4 ms·

The problem is you never know who's the mediocre startup wannabe and who's the connection who's gonna help you score seed funding, a round investment, a big cli

by inglor 12y ago

The problem is you never know who's the mediocre startup wannabe and who's the connection who's gonna help you score seed funding, a round investment, a big client or your much-needed-but-you-dont-know-it-yet pivot. Sure, 99% people you meet will not help your startup grow - but you go out for these events for the 1% which. As a tip - it's crucial to __prepare__: - Always check in advance who is attending - Spot people who are relevant to what you're doing - Actively take steps to meet those people and engage with them - Come with an agenda - ask yourself "what is my end goal interacting with this person". If you just randomly come to events unprepared you usually gain much less than if you prepare just 20 minutes in advance. I'm always baffled at how many people come unprepared and have no idea who attends the events they come to and why.

iamgopal 12y ago
Spot on, not only in events, but in any kind of gathering or meeting another people, I have found doing a little homework on agenda and goal helps a lot on saving time and efforts. Even conveying your agenda before talks starts in a presentation helps a lot to grab attentions.
msutherl 12y ago
Likewise, be very selective in what you choose to go to. I find "networking events" are often a waste of time, but making friends with somebody you know has something offer and, say, going out with them and their friends, can have a high ROI indeed. General rule: the more exclusive the event, with 1-on-1 hang-out being the most exclusive and Meetup.com being least exclusive, the better. But, yeah, otherwise, (1) be a shark (at first) and (2) don't forget that real networking is based on actual friendship / respect.
tibbetts 12y ago
But also remember that your goal is to find people who are good to work with, who will be the right people to know in 10 years, not just the right people to know now. If you are early in your career, don't spend all your time chasing "relevant" people who have already made it. Spend some time with your peers who are interesting and may well become the next generation of relevant people. C.S. Lewis said this more eloquently in _The Inner Ring_ http://www.lewissociety.org/innerring.php http://www.lewissociety.org/innerring.php

by inglor 12y ago

iamgopal 12y ago

Spot on, not only in events, but in any kind of gathering or meeting another people, I have found doing a little homework on agenda and goal helps a lot on saving time and efforts. Even conveying your agenda before talks starts in a presentation helps a lot to grab attentions.

msutherl 12y ago

Likewise, be very selective in what you choose to go to. I find "networking events" are often a waste of time, but making friends with somebody you know has something offer and, say, going out with them and their friends, can have a high ROI indeed. General rule: the more exclusive the event, with 1-on-1 hang-out being the most exclusive and Meetup.com being least exclusive, the better. But, yeah, otherwise, (1) be a shark (at first) and (2) don't forget that real networking is based on actual friendship / respect.

tibbetts 12y ago

But also remember that your goal is to find people who are good to work with, who will be the right people to know in 10 years, not just the right people to know now. If you are early in your career, don't spend all your time chasing "relevant" people who have already made it. Spend some time with your peers who are interesting and may well become the next generation of relevant people. C.S. Lewis said this more eloquently in _The Inner Ring_ http://www.lewissociety.org/innerring.php http://www.lewissociety.org/innerring.php