Internet Business and Personal Success

On Friday night at the Matchbox Twenty, Alanis Morissette concert here in Reno, I was reminded that you can network virtually anyplace.

At this show, I met a successful online entrepreneur from the Sacramento area. Sacramento is about 2 hours from Reno, and many people come here for shows, skiing and gambling, so it was no surprise that he’d come out for the weekend to play.

What did surprise me was his line of “work”. He sells a very specialized line of niche products online and by phone. From what I understand, he dominates this particular niche and has at least two people employed to handle the phones. Knowing that someone is doing well in such a seemingly tiny market was truly eye opening.

I spoke with him about his background online, and he gave me some great ideas to use on one of my non-Internet Business projects. We swapped email, and will keep in touch.

Since Reno is a tourist destination, it’s very common for people who are out for the evening to ask each other where you are from. But you can do this anyplace. You don’t have to wait for an Internet Marketing PitchfestSeminar to find people to connect with. Some of the best ideas come from people outside of the market you are in, since they can see things from a new angle. It’s a great win-win situation!

There are a virtually unlimited number of places, online and off, where you can network with people. All you have to do is put yourself out there and strike up a conversation. Here are just a few ideas to get you started…

• Concerts, shows, movies
• Blogs, forums (private ones tend to be much better), membership sites
• Restaurants, bars, cafeterias
• Social and service clubs (Rotary, Toastmasters, S.C.O.R.E., etc)
• Online social networking sites like StumbleUpon, Squidoo, and many others
• Stores. Especially ones you visit frequently
• Amusement parks, Golf courses, Bowling Alleys, The Zoo…
• Classes and schools/colleges
• —your turn—

It may not always be a good idea to specifically go out to and look for people to talk to, but if the situation arises, why not see what happens? You could end up with a new venture partner, an idea, or a good laugh. Hopefully you’ll be able to contribute to them as well.

If you feel stuck starting a conversation, head to Amazon.com and search for “conversation” and see where it takes you. There are hundreds of books, on starting conversations, meeting people, and networking. The more you do it, the easier it will be. I’ve talked to interesting and helpful people in all sorts of places, tourist areas or not.

You can start by introducing yourself here. Leave a comment to this post, and be sure to link to your blog or website! Commenting and participating on other peoples blog sites is a great way to meet people online. It also will have a dramatic effect on traffic to your site.

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