New to San Francisco? Use These Tips to Quickly Land 100+ Meetings
As an entrepreneur coming to San Francisco for the first time without any connections, I used these strategies to land more than 100 meetings within 2 months. I quickly found 2 clients for my business, gained an enormous amount of feedback and knowledge and received valuable referrals. So what is exactly the secret?
The answer to growing your strong network is simple: focus on Co-living, Curating, and Conferencing.
If you are planning on moving to San Francisco, the first problem you’ll face will be the lack of contacts. In such a fast-paced city, your only way to new opportunities is growing your professional network and doing it quickly. That’s why you have to know where to live, where to go, and how to make networking more personalized.
1. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF CO-LIVING SPACES
Co-living is not a new concept, but such spaces are becoming more popular each year since they unite professionals with similar interests under a common roof. Such spaces often act as business incubators that allow talented people with similar goals to share their experiences. People finally have an alternative housing option that can be both affordable due to the shared commodities and workplaces and professionally beneficial. The borders between public and private spaces are growing smaller each year, and co-living places offer a great option for people who need both personal and communal space.
Why is co-living better than simply booking an Airbnb?
Airbnbs are convenient for most travelers, but they do not give you access to a strong network of professionals. Co-living spaces offer both privacy and community, which most rental spaces lack. Sharing time and experience with like-minded professionals and still having quiet and productive time for oneself is not a common thing today, so make sure to take advantage of it.
Where Do You Start?
Startup Basecamp’s name already tells you its main function: it acts as a bridge between entrepreneurs and international tech business. Staying there gives you the following benefits access to a global startup network, tech events, new fundraising opportunities, business conferences, and a co-working facility starting at $1,470 a month. Here I learned about brunchwork events, new accelerator programs, and met the entrepreneurs who connected me with Y-Combinator and guys from there introduced me with another person through whom we got a contract. The place even has its own Slack channel that helps the guest learn more about the residents and their interests, whereas its community match-making tool helps to connect both guests and alumni based on their skills, location, and travel plans.
If you need a better location and access to more amenities, you can join 908 Co-living, which brings together investors, entrepreneurs, and other professionals. The environment is fun and relaxed, but the place still exposes you to many new people, ideas, and experiences. The quality of services at 908 is top-notch, but when it comes to community relationships, Startup Basecamp is still the best option out there. 908 hosts 18 people, which is why BBQ’s and movie nights for tenants can be great for getting to know everyone in the building.
So what’s the caveat?
Such spaces are highly popular, which is why they often have long waiting lists for the people who want to live and work together. San Francisco area alone has more than 800 waiting lists for co-living spaces on OpenDoor. But the wait is well worth it when you think about all the business-related and socialization benefits such modern dorms offer.
2. ATTEND CONFERENCES PURPOSEFULLY
Attending startup conferences is a major part of entrepreneurship and developing new connections. Unfortunately, such events are both costly and time-consuming, which is why you have to know where and how to find the ones that have the highest return on your investment. Here’s where GarysGuide and Brunchwork come into the picture.
GarysGuide is a great resource for business professionals who want to find startup-related events, workshops, or classes. The place is a goldmine for people who want to learn and meet new people in New York City, San Francisco, London, Boston, Los Angeles, Austin, and other cities. The idea was at first a list of startup related events, but it now offers the schedule of at least 100 meetings each week. You can find there both professional conferences and small intimate coffee-shop meetings that could potentially help you find both like-minded professionals and investors. I would call it Craigslist for startupers, but when was the last time Craiglist helped you skyrocket your professional life? You would be amazed at how willing people are to offer a valuable piece of advice and support that can give the needed push to your business.
Brunchwork is another great event organizer if you are in New York or San Francisco area. The community has more than 20,000 people, so you can be sure that it will help you meet successful professionals who can help you make the next step in your career. Even though it does not have a strong filtering tool, it curates many great events and even hosts its own events with top executives from YC, Google Ventures, Snap, and Facebook. The company hosts two events each month in NYC and Washington D.C. A $40 ticket will buy you not only brunch but also great networking opportunities and insight into the business world. To grow both as an entrepreneur and a person, you should always find yourself in a room with the people who are smarter than you, and Brunchwork can give you access to a lot of such people.
Meetup.com is another popular resource for conducting small events. It is often challenging to meet new people at loud conferences, which is why meetups are more appropriate for private and topic-based meetings.
Instead of searching for new meetups and conferences, you can also host one on your own. Conducting small meetups in coffee shops or coworking spaces becomes more common due to the intimate atmosphere such a setting offers and a common goal. Yes, it’s would not be a 2000-people gathering where you will find business professionals from all walks of life, but inviting fellow entrepreneurs and acquaintances is a great start for getting other business professionals to know about you. The word-of-mouth goes a long way, which is why it is an easy way of making contacts in a new city. Oh, yeah, and don’t forget to bring your business card.
3. MAKE NETWORKING MORE CURATED
Shapr is basically a Tinder for networking. Using the information about your interests, location, and experience, each day the app offers you to choose from 15–20 people whom you can meet either for a potential collaboration or simply for talking shop over a coffee. I had arranged more than 100 meetings through the Shapr app and met for lunch many people ranging from product managers of Facebook to technologists at Uber. The algorithm is pretty spot-on, so you don’t need to visit random people’s profiles on LinkedIn to find the like-minded industry professionals. Also, since you can message people only after matching them, you don’t have to deal with annoying unsolicited messages that spam your inbox.
The tool helped me find 2 clients, receive an enormous amount of feedback on the product and service I was offering, which helped me to fine-tune it and adjust it’s positioning, and get many good referrals.
LinkedIn takes a bit more effort to connect with others, but it’s still a great tool for growing your professional network. Don’t be afraid to connect not only with the people from the same field but also with the people from more distant walks of life. If you want the LinkedIn algorithm to suggest you more users, you have to connect with a wide range of professionals. However, spend time learning more about the people to whom you are trying to reach out to ensure that your goals and values are similar.
These steps helped me to meet with a lot of interesting founders and prominent investors. Now, regardless of the goals that bring you to the city, these methods will help you get your name out there and give you more opportunities than you could imagine when walking past the door of SF International Airport. The last step is to try it and see for yourself.
