One networking event per week, preferably paid

Networking. For me, this is the most difficult discipline. I am still learning it and I am still not good enough. I can say what works for me, but it is more about mindset. Although I am an extrovert, I often retreat somewhere, hide, study, and think. The only time I want to be with people is when I feel I have something to say to them, when I bring them some value, when we have a common topic. But what happens to me is that, in the heat of my feeling that I have to save and help, I often find myself in “rooms” where, in the end, I realize that apart from feeling good, it didn’t enrich me much. No, it’s not that black and white, but I’m very performance-oriented, so I want to get the most out of every minute of my life.

So what did I decide to do? Every week, I meet with new people from my target group. From my current business, but mostly from my future business. What makes a lot of sense to me is being part of smaller groups where we spend several hours intensively discussing a topic prepared in advance. Yes, knowing the topic in advance is important to me. I like to be prepared; it makes me feel much more comfortable. I actively join groups of entrepreneurs, mostly more experienced and with larger companies than mine. I believe that I am further ahead in some topics and can therefore offer something myself, but the most valuable thing is when I learn something and understand how other areas work. I often join well-organized and paid groups. Paid because they have their own rules, and everyone expects to get value for their time. That’s my blood type. In the Czech Republic, I am in four such groups. Most of them meet once a month. It works out that I have one group every week.

I received a lot of advice on networking, and one piece of advice resonated with me: there will always be a topic where I am ahead of my counterpart. The big question is how far ahead. It’s actually the same principle as working with a customer, where you provide them with something you understand, but at the same time you discuss it with them and they often help you improve your product. I have always gotten my best ideas and improvements from my customers. Most of the time, they didn’t even realize it.

When I was doing business in England, my then partner, founder, and mentor always told me: What are you actually risking when you’re afraid to go networking? Nothing, really. Not only will you get used to rejection, but someone will always take the bait and you’ll have a new contact. I imagined myself being rejected over and over again, and I actually got used to it and wasn’t so nervous anymore. Today, I do it completely differently. I go to people I look up to for “advice.” Few people will refuse if you are sincere and keep your word that you are really just there for advice. With people you suspect you may have something in common with, I start with a story in which I try to convey my energy and enthusiasm for “why I’m here.” I mean, what is my purpose in this society? If you are authentic, even if you are not experienced in business or a particular field, your sincerity and enthusiasm will ensure that you are always welcome. If you believe in what you do, then “what I radiate, I get” works. People seek positive energy, sincerity, enthusiasm, and passion. I always tune in before I enter a room. I want positive energy to enter the room before I say anything. I practice this, and I know that people are more open to networking.

As I wrote, I am obsessed with performance, and when I am invited to a networking event, I ask the host or myself what I can expect. I ask myself why I should go there. In paid groups, it is very appropriate to ask in advance who will be there. I find out from the list who I want to meet in person and ask the host if they can introduce me. They are usually very happy to do so.

I used to be eager to connect on LinkedIn the very next day and write about what we had talked about, saying that we had to meet again and continue. Today, it takes me a while. Probably because I need to think first about whether the discussion was valuable for my future and whether I want to continue it. Again, this is related to my appreciation of time. I am still learning to analyse during the conversation and decide on the spot whether to continue. If I decide on the spot that I will, then I arrange a date for the second meeting right away. Honestly, I’m still learning, sometimes I don’t evaluate on the spot and then I regret that arranging another meeting is taking so long, other times I have a second meeting and I already know that I don’t want a third.

For me, it’s really best to be in a community that I pay for and that helps me build the right contacts. It’s simply a service that I use. Write to me if you want a recommendation for any of them.