I get it. Your network is your most important asset. Without a great network you won't get anywhere in life. You know, all of that stuff. And unfortunately I'd have to agree with it.
The only problem is that I don't like networking. Or networking events. Or anything else where hundreds of people meet up and socialize. I hate it. And it's super exhausting.
I feel so out of place at all these events with so many people. With so many great stories to tell that I don't really care about.
So at one point I decided to just give up. And I stopped going to networking events. And conferences as a matter of fact.
But what about my network?
Here's the thing..
Instead of going to all sorts of events, hunting down people and maybe getting one or two business cards that might maybe come in handy some time in the distant future, you should try to focus on getting some work done instead.
You should focus on building stuff. Focus on getting your name out there. By doing cool stuff. And not by wasting your time and feeling out of place all the time.
Sure, you'd still have to show up every once in a while. And networking is a part of getting your name out there. But it's just one piece of the puzzle.
I don't think that it's really important who you know. I think it actually doesn't matter at all.
What I do think matters quite a lot instead is who knows about you.
When you look at the wording of those two sentences it's just a tiny difference. But when you look close enough it's two different things entirely.
If you know someone, maybe have someone's business card or you gave someone your business card that doesn't mean a thing. It's pretty much useless. Adding someone on LinkedIn is pretty much useless.
Because that person hasn't seen any of your work yet (and vice versa). That person hasn't worked together with you yet. And that's the only thing that really matters.
On the other hand, when someone knows about you it totally changes the equation. It totally changes the game.
Because if someone knows about you, it means that this someone has already seen some of your work. Or maybe even heard someone talk about your work. And that's the only thing that matters. Doing great stuff and getting the word out there.
I know it's tough to get the word out there. There's no manual for this. There's no guide to follow. There's no one size fits all solution.
There might be great books about it out there that perfectly illustrate and describe what you have to do to never eat alone. But when you're out there, when you're out in the fields it doesn't mean a thing anymore.
That's the difference between a book and real life. A book is a book. And real life is real life. Two entirely different stories. A book is usually someone else's story. But not your story.
So it's a lot easier to just show up at all of these networking events and check boxes, instead of trying to get great stuff done, to spread the word and get your name out there.
"You know, I tried. I tried really, really hard. I went to event so and so. And talked to person such and such."
But the truth is that the only thing that really matters is to do great stuff. To get the word out there. And it doesn't matter who you know. What matters is who knows about you.
And if you're just fresh out of college, focus on doing great stuff and spreading the word. If you work a day job, focus on doing great stuff on the side and spreading the word. And it all takes a hell lot of time, persistence and discipline.
And it's a lot easier said than done. That's why no one does it..
Watch today's video here: http://bit.ly/1QlcUCE
Read More: The 25 Rules for Being an Entrepreneur
