Fair question. Business owners are busy, skeptical of anything that sounds like “networking,” and tired of events that promise community and deliver a sales pitch. So do round tables actually help, or are they just a nicer-sounding way to spend an hour on Zoom?
The honest answer: they help some business owners a lot, and some not at all. It depends mostly on what you need and how you show up.
Where round tables tend to help
When you’re stuck on a decision
Pricing a new offer. Whether to hire. Which of two directions to take. These are the questions where a few business owners with different experience can save you weeks of going back and forth in your own head. Often the most useful thing isn’t the advice, it’s the questions people ask that you hadn’t asked yourself.
When you need recommendations you can trust
A bookkeeper, a web developer, a CRM, an attorney who understands small businesses. A recommendation from someone who’s actually used the person or tool is worth more than any amount of online reviews.
When your network is thin
If most of your contacts are clients or people in your own industry, a round table introduces you to business owners you wouldn’t otherwise meet. Those are the people who can refer you to new markets, or collaborate in ways your usual circle can’t.
When running a business feels isolating
Plenty of business owners don’t have anyone to talk to who understands what it’s actually like. Just being in a room with people dealing with the same things has real value, separate from any specific advice.
Where they don’t help much
- If you want to pitch. Round tables aren’t built for selling, and it’s obvious when someone tries.
- If you need deep, specialized expertise. A tax question needs an accountant, not a round table.
- If you go once and never again. One round table is a nice conversation. The relationships, and the referrals, come from showing up more than once.
- If you don’t share anything. People who stay vague get vague answers.
How to tell if it’s working
Round tables won’t show up neatly in a revenue report, at least not right away. Some better signs:
- You left with a clearer view of a decision you were stuck on.
- You got a recommendation you used.
- You set up at least one follow-up conversation.
- After a few months, you’ve referred someone, been referred, or collaborated with someone you met there.
If none of that happens after several sessions, it’s reasonable to try a different group or format.
How to get more out of one
- Bring one real question, as specific as you can make it.
- Listen for whose clients and work overlap with yours.
- Offer something: an introduction, a resource, a lesson you learned the hard way.
- Follow up within a week with anyone you want to keep talking to.
- Come back. The second and third time are usually more useful than the first.
Try one
The easiest way to find out is to go. WEN Round Tables are small conversations on Zoom for women running real businesses, with no pitching and no presentations. They’re free through the end of 2026. If you’re curious about the format first, read What Is a Business Round Table?
