The Power of Networking: How it Can Build a Business
Networking is something I never thought I was good at. I just liked meeting people and listening to their journey. Looking back now, I have realized that the skill of just getting to know people, was what got my company where it is today. Networking can be a powerful tool and it doesn’t have to be a chore either. The key however, is to cultivate your relationships just as you would in your personal life.
When I started my career, I was really upset because I came from not having a network at all. I didn’t go to a big 10 school, my parents were not well connected in my field and my family was not from here. I used that as an excuse for so long for why I couldn’t create opportunity, but I was wrong. If you don’t have a network, you can start building one at any point. Social media really was key in me figuring this out myself. If I thought someone was doing something interesting, I just sent them a DM or cold email. I was scared doing this before — but the worst that can happen is that they won’t respond or they’ll say no! During my banking career, I got a ton of interviews because of just cold emails..
Once I started this practice, I continued to do it as I built my company. Then the main priority was maintaining those relationships. I am not the kind of person who just will have one conversation and forget about the person entirely. I will follow up, I will reach out on milestones and holidays and I will make it a point to really get to know the person. Just ask my friends and family! After all — for us if we work with you, we want to get to know you.
This was a little bit daunting at first but once I got into the habit of doing this, it just became second nature. The more conversations I was having, the more connections were being made and it just became second nature. So below here are my tips if you feel like you have no network!
- Start with your college or school and Linkedin – I am sure you’ll find people in your field within the college alumni space. I did when I started to look and realized my school was not as small as I thought.
- Reach out to local networking groups / seek out events in your area. I found these through googling and facebook groups
- Join paid organizations that are local or nationally ranked in your field, these help you make connections nationally or internationally. Some of these will have membership dues, an application process,
- Go on social media, DM people on IG, set up coffee chats!
- When you are traveling – make it a point to reach out to any connections you have or new connections you want asking them to meet up. I literally make it a point that every trip I am on, I reach out to new people. Between all the travel I have done this year, it was so fun to make new connections along the way!
Here are some groups that I am a part of that have been super helpful in my career journey:
- Neythri – South Asian Women Leaders organization for young leaders and senior leadership
- SALUTE – South Asian Women’s organization
- Slashie Connects – For side-hustlers in the creative space
- DC Startup Week Slack
- Hue – for people of color
- Create and Cultivate Insiders
- Vogue Club
- Forbes Business Council
- Women In Influencer Marketing
I cannot emphasize the importance of cultivating your relationships. Having a connection isn’t just meeting someone – there’s dozens of exchanges, follow ups and pleasantries involved in a networking connection. I will say, networking truly has single handedly been one of the biggest factors that has grown my company.