With startup-themed conferences, hackathons, meet-ups and cocktail hours regularly taking place, entrepreneurs are in no short supply of opportunities to meet people who could be helpful to their startups.
cocktail：鸡尾酒
But there‘s a lot more to developing fruitful
business relationships than simply showing up at popular venues. Entrepreneurs
first need to determine who might be the best folks to seek out as potential
co-founders, investors and board directors. Then, they need to figure out a
smart way to approach them.
venue：发生地点，审判地
This week, entrepreneurs and investors on The
Accelerators, a blog on startups, offered their best tips for making valuable
business connections. Edited excerpts:
excerpt：摘录，引用
Stop Networking, Make
Friends
‘Networking‘ is a terrible word. It belongs to
that family of awkward nouns-that-have-become-verbs: trend, bookmark, friend and
blog, among others.
awkward：尴尬的，笨拙的，棘手的
The problem is that it‘s a
self-defeating word. Networking is about cultivating relationships that will
prove useful in a work capacity. But you don‘t build these relationships by
actively ‘networking.‘ A truly productive network is the byproduct of making
friends.
Friendship is the first step. But a funny
thing tends to happen as we get to know our friends better: We start to ask
fewer work-related questions. We start to put up a wall between our ‘work‘ life
and our ‘personal‘ life. There may even be a vague sense that it‘s rude to talk
about work too much. This is too bad, because nobody is better equipped than our
friends to recognize our strengths, weaknesses and interests -- the exact
qualities that forge a strong network.
My takeaway
advice is twofold: You can never have too many friends and remind yourself to be
inquisitive about your friends‘ work and communicative about
yours.
inquisitive：好奇的，爱打听的
--
Neil Blumenthal, co-founder of Warby Parker, New
York
Always Show Up
Early
Some of the most lasting contacts
and friendships that I have developed began by just grabbing a drink or breaking
bread with a stranger at an industry event. From Mumbai to Moscow, Tulsa to
Tokyo, here are my favorite tips for networking:
Be
the first to arrive. Whether the event is an industry conference, trade show or
seminar, everyone that shows up early feels awkward. The room is massive and you
wonder if the three people standing around you are the only ones planning to
show up. This is the best time to break the ice and get to know
others.
seminar:研讨会
Fly first or business class. Normally this would be
considered an unnecessary huge expense for startups to undertake. But it can
actually generate business. If you are going to a major trade show or event
(think Davos or Midem), the people you really want to meet are flying at the
front of the plane. To keep your CFO happy, fly back
coach.
Get active in charities supported by your
industry. There is no better feeling than doing well while you are doing good.
The thankless hours that go into planning charity dinners, running a carnival
and gathering donations for silent auctions are noticed and appreciated by both
those at the top of the food chain as well as those at the
bottom.
carnival：狂欢
Speak on panels. Try to become a thought leader
on a topic of paramount importance to your business and your
industry.
paramount：主要的，至高无上的
-- Jay Samit, executive chairman of Realty Mogul, Los
Angeles
Manage Your
Connections
The most impressive entrepreneurs I know
recognize their value is much more than the product they‘re
building.
We send each other interesting articles
relevant to topics we‘ve discussed. We make mutual introductions to other
entrepreneurs, investors and press. We (try to) attend each other‘s events. It
is a professional friendship, and if there‘s a more meaningful opportunity to be
helpful to one another, we‘ll both step right
up.
Unfortunately, most people are truly terrible
relationship managers. They treat networking like a scavenger hunt, racing to
associate themselves with the people they view as potentially influential.
Here‘s some advice:
scavenger：清道夫
Don‘t mindlessly attend events. If you‘re in FinTech and
attending three e-commerce launch parties a week, you‘re misspending valuable
time. Be thoughtful and targeted about where you go and especially how you spend
your time.
Take advantage of existing
networks.
Avoid trying too hard. Name dropping,
bragging, embellishing your accomplishments -- don‘t fool yourself that people
can‘t see through it. Startup communities are surprisingly small and
disingenuous behavior isn‘t going to make you popular. Smile, be friendly, shake
hands and ask questions.
brag：吹牛，自夸 embellish：修饰，润色 disingenuous：虚伪的，不诚实的