Many think networking is about immediate opportunity.
But what I've seen work way better is changing your mindset to showing up before people know they need you.
I jumped on a call with Tina Cardosi, owner of a great graphic design company, who said something that really stuck: "It's not about who you meet, it's about who they might know. That's how most of our business came in."
Not cold pitches. Not timing the meeting. But conversations that built trust over time.
Tina's agency grew through referral chains. Former clients, collaborators, and people who remembered how she made them feel.
Active Conversations
That's what I call Active Conversations. Thoughtful touch points that aren't about closing. They're about staying in the conversation until the moment is right.
The problem isn't that most businesses don't have value. It's that they try to generate attention before they've earned awareness.
When disruption hits, those relationships are often what carry businesses forward.
Here's the reminder I took from our chat:
- Keep showing up
- Be helpful even when no one's asking
- Start the right conversations before they're "needed"
Because it's rarely about right now. It's about who's still in the conversation next.
