In fact I've seen a huge swing in my social circles and lifestyle through friendships that have developed from business networking. 

In fact a number of business networks have created what I call 'families', others call 'tribes'. The Professional Speaking Association is one, the close bonds I've formed with people through speaking to women's networks is another. 

Perhaps the original 'family' from my business network stemmed from an online site that rose to prominence at the beginning of the century, before LinkedIn and Facebook. Ecademy.com, it's subset 'Black Star' and the subset of Black Star, 'Wild Card Pack' has produced some of the most important advice and support and strongest friendships for me over the last fifteen years or so. 

This was brought home over Easter when I heard news that one of our 'family', Richard White, had passed away just before the Holiday. 

Richard was the original 'gentle giant'. A quietly spoken man who focused on 'soft selling' for technical professionals, in which networking lay at the centre. He was a classic English Gentleman. I know it's a cliche to say this at times like this but I have genuinely never heard anyone say a bad word about Richard. 

Richard wasn't one of my closest friends among our crowd but he was someone I liked, whose company I enjoyed and who I always liked catching up with. We did talk about collaborating but sadly that never happened. 

His death has shocked so many people and it's a testament to the sheer positivity of breaking down the business v social barriers to see how people who met through business are grieving the loss of a friend and who are all still in touch, years after the network was sold on and who remain close friends with each other. 

Andy 

We can only attain the full potential offered by our network if we're prepared to ask for help. Yet so often we fall short, worrying about being a burden on those around us.