I was speaking this morning with a friend who has hit a rough patch - she has spent a year building the concept for a new start-up company, only to have the (financial) rug pulled out from under her just as they were ready to launch their product. She has been following my adventures as a consultant, and wanted to know why I thought I was successful (so far).
I had been thinking about it, and for me, it comes down to two things:
- Be good at something, and
- know lots of people.
It doesn't matter how great a network of friends and acquaintances you have, you have to have a skill you can sell. You have to have something you do better than most people, and it has to be something they value and will pay you to do.
On the other hand, you can have outstanding skills, but if nobody knows what you do, you will have a hard time finding work. Every job that I've gotten so far was either from someone who knew me directly, or from a referral from someone who knows me.
And then, you have to be in the right place at the right time - there's always an element of luck. But the more people who know what you do and believe you do it well, the better the odds. And then you have to deliver.
Very true. Being well connected and being able to provide that value makes the difference in a business relationship.
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