- So being completely real,
networking was never something that came very easily to me.
I was never the guy
that could just walk into a room,
light it up with my smile,
throw caution to the wind,
and get into these charismatic conversations
about my brand with flawless execution.
Simply put,
your boy, wasn't really about that life.
But that's because of a small fact of life
that not too many people share.
You see, networking can be super awkward.
While it's one of the biggest ways
we can all organically grow our resources,
a lot of us either too uncomfortable
or too busy to figure out how to do it effectively.
But don't worry,
as always, I'm here to help.
We're gonna talk about what networking is,
how it helps an entrepreneur find success,
and get some tips on how to not make it
as awkward as we're all probably dreading it'll be.
I'm Tory and this is Networking Tips for Entrepreneurs.
Click the link in the description
to get some info on how to start your own business.
As always, if you like what you hear, you wanna hear more,
hit the bell and subscribe to hear more.
Networking,
the action or process of interacting with others
to exchange information and develop professional
or social contacts.
We're talking about that type of networking where you go,
talk, walk around,
they laugh, you smile,
and then you get the resource that you wanted
in the first place, easy.
But for a lot of us,
including some of us underrepresented groups, not so easy.
According to a report by "Harvard Business Review",
ooh, Harvard,
"networking can be especially challenging
for professionals of color
who may not only experience general discomfort,
but also face unique challenges
from not being perceived as powerful,
credible, or resourceful.
This often results in less outreach
and relationship building."
Translation, it's hard to get excited
to talk to someone when you know
they're not taking you seriously.
So how do we all climb up this networking hill?
To start to answer that question,
we're headed to the Borough of Kings.
(gentle instrumental music)
- My name is Ouigi Theodore,
formerly creative director of the Brooklyn Circus,
and currently now the creative activists
of the Brooklyn Circus.
Brooklyn Circus is a men's clothing brand
and clothing experiment based out of Brooklyn.
We've operated in San Francisco and Chicago, Japan,
and so on and all over the world,
and travel the world and spreading
the Brooklyn Circus, The 100 Year Plan,
Style + Character, and more.
- Mr. Theodore, thank you so much for giving me your time.
I'm rocking a gear today.
I'm gonna jump right into it,
what's the biggest piece of advice
that you can give entrepreneurs when it comes to networking?
- It's to be honest with yourself,
it's to think about your image,
and think about what you're saying,
and everything that you wear,
and how you wear your hair, and how you wear your beard,
and your body posture, and so on and so forth.
It's really being honest with that.
As much as we take selfies
and as much as we're on Instagram, you know,
spend some time with yourself in the mirror, literally,
you know, looking at your body movement,
looking at how you communicate,
looking at how you look to others,
and how you will ultimately look to yourself.
And as long as you keep, you know,
you stay true to that,
and you continue to be honest with yourself,
you know, networking becomes easier.
- According to a report by the "Harvard Business Review",
it basically says that networking
can be a lot harder for black and brown folks,
basically because we just are not taken as seriously
as a resource.
What are your thoughts on that?
- I don't think. I've had the issue or ever blamed anyone
not wanting to do business or not taking me serious.
And if they don't, that's their own issue,
but more importantly, it's about how serious I take myself.
You think about hip hop music,
you don't have to tell a young guy,
you don't have to tell anyone to listen to hip hop music,
you don't have to tell them to buy black music.
They do it as a way of life.
Now, since George Floyd has been a shift towards,
you know, creating black lists,
and by black, and blah, blah, blah,
that should have been the norm,
but it's a shame that it took that,
not to get white people to focus on us,
but to get us to focus us.
- Another major personal shout out to Ouigi Theodore
and BK Circus for providing these thoughts.
Now let's combine those suggestions with my own thoughts
and research to get you guys some final networking tips.
Tip number one, find your tribe.
Finding people to meet is half the battle.
Here's where to start, Facebook groups,
go to Facebook groups and type in some keywords
related to your industry.
This will give you access to groups filled with people
all talking about the same issues
you're looking to connect with.
Tip number two, give more than you take.
Once you meet these people,
develop and share helpful resources with them.
We call that adding value.
Introduce that friend who's looking for a way
to get a small business loan with that friend
who actually started a small business.
Or hey, I found this really cool video on YouTube,
it's all about networking for entrepreneurs,
you should check it out.
By always having something to offer,
you'll become someone people want around
and they may respond to you with that same energy.
Tip number three, zoom in on this one,
listen to me carefully, slide into those DMs.
To slide into someone's DM
is to send a direct message to someone on Twitter
or Instagram confidently,
smoothly, and thirstily.
But instead of trying to flirt,
now it's about trying to get a resource.
But don't take my word for it,
I have a friend who came in to help out
with this one real quick.
Hi Shana. - Hey Tory.
- Hi Shana, tell us what we need
to live that networking life.
- Live that networking life by introducing yourself,
who you are, what you do,
and what is the goal that you're working toward.
Set up a reason for why you reached out,
I saw your most recent talk, I saw a recent tweet,
my friend knows you, etcetera.
What do you hope to get out of this call?
A mentorship call, review a project that you did,
review a project that they did?
Be intentional about who you connect with.
I'm not going to reach out to Beyonce
unless I have a great reason to reach out to her,
and even then it would take a lot of time to get there.
Find that person who wrote an article you returned to,
or in a YouTube series you follow up,
or at a conference you recently attended.
Those ones have the best turnaround.
Don't just randomly pick people from our crowd,
find somebody that you know about,
that you've done your research on and that you know,
you can bring value to the conversation.
Be upfront, keep it quick,
and make it goal oriented.
These are busy people, make it work their time
to provide a valuable connection.
- Tip number four, listen.
The mark of a good networking conversation
is not that you talk a lot.
A good networking conversation is when you can get others
to talk a lot.
When it comes to these conversations,
just like that awkward first school dance,
start with a basic two-step.
What do you do?
How long have you been doing it?
What kind of projects are you working on right now?
All are nice for a basic two-step.
But if you want to salsa, you should ask,
what do you like to do outside of work?
And just follow the conversation as it unfolds,
you may find some common ground.
Tip five, follow up.
Keep track of whom you met and where you've met them,
and keep notes on what you most remember about,
follow up with an email,
telling them how great it was to meet.
Speaking of which, this would be a great time
to tell you that I got you all a gift,
yeah, I did.
It's for when you're out there networking.
This is HubSpot CRM.
Click the link in the description to get started for free.
This contact database will help you keep track
of anyone you meet out there,
instead of always having to walk around
with a bunch of loose emails and business cards
in your pockets.
Lastly, tip number six,
I'm going to call this the Aladdin, just be you.
While I could give you the perfect line
or perfect color shirt to wear to network,
this is also a healthy dose of you being yourself.
The more you you are,
the more it gives an opportunity to find something
that you genuinely have in common with someone.
Authentic conversation almost always leads
to a genuine connection.
I personally used to think that networking was nothing
but fake conversation that hopefully
led to some real resources.
But now I know that networking
is actually authentic conversation
that may lead to something better, genuine support.
Anyway, those are just my tips,
but what are yours?
Comment below and let the world know.
Until next time, bye-bye.
I'm Tory and this is Networking Tips For.
I'm Tory and this is Networking Tips for Entrepreneurs.
But if you want to salsa.