"You've made a business out of networking"

I was first introduced to John through a recruiter in my area. It seems John was looking to connect with other entrepreneurs and our mutual contact thought I was a great place to start. Apparently, I know a few people. After a few back and forth emails, we decided to connect in person.

John’s background is impressive. He holds an MBA from Harvard and has worked with numerous startups in a variety of C level positions. The most recent company is Perfect Serve, where John was instrumental in helping the company raise capital and achieving a high level of success. A great person to get to know in the professional arena. I only hoped he would feel the same way.

Shortly after greeting one another at our appointed time, John gave me one of my favorite compliments. “You’ve made a business out of networking”, he said. You bet I have.

After learning more about each other’s background (both of us are finance professionals, and are involved in the startup scene) I asked how I could help. It seems that John is now looking for a new venture to get involved with, and in his words “after years of being a back office guy I knew I needed to get out in front of people”. I was happy to oblige and suggested about five individuals I would be happy to connect him to.

What did I ask for in return? Nothing. I didn’t have to. John, in turn, is going to introduce me to some of his fellow Harvard MBA grads. I’d say it was a good meeting to take wouldn’t you?

That’s how networking works.

Developing relationships, connecting resources, growing businesses

About these ads