Entrepreneurs looking to grow their business often hear the same advice: “You need to upgrade your network.” Most people assume this means meeting more successful people, attending better events, or collecting more impressive names among their contacts. It’s not wrong, but it’s incomplete.
The real network upgrade isn’t just about the people you know. It’s about becoming someone who creates more value through the people, systems, and norms you’re connected to. They become the type of person who can create more value for others with the help of the people, systems, and norms to which they are connected.
This distinction makes all the difference.
As every seasoned entrepreneur knows, the weakest version of networking is transactional. This version selfishly asks, “Who can help Me get what I want?” »
The most powerful version of networking asks, “Who can I help, build with, learn from, and become a better leader?” » This is where your personal growth and that of your network create massive momentum!
Your network is not just who you know
Most entrepreneurs underestimate how much their environment influences their decisions. We’ve all heard that we’re the average of the 5 people we spend the most time with. Whether scientifically proven or not, the principle resonates with many entrepreneurs.
An entrepreneur’s standards will certainly begin to drift if he or she spends enough time around people who avoid accountability, cut corners, and complain.
However, that same entrepreneur’s standards continually improve and strengthen if he or she spends enough time with people who solve problems, honor commitments, think bigger, and take action.
Many business owners don’t realize that every business thrives on trust, it’s a belief system, a decision-making filter, and a mirror.
If all anyone sees is business owners playing defense, they also end up starting to protect what they have instead of building for the future.
Conversely, if one spends time with people who are growing, adapting, and serving at a higher level, they will rise.
Contribution is the basis of the best network
Zig Ziglar’s best quote on this subject is: “The best way to get what you want is to help enough other people get what they want.” » Businesses grow on trust, and trust grows when people believe that you are invested in their success, not just yours, which is a natural result when people believe the company is invested in their success rather than just its profit.
This is where many entrepreneurs go wrong when it comes to networking and decide it doesn’t work. They are more interested in being impressive than being valuable. They lead with what is interesting about them instead of being interested in others. They are trying to withdraw from an account they did not deposit into.
The best approach is to become an entrepreneur constantly bringing energy, ideas and connections. Make presentations, share resources, ask thoughtful questions, celebrate someone else’s victory, and follow up when there is nothing to be gained immediately. Being known as the person who helps others move toward what matters to them elevates a business owner to play a defining role in the story of its growth.
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You don’t need to develop all the skills yourself
A common mistake entrepreneurs make is believing that they need to master all the skills on their own before they can grow. Sales, Marketing, Operations, Hiring, Accounting, Leadership, Technology, Negotiation and Event Planning. The list never ends and the pressure to become great at everything can leave entrepreneurs exhausted and hopeless.
The good news is that growth doesn’t always come from developing all the skills yourself. The breakthrough often comes from having access to the right tools, people and systems. A strong network gives an entrepreneur access to an experience they have not yet had and gives them a language far beyond their current level. It provides shortcuts that are not fancy tips, but wisdom learned and imparted by someone who has already reached the pinnacle the entrepreneur is headed toward.
Improve your role in the play, not just in the play
Wanting access to better rooms is not a mistake. Seeking environments that challenge an entrepreneur should be the goal of ambitious people.
However, access alone is not the goal. Entrepreneurs should focus on who they become in these rooms. Do they listen differently, ask better questions, contribute to others before asking questions, and let higher standards challenge their habits?
The best network will reveal gaps, which can be uncomfortable. A business owner may find that their tracking is inconsistent, their offering is unclear, and their thinking is too limited. It’s a gift, not a sign of failure. Having the right network calibrates, encourages and shows the next level before the entrepreneur is completely ready for it.
Building a network that works like a filter
The most valuable network has structure. It’s not random. Every entrepreneur needs a few key groups of people:
- Mentors who have achieved what you are working for.
- Specialists with expertise that you don’t yet have.
- Connectors who create opportunities for others as well as themselves.
The network becomes a filter when relationships are based on trust and contribution. It helps a business owner make better decisions, recover faster, spot opportunities earlier, and stay resilient when business gets tough.
The real upgrade
Thinking that the goal is proximity to successful people is the mistake that most people have. The goal is proximity to better systems, better standards and better ways of serving.
Just meeting more people doesn’t automatically make an entrepreneur’s business or personality grow. Seeing differently, acting differently, and creating value at a higher level through a network of good people is how they grow throughout their lives.
So yes, a network upgrade is worth it. Not just looking for better contacts. Become a better contributor in rooms that raise the standards of a business owner, surrounded by people who expand their sense of what is possible. Connecting to systems that provide access to skills and wisdom not yet acquired by a business owner with the goal of using them all to help more people win. This type of network changes not only the activity of the entrepreneur, but also the person he becomes.
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