5 Networking Opportunities For New Success

Getting around the right people is not only a life changer, but can be a life saver. Find those that work smarter rather than harder. Where? There are many places, but just talking to people you don’t know is a good start. Maybe the random guy in a fast food line. That’s where I found a gentleman that works on investment software. It all started with a simple “What did you order?”. If you are in the people business, which most of us are, not only will you be doing your job, you could possibly find an escape from the 9 to 5 or get into a better one for the time being. I can’t tell you how many new opportunities I lost back when I was doing retail partially because I wasn't asking the right questions. Talking to people you do not know can lead to some great surprises. Time for the:

5 Networking Opportunities For New Success*movie announcer voice*

Local Chamber of Commerce Events

Type in the name of your city and chamber of commerce events into google. You'll be able to access a nice little calendar full of events. The ones that I found to be the best are business after dark type events. Bring at least 30 business cards and get ready to get a bunch more. You'll be able to find people in a variety of fields including engineering, carpeting, and most likely real estate. There is often catering as well. If you're lucky, there will be a nice array of those fancy cheeses that people like to bring up to show sophistication. The ones I tried weren't all that great. I'll stick to the basics.

Rotary Club Meetings

If you go to a chamber of commerce event and speak to enough people, you will more than likely get invited to a rotary club meeting. They are an alright option. After a couple visits to the meeting, you can make your choice to become a member of the club through payment. I haven't found the need to join one of these clubs yet.

Online Communities

Reddit.com as well as Imgur are content rich sites ,but most of the time they aren't used to improve your situation, but to delay it. Whatever you are trying to improve in or jump into, there is probably a forum for it online.

Internships

The good ole internship. You can find these programs online for many businesses. Its possible to land an internship through the previous two events as well. If you do well enough, you may find yourself in a paying position.

All Around You

Opportunities are all around us. The same way I spoke to a gentleman about food in a BBQ line is the same way that you can speak with anyone really. If you can't ask what they ordered, maybe throw out a complement about a watch and ask where they got it from or maybe their shoes. We often walk past a lot of people day to day that we could possibly bring value to their lives or vice versa. If you ask a bit more, you will learn a bit more. I've committed myself to making and taking opportunities for myself and those around me. How about you?