Entrepreneurs and leaders, let’s just cut to the chase. Networking with your peers isn’t a luxury – it’s a necessity. If, however, the idea of networking conjures up the image of big events in crowded rooms, we need to chat. Yes, there is a place for those large functions (and you should make space for at least some of them!), but the real sweet spot may be found in smaller groups.
Experience has shown us that the biggest opportunities rarely come from the largest rooms. They come from meaningful conversations with people who genuinely want to know you, understand your business, and look for ways to help you succeed. They come with meetings intentionally designed to be small because relationships grow best when people have the time and space to truly connect.
Before we unpack this, we need to step back and talk about why networking matters in the first place. John Hopkins University Advanced Academics Program put it succinctly, “Networking can open doors, boost your career, and introduce you to key opportunities in your field.” It’s true for students at the start of their career, and it’s true for leaders and entrepreneurs with some years of experience under their belts.
As we noted recently, even climbers who have trained and prepared to summit Everest take along a sherpa to ensure they make it to the top and back. If you want to grow and succeed, you need to cultivate a network. Attending networking events and groups is part of that.
Let’s be clear, there is nothing wrong with large networking events like trade shows and conferences. In fact, you should try to attend them from time to time. These events can expose you to speakers and ideas you might not otherwise get a chance to hear. A larger group of attendees give you the opportunity to meet with a wider range of potential contacts with different experiences and ideas. The connections you make can open doors.
It’s not that big events aren’t worth your time. It’s that they shouldn’t be the only way you invest your networking budget.
That person you met at the conference attended by thousands might prove to be the connection that opens the door to the very thing that advances your career beyond where you thought it could go. That shift doesn’t happen with a single handshake in a crowded dinner party. That comes from a relationship you cultivated. You may have been introduced at a big event, but the real fruit comes from developing that connection. It’s born out of conversations and give and take. It’s what happens after you develop trust and mutual respect.
Intentional small groups make space for real conversations. You’re not competing with a room full of voices trying to be heard and noticed. You’re part of an intimate dialogue where your voice carries as much weight as the person sitting next to you.
Small networking groups meet regularly and cultivate a mutual respect and deep trust. It becomes a safe space to work through real world problems for your business. The feedback comes from people whose expertise and wisdom you’ve come to admire. You don’t have to wonder if they’re just talking or if they’re sharing experience.
When this team refers you to a potential client or job opportunity, they’ll do so with earnest respect for the work you can do – and it’ll show in their referral. When they offer you insights into a potential new hire or vendor, you know they’re doing it with your best interest in mind. The quality of the input is higher on the back of the relationship you’ve built.
Small group networking can be a few dozen leaders who gather from time to time to bounce ideas off each other. It can also be three friends sitting down for coffee and chatting. It can be a set aside time to gather once a month or an impromptu, “I’ve got a thing to work through, are you free tomorrow at 4?”
You can have one small group or many and how you gather with them can vary over time. It’s not about the logistics, it’s about the intimacy.
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