“Entrepreneurship is all about creating opportunities where none exist. Networking allows an entrepreneur to explore the uncharted path,” says Vineet Toshniwal, Founder and CEO of .
If one were to list down the essential skills a successful entrepreneur must possess, networking would definitely make it to the top five.
Essentially, networking is the process of interacting with people in order to establish social contacts, exchange information, or develop a professional relationship.
Social gatherings—say a meet of the startup community or a formal dinner—provide aspiring and established entrepreneurs networking opportunities that can be leveraged to meet a potential investor, a future employee, a possible partner, and even future brand collaborators.
“Building long term relations is probably one of the most important things that a founder can do for themselves and their companies,” says Akshay Chaturvedi, Founder and CEO of . These relationships can be built with seasoned entrepreneurs, peers, industry and sub-sector experts, users, and so on.
However, networking does not come easy to everyone. Breaking the ice and initiating a conversation with a stranger can cause many to sweat. To be eventually good at networking, one has to be patient, persistent, and confident. With this in mind, Entrepreneurship 101 spoke to startup founders on how to network successfully.
Why is networking so important?
From a business perspective, each interaction with a stakeholder opens up the possibility for entrepreneurs to later connect regarding possible partnerships, collaborations, or even investments and sales. Networking with mentors and peers allows one to tap into a pool of ideas where they can not only develop new products and services, but also collaborate with existing ones, believes Vineet.
Akshay says that his entrepreneurial journey so far is entirely built on relationships he has cultivated at different stages of his life. More than half of the leadership team at Leverage Edu are friends from Akshay’s earlier days. “The chemistry helps us be both transparent and intense with each other without egos,” he adds.
Source: https://yourstory.com/2022/05/entrepreneurship-101-startup-founder-community-networking/amp