I find networking to be hit and miss. Mostly miss.
The best networking I’ve ever done has never been labelled as networking. It’s been meeting like-minded business owners while doing something else entirely. Shared activity first, business second.
Organised breakfast meetings, on the other hand, tend to attract people with nothing better to do. A cheap breakfast. A forced smile. A room full of people trying to sell you something you don’t need.
Free networking is even worse. It’s a magnet for time wasters. People who confuse being busy with being productive.
That said, buried somewhere in the noise are the gems. Future clients who’ll stick with you for years. Useful collaborators. People who genuinely understand what it means to run a business. The problem is you have to wade through a lot of nonsense to find them.
And be careful: plenty of people in these rooms don’t want to help you at all. They want your money. Coaching packages. Referrals. Retainers. The relationship is transactional from day one, whether you like it or not.
I’ve found two groups I go to weekly that actually work. Good people. Shared values. Friendly, but business-like. No desperation. No pressure. Just adults running businesses and helping each other where it makes sense.
I won’t go to BNI. It’s a racket. Pushy, formulaic, and obsessed with scoring points through referrals and meetings, regardless of the quality of either. The system matters more than the outcome.
I’d rather spend my time with people I like and focus on building my businesses.
Networking groups can be soul-destroying. Especially when the person running them relies on the group for their income. At that point, the focus shifts to bums on seats at any cost. Authenticity disappears. Everything becomes insincere. People don’t stick around.
If you want good networking, stop looking for networking.
Be authentic. Do things you actually enjoy. Spend time with people you respect. Build relationships slowly, without an agenda.The right people will support you and your business.
Everyone else is just noise.
