I loathe business networking.
The Chamber of Commerce meetings. Networking “speed dating.” Trade shows. Business Networking International.
But when I started my own business, this seemed to be the only alternative. My last “corporate job” was global in nature. For years I had been leading teams in China, Russia, Brazil, Australia — almost every corner of the world — and really had no significant business connections — no business leads — in my own region of the country! So I had to get out and press the flesh.
I dutifully began the circuit of lunch and breakfast meetings, hoping beyond hope that a connection would lead to a connection and conversations would turn into customers. It was an endless loop of meeting the same insurance salespeople, bug exterminators and realtors over and over again.