Highworth writer and businesswoman Gail Gibson signed copies of her new pocket guide to business networking, Making Connections, at Highworth library.

Among the attendees was Business Link advisor Dave Richardson who said “networking is very important for people just starting out in business. It helps you get your message out there and puts you in touch with people in similar situations. It’s great for sharing ideas.”

Marlborough-based interior designer Tina Lister, who relocated her business from Guernsey, said “networking is very useful to give access to people who can help, especially if you’re new to the area.”

For Gail, networking is a crucial part of her business success. “It’s all about being seen, sharing knowledge and fundamentally building better business relationships.”

The opportunity to write a book fell rather fortuitously into Gail’s lap. “For ages I had a post-it note on my desk with the words networking and acronym scribbled on it,” she said. “My idea was to take each letter of the word networking and use it to describe an attribute or benefit of the practice in each chapter of the book.

“When I mentioned this idea to the publisher last May they loved it and gave me a deadline of the end of August to complete the manuscript.”

Gail brings her background as a coach into her writing, and prompts her reader to think about their own situation through questions. “I worked with my editor to write bullet-point checklists at the end of each section, and one of my readers told me the other day that he regularly reads through the summaries before he goes into business meetings,” Gail said.

As well as writing about networking, Gail has many opportunities to walk her talk as she is Secretary of the Highworth Business Group and runs a networking group in Marlborough.

“The sense of accomplishment at having published my first book is amazing, and seems to have unleashed my creativity,” said Gail, whose next writing projects include a series of children’s books and a long-nurtured idea for a novel.

Making Connections: How to network effectively to build better business relationships is part of the Books Mean Business series available from The HotHive Bookstore. www.bookdispensary.com