From the course: The Ultimate Guide to Professional Networking

How to create a networking group of your own

From the course: The Ultimate Guide to Professional Networking

How to create a networking group of your own

- Creating your own networking group can be really amazing. And it's not as hard as you may think. I want to share a personal story that illustrates this. Over 10 years ago, a buddy and I wanted to spend our time networking with people that we really liked. We didn't want to feel the obligation of walking around trade shows or going to someone else's events in the hopes of meeting someone that we wanted to hang out with. So we decided to start a networking group of our own with people that we already knew. We found a restaurant with a private room and we each invited 20 people who we thought would be cohesive. The group immediately took on a life of its own even at the first meeting. In fact, neither of us ever had to take center stage. We just arranged to bring 40 cool people together who we knew had some different things in common. And it was clear at the first meal that the group didn't really even need our leadership, no teaching. Not even announcements were necessary. Everyone just started talking amongst themselves. They ordered their own drinks. They mixed together perfectly. We now rotate our venues by having one member offer his home to host an event and then the next time another and so on. Over the past dozen years, we have now hosted 30 events and connected with hundreds of entrepreneurs. You can do the same. I want to give you some tips on how easy this is. First, simply identify a couple of other people who have common interests. And each of those can make a list of their top 12 to 20 contacts. Again, this list should not be compiled randomly. For instance, if you do real estate, then make sure your potential list includes investors, brokers, agents, lenders, hard money investors, flippers, wholesalers, and people who want to connect on the same subject. Next, arrange the first meeting to take place at a restaurant. After that, hopefully someone with a cool office or nice home will ask to host. Do this every six months until you feel that there's demand for more frequent meetings. You also want to curate. Curating your list is important. It isn't about excluding people who aren't cool. It's about being sure that the group isn't clouded by people who think that they're there to sell something. Also, set the tone. Be sure you set the right tone with everything you have learned here. Make it crystal clear that this group isn't about selling. It's about connecting. No badges. No one should go around handing out cards. Make conversation. Solve problems. Be curious. Be generous. That's it. Finally, resist the urge to over-organize it. This should feel organic and casual, something that people want to do again the next time, not something they feel obligated to do. Create your own networking event and you'll experience benefits that go way beyond formal networking events.

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