I used to think networking was just hype until I did it cold at a local meetup

I showed up to a CPA networking event in Austin last month expecting nothing, just stood by the snack table. Walked out with a lead on a tax prep side gig that paid me $800 in two weekends. Anyone else find a real win from just showing up somewhere random?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_ben2mo ago

Tbh that snack table strategy is underrated. Standing near the food at events gives you a natural reason to talk to people without it feeling forced. You can just turn to whoever reaches for a napkin next to you and ask if they've tried the salsa yet. That's how I got a referral to a bookkeeping client who needed someone to clean up three years of messy QuickBooks data. Ended up being a $1,200 project just because I complimented someone's choice of crackers at a Chamber of Commerce mixer. The random wins always come from those low pressure moments where you're not trying too hard.

elliot_miller2224d ago

Yeah, free snacks and small talk pay better than people think.

hannaht292mo ago

Hey that's awesome. I've had a couple random wins like that too (though never $800, dang). It's wild how just being in the right place eating free snacks can turn into something real.