I’ve previously said that most business networking is a waste of time. Week in, week out, broadly the same faces, same cups of tea, same conversations. Golf seems to be the “other” way to network. I like playing, but I’m not very good, so I’m certainly not going to spend a king’s ransom on clubs, shoes and socks, only to be told I’m wearing the wrong type of socks.
I have started using coworking spaces as opportunities to network while being productive, to great effect, but it’s still an office environment. I have been looking for a networking activity I really enjoy and have made enquiries in a few areas, but nothing has excited me.
Ever since I was three, I have been an active sea angler. I fish a lot from the shores of Dorset. A few times a year my dad would charter a boat out of Weymouth, and we would go fishing with a wider group of angling friends who knew him.
I had not been out on a fishing boat since he died in 2020, so I wondered if this might be a way to get back out on the water and fulfil my criteria for a networking activity I enjoy.
So I chartered a boat out of Weymouth and set about finding a group of business owners to come out fishing for a day.
To my surprise, it was not hard. I think the novelty of networking that is unlike anything else, combined with a few people who are into fishing, made for a successful trip. We caught large rays, shark, bream, conger eels, squid, cuttlefish and more. You can see images in the trip report.
As a result, I have decided to make it a thing. May and September, Weymouth and Portsmouth, a one-day fishing trip for business owners to unwind and network, and maybe catch some fish. Or at the very least get out of the office and away from screens. I have called it Fishing for Business Owners (FFBO) for obvious reasons. It’s not a fishing club. It’s a group of business owners who go fishing. The only criterion to join us is that you must be a director of a UK company. Other than that, anyone is welcome.
I think the benefit over traditional business networking is that you are not going to get timewasters: people who go networking because they have nothing else to do. Giving up a whole day on a boat is not the same as popping out for an hour’s lunchtime coffee and chat. It’s a commitment. The only people who come will be those who are really into it, or who really want to spend time on the boat with me and the other people there. Either way, they are likely to share an interest or a philosophy, which builds better relationships.
I must stress that I don’t make money from it. I just want to go fishing and meet new people doing it. If I get work out of it, great. If not, well, I’ve had a day’s fishing.
If you are the fishing sort, or just want to get out for a day and try something different, check out the FFBO site for all the information you need.