I recently met with a fellow entrepreneur who wanted to speak about various technologies with me. Now, I’m no technology expert, but I can hold my own. He began speaking to me about a certain type of computer language for VOIP (internet phones).
To be honest, I knew nothing about this specific type of technology but I found it extremely interesting as he explained the ins-and-outs of the language and how it was helping businesses across the world.
As the meeting concluded, I left feeling more knowledgeable about the technology, though I didn’t see myself ever using it, or at least not in the near future. As I returned home that evening, I received a call from a fellow young entrepreneur who just happened to be working on a startup focused around — guess what? — that specific VOIP computer language.
What are the odds, eh? My friend explained to me that he has been using this language to build his service from the ground up, but he was concerned about finding people who would be interested in possibly funding him due to the fact that the technology was so new and didn’t have much support yet.
So I’m sure that you can guess what I did next. Yup, that’s right: the next day I connected these two entrepreneurs who happened to have a love for that particular technology. They went on to speak for hours and even planned to meet within the next few weeks to possibly form a partnership.
As a young entrepreneur, you should always try to make as many connections as possible. I’m not just talking about you connecting with other people; I’m talking about you connecting people with people.
One of the most powerful things that you can do as an entrepreneur is to help someone find someone. Think about it, you come across so many people on a daily basis. Clients, friends, partners, random people, etc. Many of those people in your network would love to meet other people that they may not know; people who happen to be in your network. So make the connection and watch the seeds that you planted grow.
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This is called becoming a “linchpin,” and is a hallmark of having a social capital network referred to as (what else?) an “entrepreneurial network” as opposed to a “closed network.”
Additionally, websites such as linkedin.com and plaxo.com can help to keep your network up-to-date. It’s up to you to keep your network active!
Excellent post… thanks!
Geez, great story. I really need to start blogging again.
@Andrew, thanks for the “linchpin” history — I like it! Thanks!
@Reid, yeah you should start bloggin’ again — thanks dude!