c/entrepreneur-networking

I just found out most people at my local startup meetup work alone

I was at the Founders Coffee event in Austin last week and got talking to a few people. I asked how big their teams were, and like four out of five said it was just them, maybe with a part-time helper. I always thought these events were full of small teams, but it's mostly solo folks trying to connect. It made me feel a lot less alone in doing everything myself. Has anyone else noticed this at their local meetups?

Vent: Figuring out how to actually follow up after a conference took me a full week

I had a stack of 50 business cards and spent days overthinking the emails before just sending a simple 'good to meet you' with one specific thing we talked about. What's your go-to method for not letting those connections go cold?

Read a study that said over half of founders meet their first investor at a casual meetup, not a formal pitch event

I was looking at some old research from a university business school, and it said 52% of startup founders connected with their first angel investor at informal networking things like coffee chats or local founder dinners. I always thought it was all about demo days and big conferences. This was from a survey of about 200 early-stage companies. Makes me wonder if I should skip the next big expensive conference and just hit more small local events. Has anyone else had a key connection come from a totally low-key setting like that?

My LinkedIn connections just hit 500 and I realized I actually know maybe 50 of them.

It happened after I started saying yes to every coffee chat request for a year. Anyone else feel like their network is mostly just a number now?

I hit 50 coffee meetings in 90 days and the number that mattered wasn't the one I expected.

I thought finding a good co-founder would take a month, it took over a year

When I started my app idea, I figured the hard part was the code. I was so wrong. I posted in local groups and went to every startup meetup in Austin for months. I met a lot of people who liked the idea, but no one who truly got the vision or had the skills to build it with me. I wasted 3 months with a guy who just wanted a title, not the work. My turning point was when a friend said, 'Stop looking for a co-founder, start looking for a partner.' That changed my whole search. I started working on small projects with people first, which added another 6 months, but it worked. I finally found my person through a hackathon, not a networking event. Has anyone else had to completely change their approach to find the right business partner?

Warning: A bad coffee meetup in Denver changed how I network

About 2 years ago, I met a potential partner at a coffee shop on 16th Street. We talked for an hour but it was all surface level stuff (you know, the usual 'what do you do' chat). I realized I wasted a whole morning because I didn't have a clear goal. Now, I always send a quick message before meeting up with 1 specific question I want answered. It saves so much time. Anyone else have a rule they set after a networking flop?

Showerthought: I used to think networking meant just handing out business cards at events

Now I focus on having one real conversation with a single person, like the coffee chat I had with a local bakery owner last week. It's way more helpful for actually building a connection. Anyone else find that less is more when meeting people?

I finally hit 500 connections on LinkedIn and half of them are people I met at a single chaotic conference in 2022.

It matters because I realized I've been calling that trip a 'networking fail' for years, but apparently I collected more business cards than I thought, right?

Honestly, I just read that 85% of jobs are filled through networking, not online applications

Found that stat in a newsletter from a startup incubator in Austin. Makes me wonder, how many of you actually track where your best connections come from?

Vent: I just realized I've been treating every networking event like a sales pitch for the last 6 months.

The tip-off was when a founder I actually liked in Phoenix told me, point blank, 'You ask great questions, but I can tell you're just waiting to talk about your app.'

I spent $500 on a networking event and it was a total waste

I used to think paying for those big conference tickets was the best way to meet people. Last month I dropped about $500 on a 'premium' startup mixer in Austin. It was just a crowded room with everyone pitching themselves, no real talk. I got maybe two business cards from people who weren't even in my field. Now I'm just going to free local meetups or setting up my own small coffee chats. Has anyone else had a bad experience with a pricey event and found a better way to connect?

Met a guy at a coffee shop in Austin who gave me the best networking tip

He said to always ask 'what's the biggest challenge you're facing right now?' instead of just swapping cards. I tried it at an event last week and had way better conversations. What's your go-to question when you meet someone new?

