The only reason that layman college boy is successful now: his network.
Foto: Startup Grind
Rembember that awful gut feeling, very well-known to every student? You’re looking at the clock, you’re supposed to go to that party tonight, everything’s arranged, but there’s so much studying to do. After a couple of minutes of pondering, you finally decide to stay home. You’ve concluded that it would cost you too much of your precious time.
There’s an identical issue with small business entrepreneurs and marketing: it is considered worthless. Many believe spending their money or time on advertising is a quixotic idea.
Well, it’s probably unnecessary for me to shed light on an already clear fact, but I’ll do it nevertheless — hey, wake up, marketing does work. But that’s not our point here. Our point is that just like marketing, networking is often associated with timewasting, and guess what, networking works as well.
So why the hell should you “waste” your time networking?
Don’t get me wrong; books are great. I love picking up a good read on business whenever I have the time to do so. But books only provide theoretical knowledge. The same goes for courses, lectures, podcasts, and so on. All self-help or learning material provides nothing but a base for you to grow, to act upon. Real entrepreneurs don’t just move from one book to another, in a constant attempt to get better and better, without ever taking action. True founders better themselves by both studying the theory and following upon it with praxis (read: founding a company, improving an idea, etc.).
Foto: Startup Grind
“College is 50% studying, 50% people”
Additionally, books are static. They do make for a method of widening your general knowledge, but there is another means of expanding your perspective of the world — discussion. But, sorry, books can’t discuss. Only people can. I like to compare meeting a new person with picking up an exciting new title. Who knows what story might they have behind themselves? What sort of wisdom will you acquire from them, that you wouldn’t be able to find commercially in black and white? How do their ideas differ from yours, how do they visualize the world of tomorrow?
The best leaders know that it shouldn’t be them who always have the answer to every single question — that’s why people join to form companies together. Sparking fiery debates allows people to understand their differences and create something new out of them. But it takes two to dance. A couple of creative minds is always more powerful than one. A partnership is almost always stronger than an extremely talented individual. But those valuable contacts won’t come by themselves. Forming relationships with a potential business co-founder during college days is so much easier due to a shared environment. And not only that, these are often the relationships which will last you your whole life.
Foto: Startup Grind
So, stop thinking of networking as “timewasting”. Think of it as an investment. An investment into helping form a new view of the world. An investment into generating a new business idea. An investment into your potential business partners. An investment in your future.
So go out there, and find new people. Create new contacts. Make new friends. Expand your network and you will enlighten your destiny. Start now.
Andreja Nešić (Startup Grind Belgrade)
