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Many young entrepreneurs are so focused on the work they do that they don't pick up on the subtle differences between an excellent networker and a poor one. Here are a few tips that I have picked up by participating in networking events such as the Oklahoma Venture Forum.

Wear your name tag on the right.

This tip was given to me by one of the founders of an extremely successful securities company. When at an event, wear your name tag on your right side so that when shaking someone's hand, they can easily find your name. This helps them to remember your name; it also removes the awkward feeling associated with not knowing your name if they've been introduced to you before.

Introduce yourself to new people.

This one can be extremely difficult without practice. Networking is about meeting new people, learning about new businesses, and making others feel good about themselves. If you never branch out and introduce yourself to new people, accomplishing your goals will be much more difficult. Having a tough time introducing yourself? Here's how I do it:

1. I find a person I'd like to meet.
2. Make my way to that person, and take note of whether they are engaged in a private conversation.
3. If not, listen in, or join in.
4. When the opportunity presents itself, I simply extend my hand and say "Brad Fair."

That four step process seems difficult to those who haven't practiced it, so I encourage you to practice EVERY chance you get!

Find out your acquaintance's line of work.

This one is pretty easy. It should go something like "So, Bob, tell me about the work you do." It's even easier when their name tag has their company name on it: "Joe, I see you work with the University. What do you do there?"

Take note of what they say, too. I have met people whose services I needed shortly after meeting them. I have also referred friends to people that I have met, which is a win-win situation for every party involved (read on).

The priceless question.

This is the pièce de résistance for young entrepreneurs. This question will thrill your acquaintance, and make them happy to have met you. It works so much better when you actually make use of its answer, too. The question:

"How can I tell if somebody is a good prospect for you?"

Your goal here is to be able to refer this person business. This single question has often been the difference between somebody remembering my name and business, and someone forgetting who I was the moment I walk away. Also, any time you can refer somebody to an acquaintance, they will think very highly of you - after all, you've just helped put money in their pocket!

I know that networking can be hard, especially for those who are shy. The only way to get better at networking for business is to do it constantly. Don't worry if you make a weak impression at first. The thing about weak impressions is you get to try again after they forget who you are! Try for a strong positive impression by following the steps I've outlined above.

If you're like most people (the odds are in my favor in guessing that), you realize that there's too much stuff to do, and not enough time to do it in. This is especially true of young entrepreneurs because you're being pulled in every direction all the time. It's suprising how much time is wasted each day because people don't realize that there are faster ways to do common (and necessary) tasks to increase the time you have to accomplish your goals. Here are three things that I've made a conscious effort to improve that resulted in more usable hours during the day:

• Becoming an Early Riser

  I was curious about how those early morning folks did it, so I Googled it and found a great article on the subject. It took a little practice automating my awakening (so that I couldn't talk myself out of it), but the results were excellent. I sleep between 5 and 8 hours, averaging 6.5 each day. Assuming that most young entrepreneurs feel sleep deprived at 8 hours, let's say I'm gaining 1.5 hours a day simply by being an early riser! That's a gain of almost 3.5 times the normal work-month in my year!

• Learning to Read Effectively

  "Does it really work," you might ask. Yes! My freshman year of college, I found a little flyer on my desk as I walked into class. On it, it promised that I could read up to 3 times faster by taking this course. I thought about the benefits and decided to attend the 1 hour "seminar" advertised on the flyer. The presenter explained that she could teach me how to read much faster, and study more efficiently, by attending her course. She then showed proof that it worked by running me through a few exercises. Just in that hour, my reading bumped up by 100 words per minute. After taking the course (at a minimal cost compared to its savings), I was at around 1000 words per minute with no loss in comprehension. Don't let any non-speed readers tell you that it doesn't work if they haven't tried it! I know I have saved several hours a year using this skill, and I've been able to obtain more information than I could have beforehand.

• Getting Things Done

  Since I never really cared to be the most organized person in the world, there were a lot of things I was supposed to do that slipped through the cracks when they shouldn't have. Mostly, homework. I finally got tired of it and wanted to figure out a way to keep on top of all of the things that I had to do. I'd read about Getting Things Done in a few different places, and thought I'd give it a shot. I bought the audiobook from iTunes, and listened while I was out and about. Unlike many systems that only work when you do everything to the letter, Getting Things Done gives you several productivity enhancing ideas. In my opinion, the two most helpful are defining a next action, and reminding yourself of pending actions. If you are even the least bit unorganized, consider buying the book, or renting it from your local library. You'll stop wasting your time recovering from dropped balls, unnecessary planing, and trying to remember what's on your plate.

There are a few more things that I do to find more time, and between them all, I feel like I am much more productive than I could have ever been otherwise. I will write more about each of the three ideas above in the future.

I've seen it a million times, and at least several hundred thousand times in my own little projects or ventures. I often find that the hardest part about doing something big is taking the first step. I look back at all of the sizeable things that I've accomplished and realize that when I took the first step in doing them, I didn't even know I was taking a step!

This blog took almost no time to set up, and as of this moment I've been working on it for about an hour. It doesn't yet seem like I have much time or energy put into it, but what I do know is that I am taking the first step right this moment - the First Post!

I can't say with certainty exactly what this blog will contain, because I am the type of person that lives each moment not for the failures or successes, but for the experiences. I can say with certainty, though, that I will try and whip up a little something here and there about the things that I have learned and am learning - about how an entrepreneur can be better tomorrow than he is today.