Very transparent, concise, and action-guiding, thank you Constance! Bookmarked to re-read it before the next conference I’ll attend. I’m pretty confident that at least some of the tips here will be concretely useful to me in the future!
Do you expect an additional aspiring super-connector to be more useful:
a) In a large hub (say, Bay Area) where other competent, value-aligned connectors might already dwell?
b) In a smaller hub (say, Amsterdam), where it seems that no one has currently picked up the ball?
c) As a nomad who goes from hub to hub at different times of the year, while never remaining for more than a few months in any major city?
(I guess the crux here is whether one thinks that there are already competent “connectors” in the largest hubs)
I think A>B, eg I often find people who don’t know each other in London who it is valuable to introduce. People are not as on the ball as you think, the market is very far from efficient
Though many of the useful intros I make are very international, and I would guess that it’s most useful to have a broad network across the world. So maybe C is best, though I expect that regular conference and business trips are enough
I’ve tried A and C in the past, and I would say it really depends on what you want to do specifically and what you’re well suited for.
A.) There are a lot less competent super connectors in other in large hub cities than you would think. This is not a skill that is taught, and most people who are good networkers are not thinking about the wider ecosystem or what it means to be a responsible steward of the network. I do think that large hubs have a big repository of people who could become great super connectors, though so the potential for a multiplier effect is higher.
B.) It depends on how strategic you think a certain hub can be. Are there a bunch of already value-aligned people there or businesses/industries that could be allies? If so, then it would be worthwhile to start developing that network now, like planting a seed for a tree that will grow in a couple of years.
C.) You need to consider the startup costs for moving. I did this for a year (NYC, Bay Area, London every month or so) and found it quite exhausting. Every time you go to a new place, you have to figure out where to live, where to co-work, and what events to go to. The people that you met the previous time you were there may also be doing very different things, so it’s hard to be fully up-to-date on what’s going on. If you can do things strategically timed with certain high-value events, then this might be worthwhile. For example, @SofiaBalderson and I tend to go to London (for 1-2 weeks) at the tail end of the Ambitious Impact charity incubation programs that focus on animal welfare charities so we can get to know the new founders well.
You might also be interested in learning about my prior (failed) attempt at establishing a nomad hub.
Very transparent, concise, and action-guiding, thank you Constance! Bookmarked to re-read it before the next conference I’ll attend. I’m pretty confident that at least some of the tips here will be concretely useful to me in the future!
Do you expect an additional aspiring super-connector to be more useful:
a) In a large hub (say, Bay Area) where other competent, value-aligned connectors might already dwell?
b) In a smaller hub (say, Amsterdam), where it seems that no one has currently picked up the ball?
c) As a nomad who goes from hub to hub at different times of the year, while never remaining for more than a few months in any major city?
(I guess the crux here is whether one thinks that there are already competent “connectors” in the largest hubs)
I think A>B, eg I often find people who don’t know each other in London who it is valuable to introduce. People are not as on the ball as you think, the market is very far from efficient
Though many of the useful intros I make are very international, and I would guess that it’s most useful to have a broad network across the world. So maybe C is best, though I expect that regular conference and business trips are enough
“People are not as on the ball as you think, the market is very far from efficient”
Couldn’t agree more!
I’ve tried A and C in the past, and I would say it really depends on what you want to do specifically and what you’re well suited for.
A.) There are a lot less competent super connectors in other in large hub cities than you would think. This is not a skill that is taught, and most people who are good networkers are not thinking about the wider ecosystem or what it means to be a responsible steward of the network. I do think that large hubs have a big repository of people who could become great super connectors, though so the potential for a multiplier effect is higher.
B.) It depends on how strategic you think a certain hub can be. Are there a bunch of already value-aligned people there or businesses/industries that could be allies? If so, then it would be worthwhile to start developing that network now, like planting a seed for a tree that will grow in a couple of years.
C.) You need to consider the startup costs for moving. I did this for a year (NYC, Bay Area, London every month or so) and found it quite exhausting. Every time you go to a new place, you have to figure out where to live, where to co-work, and what events to go to. The people that you met the previous time you were there may also be doing very different things, so it’s hard to be fully up-to-date on what’s going on. If you can do things strategically timed with certain high-value events, then this might be worthwhile. For example, @SofiaBalderson and I tend to go to London (for 1-2 weeks) at the tail end of the Ambitious Impact charity incubation programs that focus on animal welfare charities so we can get to know the new founders well.
You might also be interested in learning about my prior (failed) attempt at establishing a nomad hub.