Fuck Networking

I’m all about real-working.

Seriously, though, this isn’t a snipe at Linkedin juggernauts or those who have a different networking event for every night of the week and a couple hobnobbing lunches sprinkled in for good measure. I’m actually incredibly impressed by people who have the social capacity to rub elbows around the clock, and recognize how powerful it is to know folks across communities and spectrums.

I thoroughly enjoy people, and if it weren’t for someone suggesting I pay attention to where I gain energy, it would be hard for me to think I wasn’t an extrovert. Truth is, even a small party leaves me drained after an hour or two, but an evening of coding or researching will have me so jazzed I’ll have difficulty sleeping. My batteries recharge internally.

My most important professional relationships, and many of by best friends (including my wife!) I’ve met while working. Just grinding, and meeting like-minded people along the way. Being a member of an eclectic co-working space for several years broadens the base of who I work around.

One of the coolest phenomenons happens when what you create yourself is a magnet for the right individuals to grow with you. For the past year and a half, we have been building Perennial City, a residential composting service and urban farm. We have a big vision, and it’s going to take a lot of support to get there. In the process of simply doing good work, our name has gotten out there, and it’s seemingly miraculous how emails and phone calls from just the right person come at just the right time.

My advice to anyone wanting to get out there and make a difference is to just start doing it. Don’t wait until you have a certain number of contacts or blessings. Make your thing, and get your first customer or supporter (but I repeat myself). Then get ten more. You’ll be amazed what a little momentum can do.