Don’t Network, Make Friends!
Wednesday
Jul 8, 2009
As you may recall, I moved cities recently and now I’m trying to start something from scratch. What do you think would be the first thing you would do? I know what I’d do (what I am doing). I’m meeting people!
One thing that I have learned (note that this does not by any means mean that I’m an expert) over the years is that people, not money, make the world go round, money comes later 
I guess what I’m trying to say is that I think that personal relationships are what greases life’s cogs. Whether is personal or business relationships, it’s all the same.
Where am I going with this? Well, when you’re trying to start a business, you can’t do it in isolation. You need to meet people. You need to get the word out. Meet people in real life, meet people online, build friendships!
In traditional thought, this is where the term networking usually enters the conversation. For some reason though, I hate the term “Networking”. It’s so clinical. It also conjures up long and uncomfortable silences, bad finger food, too many trips to the bar and forgetting the names of people you didn’t want to meet in the first place. I guess this is really semantics though as it’s all about your attitude. If you treat it as networking, then it’s going to be painful for those that don’t like “networking”.
The best way I’ve found is that you simply need to make friends. I think this is a much better way (and term) for building your personal networks. Just make friends. Be open to meeting new people at all times. Simply be friendly. Don’t be afraid to ask about them and don’t be afraid to talk about yourself (or your ideas), just make sure it’s a two way street. It’s amazing what may come of it. You can’t also expect something to come of your conversation immediately. Just having met someone means that you may be front of mind as soon as an opportunity arises.
Now, I’m not the best conversationalist but you know what they say, Practice makes Progress!
A case in point. When I arrived, I found someone through my friend network would was willing to talk to me about my idea. They provided me with two contacts who I’ve met and they provided me with more contacts. And so on and so forth. Before long through the power of expotential growth, I’ll have plenty of people that I’ve met and some new friends to boot.
So, what would my tips be:
- Meet people. Avoid the vacuum. Have fun!
- Meet people through the attitude of making friends. Not “Networking”. This can sometimes seem false if you’re heart isn’t in it.
- Make sure you always ask if there’s someone else the person you’re meeting thinks you should talk to. Preferably through an introduction.
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