Used to hate networking events, now I see the point

I always thought those mixers were just awkward small talk, but after landing a $3,000 contract from a guy I met at one in Austin last month, I totally changed my mind. The key is not to sell yourself but just ask people what they actually struggle with at work. Has anyone else had a random conversation turn into real money like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

ben4363d ago

The $3k deal is nice but you got lucky. I've been to maybe 40 of these things over the last two years and came away with exactly one freelance gig that paid $400. Most people at these things are just trying to sell you their own stuff, not looking to buy anything. I wasted a whole Thursday night at a tech mixer in Denver where some guy talked my ear off about his app for 20 minutes before I realized he had zero budget to hire anyone. You found a needle in a haystack but for most of us, the haystack wins.

finley9393d ago

Totally get that, @ben436. I stopped going to big mixers and started hitting up smaller meetups instead, actually landed two regular clients from a 12-person group last year.