BUSINESS owners, you can come out of hiding.

Let's face it, business is tough at the best of times and right now it's even tougher, but that's no reason to bury your head in the sand.

“When the going gets tough, the tough get networking,” according to networker Kym Kranen.

She has noticed the lowest numbers at her monthly business networking meetings in the last 12 months and is crying out for people to get back into the community and start networking.

“If you're doing it tough, networking is the best way to grow your business,” Ms Kranen said.

“It is a tough gig to get bums on seats and it shouldn't be.

“We all need a boost so don't bunker down – build up your motivation and meet some new people.”

Ms Kranen said she noticed 10 years ago that many small businesses and sole traders were convinced the best way to grow their business was to spend every minute working in it.

This inspired her to start My Home Business Network, to get business owners out of their offices to find a new perspective.

“I could go on about the benefits of networking for hours,” Ms Kranen said.

“It's not that they (business owners) are doing anything wrong, they just need to remove themself from the business and look at it from a different perspective.

“I take people away for their business and they feel different and see the answers staring them in the face.

“It's not just about getting clients, that just happens naturally, it's about building good relationships and you can't do that by going to one event a year.”

Ms Kranen said the main reasons people avoided networking was humiliation and guilt.

“At the moment people won't network because they feel guilty, like it's wasting time they could be working, but they don't understand, when they're networking they are working,” she said.

“People often put their heads in the sand, because they are afraid to admit they are suffering but if they are then most people will be.”

The next My Home Business Network meeting is at Kingscliff Beach Bowls Club tomorrow at 11.45. Cost is $30 and includes lunch.