A founder at a Denver coffee shop told me his best hires came from casual chats, not job boards.

He said he met his current ops lead just by asking about their dog. Has anyone else found a key team member through a random conversation?

Rant: The networking event I went to last month in Seattle felt like a room full of people just selling to each other.

Three years ago, I went to a meetup where the goal was just to share ideas and help each other out. Last month, I went to a big event at the downtown convention center and it was totally different. Almost every single person I talked to just pitched their service within 30 seconds of meeting me. It felt like a room full of sales calls, not real connections. Has anyone else found a way to find more genuine networking spots lately?

A quick chat at a coffee shop in Denver made me rethink my whole approach to networking

I was at a small event last month and got talking to a woman who runs a local bakery. I was about to give my usual elevator pitch, but she stopped me and said, 'I don't need to know what you do, I need to know what problem you solve.' That one line, over a terrible cup of coffee, flipped a switch for me. I realized I'd been focusing on selling myself instead of connecting over shared challenges. Has anyone else had a simple question change how they start conversations?

I sent a cold email to a founder in Austin and got a coffee invite

I reached out to the founder of a local SaaS company, just asking about how they handled their first big client. I didn't expect a reply, but she wrote back in an hour and asked to meet for coffee next Tuesday. It showed me that just being direct and curious can open doors, you know? Has anyone else had a cold outreach work out better than they planned?

Vent: Spent 3 hours trying to get my name badge printed for a networking event

Honestly, I had a big mixer at the Austin Convention Center and my printer just would not work with the special badge paper. Tbh, I tried everything from restarting my laptop to watching a 45 minute YouTube tutorial on printer drivers. Ngl, I ended up handwriting my name and company on a piece of cardstock I cut to size. Has anyone else had a simple tech thing totally derail their prep for meeting people?

I think the 'always be networking' advice is wrong. Last Thursday I skipped a big mixer in Chicago and had my best client call in months.

A potential investor in Denver told me my networking pitch was too polished and sounded like a sales script, which made me switch to just telling the real story of why I started my company.

Has anyone else gotten feedback that forced them to completely change their approach at an event?

I used to just go to events and hand out cards, but a mentor told me to focus on one person.

About six months ago, I was at a big startup mixer in Denver, trying to talk to everyone. My mentor, Sarah, saw me and said, 'Pick one person tonight and actually learn their story.' So I did. I spent the whole hour with the founder of a local app. We just had a real talk. Now, that one connection has led to three solid referrals and a potential partner. Has anyone else tried slowing down like that at a big event?

Just hit 100 connections from one local meetup and it feels weird

I went to a small business mixer in Austin about six months ago, mostly just to get out of the house. I figured I'd chat with maybe five people. I just went through my contacts and realized I've done actual follow-up calls or coffee with over 100 people from that single event. It wasn't some big conference, just a room with maybe 150 folks. I think it worked because I stopped trying to sell and just asked everyone what they were stuck on. Now my calendar is full of these chats and I'm not sure what to do with all these loose ties. How do you turn a big pile of contacts into something that doesn't just feel like a number?

Can we talk about the difference a real coffee maker made at a networking event?

I went to a monthly meetup in my city for about a year. For the first 10 months, they had one of those tiny, cheap drip machines that made maybe 4 cups of weak coffee. Last month, the organizer brought in a proper Bunn commercial brewer he got from a closing diner. The vibe changed overnight. People actually stuck around after the speaker instead of rushing out, and I got three solid leads just from chatting near the coffee station. Has anyone else seen a small change make a big difference in how people connect at events?

Had a total networking fail at a startup pitch event in Austin last month

I spent the whole time just handing out my card like a robot, then realized I hadn't actually learned anyone's name. How do you make real connections at those fast-paced things?

Hot take: I thought local chamber mixers were a waste of a Wednesday night.

Went to one in Akron six months ago expecting stale coffee and sales pitches, but the guy I met there is now my main source for commercial leads. Anyone else have a networking spot they were wrong about?