreneur running your own small-scale travel agency or anything in between.

SAFE CHOICES

So how do you know what to choose as your livelihood to ensure that you will never again be subject to vagaries of economy, to ensure that your financial future is secure?

The cold hard truth is that since you don't have a crystal ball, you simply don't. After all, who could possibly have foreseen events of 9/11 (other than FBI and CIA)?

Whatever your job, career, business or investment strategy, things can take a downturn. Does that mean you have to take a downturn right along with them? Well, if all your eggs are in that particular basket, it does. But what if all your eggs are not in that basket but only a few of them? Well then, you simply divert energy you were expending on basket that's gone south into ones that are still headed north.

MULTIPLE STREAMS OF INCOME

Multiple streams of income is key. You've probably heard of concept in terms of running an online business. It means don't just sell one product or service from your website, sell several so that if one bombs, your livelihood doesn't have to.