COVID-19 changed how we interact, and it accelerated a trend of moving more of our professional relationships onto the internet.
In the past, your geographical location was critical to making and developing professional relationships. Attend the right conference or happy hour and you could make a critical business connection.
We have taken a decade leap in our behavior towards meeting and interacting with others over Zoom and on the internet. As a result, the barriers to meeting with someone and building a professional relationship are much lower.
What does this mean for you?
It means you no longer have to attend the conference or be invited to the happy hour. We have democratized the access to others via the internet. This is an incredible shift in human behavior and offers an opportunity for those who can capitalize on it.
Whether you’re interested in pursuing a niche passion or looking to break into a new industry, you can build a reputation online and leverage it to create relationships in that industry.
The happy hour or conference was all about being at the right place and talking to interesting people in your industry. On the internet, you can be in the right place at any time from anywhere.
Now, you don’t have to attend the conference or happy hour. However, you must join the conversation on the internet.
How do you do this? Learn and Build.
Learn
The resources to learn are endless and mostly free on the internet. However, don’t fear. Learning on the internet is exciting. Pursue what you really want to learn and continuously apply it via building.
Build
Put your ideas into the world. Create content, write on a blog, invest in companies and explain your reasoning, send a weekly newsletter, or start a side hustle. Do it all in public and establish credibility.
Finally, be proactive at the internet happy hour. Talk to new people, be vulnerable, ask questions, and have fun.
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