Friendships and business

I remember a time when some people close to me would watch me speak with strangers on the phone or Skype for 1-2 hours. Usually talking about anything and everything. I was reminded that I was wasting my time.

I usually replied that "You never know how much value a new contact can provide to you in your life." I was convinced that this was true then. I still firmly believe this today, especially with all that was provided to me through these encounters of the past. Some of these people I've yet to meet face to face but we still connect on a semi to regular basis to exchange information, contacts and opportunities.

An important lesson I learned very early on is that individuals, including yourself, only have limited time and ability/interest to achieve goals. To achieve your dreams or projects, best to connect with others. That's the only effective way to expand your ability and to multiply your time. I've built an online game company not by learning to program games and by taking 3D art courses; I built it by making solid game industry friends, getting referrals to better quality people, and eventually annexing to the team high-quality developers and artists who share the same game company dream as I. My reach into the world is only limited by the amount and quality of my contacts. The same is true for anyone.

This is a very important concept because it means that whatever unachievable dream you have in mind all of a sudden becomes possible if you network enough to find the right quality people that will be able to achieve your dream with you.

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!

That's the easy part. The hard part is to learn HOW to network efficiently, to engage people in a way that they will WANT to associate themselves with you, refer you to other people etc... Its something that everyone can learn, but it takes a while to get the hang of it, and to be genuine while doing it. Those who say that it takes a certain personality type to do this sort of thing would be half right I suppose, but I do also believe that with the right mentor/model, anyone can learn how.

The key in essence, is to be motivated by making strong friendships even with strangers and to be on the lookout for opportunities all the time through people. You see, you can go places with credentials and past experiences, but the only way to go forward and achieve real success is through friendships built.

Ask yourself how many jobs you got through a referral versus by cold-calling or sending our resumes. Most probably, most of your jobs and opportunities were obtained through people you know, family and acquaintances. In business, its the same thing.

Don't ask yourself why some companies get funded while others don't. The answer should be obvious: those who receive funding have an idea/product, and some friends and strong contacts in the funding world. Of course there are exceptions where the funding companies would compete for the opportunity to invest in project XYZ, but that is very rare in my experience.

So go out there, make friends, look for mentions of industries and people that you would like to meet while talking to your friends, ask for introductions to these people. Mingle, shake hands, talk, get to know the people, get interested in what they do. In the end, your new friends will get interested in what you have to say and do, and may even get excited by it.