Company founder

Miki Agrawal On Building Better Business Connections

Many entrepreneurs find that building business connections is a key part of their careers — but the challenge is meeting the right people. That’s why, when Miki Agrawal, founder and CEO of THINX, had the chance to speak at some high-profile events, she immediately seized it. But it wasn’t easy: every day at these conferences entailed networking with billionaire CEOs and policymakers from around the word. If you’re looking to build your own business connections in 2016 but don’t know where to start, Miki Agrawal offers seven tips for getting started that will make this new year your most successful yet.

 

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1.) Think big: Meet other startup founders and go where they go.

Scaling your startup from scratch can be tough — but don’t forget that there are lots of other entrepreneurs facing the same challenges. Most entrepreneurs according to Miki Agrawal are focused on building their company but feel like they’re not being heard by people in power. That’s why meeting other founders at events is important: you’ll learn how they built their companies, how they navigate the business world, and what mistakes they’ve made that you can avoid.

2.) Go deep: Network with the right people.

At conferences, the crowd will be full of executives who may have huge influence over your industry — but it’s important to remember that most of them don’t know you or your company. That’s why it’s perfectly reasonable to ask someone if they’d be willing to meet with you, whether that’s a coffee or a drink. Make eye contact, smile and ask the person who you really want to meet — it could be someone you’ve been exchanging emails with for months or getting coffee with every week.

3.) Get specific: Think about how your profile parallels theirs.

You might assume that because you’re at the same conference that connecting with other entrepreneurs would be easy — but often times it just doesn’t get done. It’s important to pick the person who most closely parallels your company: the CEO of another early-stage company, the founder of another industry-leading firm, or even a celebrity investor.

Original source to learn more: https://medium.com/@mikiagrawal