Spent 6 months building a referral network before I realized I was talking to the wrong people entirely.

I kept pitching to other startup founders when my best clients actually came from a real estate agent I met at a chamber of commerce breakfast - has anyone else wasted time on the wrong crowd?

2 comments

2 Comments

uma_baker8819d ago

Used to think referrals meant schmoozing at tech meetups and trading leads with other founders. Then a retired teacher who volunteers at my kid's school connected me with the guy who handles all the commercial leases for a local strip mall. Turns out he needed someone to manage vendor relationships and I never would have found him in my startup bubble. That conversation changed my whole approach to who I actually spend my time talking to. Now I just try to meet people who know a lot of other people, no matter what they do for work.

jesse29019d ago

Referrals meant schmoozing at tech meetups" - yeah that right there is the trap I fell into for years. I'd go to these networking events with my best polo shirt on trying to swap business cards like some kind of trading card game. Meanwhile the real gold mine is sitting next to you at your kid's soccer game or in the waiting room at the dentist. I swear every time I try to force a business relationship it goes nowhere but when my neighbor's cousin's uncle needs a favor it turns into my biggest contract of the year. Makes me wonder how many opportunities I missed while I was busy trying to look like a big deal in a room full of other people trying to look like a big deal.