Last week, I caught up with an entrepreneur who shared insights on the importance of connecting with the local startup community and fellow founders. Having experienced the ups and downs of business, they now find themselves in a position to network and build an entrepreneurial network as things are on the upswing. This conversation reminded me of my own experiences when I moved to Atlanta over 20 years ago and the effort it took to meet local entrepreneurs. At that time, the startup community was fragmented, spread out across the region, and primarily linked to a couple of local universities and a few networking groups.
Reflecting on the importance of the startup community and the outcomes from many years of participation, I can unequivocally say that the value derived has far exceeded the effort invested. One example that comes to mind is from 2006 when I attended a local networking event for interactive marketers. While standing in line to check in and pick up my name badge, I ran into my college classmate, Adam Blitzer. We hadn’t seen each other in a few years, and reconnecting at that random event led us to start Pardot together. A similar instance occurred in 2012 at a startup event, where I shared my experiences. After the meeting, Rob Forman approached me looking for his next opportunity. I connected him with Kyle Porter, and together they did amazing things as the co-founders of Salesloft. In both cases, it was regular community-building events that facilitated networking and led to great outcomes.
Today, there are many more programs, events, and organizations that bring the community together, uniting different verticals and stages of entrepreneurship into a robust environment for networking and support. Reflecting on my journey, my main recommendation for entrepreneurs is to find and build their own community. If there’s a gap in the market, address it by building your community. I believe that the human element of the entrepreneurial journey is often underestimated by first-time entrepreneurs. By neglecting this aspect, they miss out on valuable opportunities. Entrepreneurs would do well to engage with their local startup community and build relationships with fellow founders.
Entrepreneur
via https://www.aiupnow.com
David Cummings, Khareem Sudlow
