That time a Chamber of Commerce breakfast got me zero leads but a weird new friend

I paid $35 to attend a Chamber of Commerce breakfast mixer in Scottsdale last month thinking I'd walk away with at least a handful of serious business contacts. Instead I spent 45 minutes listening to a guy named Craig explain his entire business model for selling bulk office furniture to schools. He didn't ask me a single question about what I do and I couldn't find a polite way to escape. By the time I left I had one business card in my pocket (Craig's) and zero actual leads. The funny thing is Craig texted me later about grabbing coffee and we ended up talking about hiking instead of business. Has anyone else found that the most structured networking events are the worst for actually building real connections?

3 comments

3 Comments

luna8911mo ago

The real networking happens after you ditch the nametag and just hang out, honestly.

spencerm461mo ago

But doesn't ditching the nametag kind of rely on already knowing someone there first though...

jennyp191mo ago

It's like how the best conversations happen after you've already given up on trying to make conversation, isn't it?

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