For a long time, networking felt like it meant stuffy rooms, forced conversations, and everyone trying
to ‘work the room.’ But when I started working for myself, I knew it was a space I needed to get
comfortable in sooner or later.
But over the last year, I’ve realised that networking works best when it doesn’t feel like networking at
all. I went to a ‘spa networking’ event earlier this week with a group of brilliant female founders, and
it reminded me what the right environments can do. No awkward small talk, no “so what do you do?”
on repeat, no performative business energy. Just smart women building interesting things in
different ways, sharing space and downtime.
I had so many lovely chats – and they were over delicious tapas, or in the sauna, and even waiting for
my massage. I learnt about new industries, and was able to share wisdom on my own. Amazingly,
the business side still happened naturally.
What I used to get wrong is thinking networking was about effort and volume. When actually, it’s
about fit. The best connections don’t come from pushing harder in the wrong rooms, they come from
being in the right ones, with the right people, at the right time. It really is about relationships first, and
the opportunities come second. At the end of the day we’re all just people – and people like people.