My favourite startup pic from last year
While 2016 was the year I sought inspiration (committed to found a business, updated some tech skills and left my corporate role), 2017 started with being in an accelerator and an expectation to show some hustle. I needed to test assumptions and source ideas outside my contacts. Surprisingly, finding the right people wasn’t that hard.
Big conferences don’t provide quiet space for one on one conversations, and while they can inspire, they tend to be more like speed dating. 2016 was Above All Human (and hey, I missed you last year) and 2017 saw Shiftiez demoing at startup alley for Pause. They were great, but everyone’s in a rush. You bring back a pocket full of business cards at the end of the day and struggle to remember everyone you’ve met and what you both said.
The best way I’ve found to network is finding something on a smaller scale than a conference. There are plenty of ways to get to these events like:
- Look through local meetings at meetup.com or eventbrite etc (I recommend Silicon Beach of course!)
- Follow collaborative spaces like Creative Cubes, Inspire9, or TwoSpace and look for events
- Follow educational spaces like AcademyXi and General Assembly and look for events
- Look for local chapters of global groups with a good reputation for varied events (like these guys)
then attend and mingle. Rinse and repeat till you find your niche.
Which brings me back to my favourite photo . . .
It’s not actually from an event, it’s people planning new ones. This was the marketing meeting for Silicon Beach looking to distil what we do to help the startup scene in Melbourne and focus on improving delivery for 2018 (behind the camera was Brian from Brandollo).
It’s my favourite because it represents some of the great people I’ve met in the last year in the Melbourne Startup community. People who’ve offered advice, friendship, and new opportunities. In fact their motto is “Empowering Founders” and it does just that.
You don’t operate in a bubble and you certainly can’t sell inside one. If you are looking to start a new business or test an assumption, the best advice I can offer is to get out amongst some friendly strangers for some face time and seek feedback. You never know what else you’ll find along the way.
I’m the founder of Shiftiez a service that humanises rosters by letting staff co-plan shifts with employers, adapting to life’s changes and getting on with business. interested to chat? Contact me here.
