This month, I set out to professionally network, specifically set up five networking calls. I have completed three networking related meetings, with two more scheduled, so I have achieved what I set out out to do.

I did not end up following my project plan, instead pursuing different channels in a free flowing manner as I saw fit. Here are how I contacted my five meetings:

• Message existing friend to talk: 2
• Cold LinkedIn message based on a feed post: 1
• Warm LinkedIn message to conference contact: 1
• Ask friend for introduction to someone at their company: 1

As you can see, four out of the five came from warm leads (and the fifth was someone who asked to be contacted about potential opportunities). This goes to show the power of relationships, specifically building them organically long before they become professional.

Here’s some advice I got from the meetings:

• Don’t forget about talking to folks internal to your company. They offer a ton of new perspective as well.
• With sports betting growing in popularity, try to develop a new “player spread impact” metric that can be applied to current games.
• Appreciate the small wins in self development, as larger goals will be harder to estimate and take longer to achieve. With that, focus on consistency over intensity (such as studying 30 minutes a day).

Although my approach was not perfect and not everyone I asked responded as I hoped, this month was indeed productive and gave me much needed perspective.

On to July.