How to Network When You Can’t Attend Evening Events

For mums in business, networking often feels out of reach. The majority of events take place in the evenings, just as bedtime routines and family life are at their busiest. But building connections is vital for growing your business — so how do you do it when evening networking isn’t an option?

The truth is, networking doesn’t have to mean late-night meetups or crowded rooms. It can be flexible, creative, and designed to fit around your life.

Here’s how:

1. Embrace Online Communities

Facebook groups, Slack channels, and LinkedIn communities are full of opportunities to meet like-minded women in business. The key is to show up consistently: comment, ask questions, and offer support. Online networking counts just as much as in-person.

2. Host Coffee Chats

Instead of attending a large event, reach out to one person you’d love to connect with and invite them for a 20-minute virtual coffee. These one-to-one conversations often lead to deeper, more meaningful connections than traditional networking.

3. Attend Daytime or Mum-Friendly Events

Seek out organisations that understand parenthood. Increasingly, women-led networks are hosting daytime workshops, brunches, and online sessions that are designed with parents in mind. Prioritise those instead of pushing yourself into evening events that don’t work for your life.

4. Leverage Visibility

Remember that showing up online is also networking. Posting consistently on LinkedIn or Instagram can attract the right people to you, saving you the energy of chasing connections.

Networking is not about attending every event. It’s about building the right connections in ways that work for you.

👉 Want to learn how to make marketing and networking fit around motherhood? Our Marketing in the Margins programme gives you practical strategies to grow your visibility using the small windows of time you already have. Find out more