The Company We Keep - On Networking and More

“Networking is an investment in your business. It takes time and when done correctly can yield great results for years to come.”. - Diane Helbig, author and business coach

Last week, The Courtside Group team was tasked with running a 48-hour event for one of our clients at an exclusive club in Dallas, Texas. From the moment we walked in, we knew we had to be sharp.

Guest speakers and VIPs began arriving at the CEO-only dinner to kick off the event. The guest list was beyond impressive. Founders, entrepreneurs, and CEOs all filled every seat in the room, awaiting the programming for the evening.

As we watched (and filmed) the guests interacting with each other, it was impossible not to be a little starstruck by the wealth of knowledge at every single table. These men and women had built their businesses from scratch and taken them to millions of dollars in revenue, often in the span of only a few years.

Despite all of the incredible success, each of them was there to keep learning, to keep growing, and to gain more valuable links in their networking chain.

Many of them spoke of the fact that networking is critically important to success in any business, no matter the field.

Dale Carnegie once emphasized that, “You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.”

As we concluded the evening, phone numbers were exchanged, LinkedIn connections made, and hands were shaken. The new friendships that were forged from a two-hour event are those that will go on to make waves in their respective business fields.

For The Courtside Group, we were honored to be introduced to many of these titans of industry, in addition to helping put on a great event for them.

We left with a renewed sense of energy, of possibility, and motivation to continue pushing towards our goals.

All because of two things: The satisfaction of a job well done and the power of new connections.
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Sure, I hear you on the importance of networking, but how do I do it?
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While we all might have thousands of connections on LinkedIn, it can be challenging to stand out beyond that point. Getting your team out and about at coaching or scaling up events is a great way to meet like-minded people. Put yourself in crowds who are hungry for growth and success.

Conversations, connections, and relationships naturally flow out of those environments. Take the initiative to walk across the room and introduce yourself. You never know what you might have in common with them. Your school, hobbies, or even favorite restaurants might be the ice breaker that leads to valuable conversations.

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