Carving A Path To Success pt. 34 (let me see your network...)

True story: there was once a guy who was fascinated by a comic book company. He bought as many of their books as he could afford. He joined their forums as chatted with other fans as diehard as himself. One day the company mentioned they would be attending a local convention that the guy often attended. The guy being legitimately thrilled offered his assistance as a gopher. 

The company was impressed they accepted his offer. Once the two met; a connection was made. One of the guys from the company would later call on the fan for a major favor. Not only was the favor fulfilled, but the two men became good friends. When the fans favorite artist was scheduled to come to the convention he came and said that the reason why was because of that fan.

The truth is that networking can have a impact on your future. Networking or the people you know, your connection to them and what they do that can help you. Your friends are in your network and everyone knows someone or something that can help you. Your ability to network is wholly dependent on your ability to communicate. You also need to be humble and respectful and not judgmental.

True story: while working at a store a customer mentioned that he was a budding screenwriter. The guy who was attending to him was one as well. They started talking and became friends. The customer had been in a few films as an extra and knew an actor who had been in a few high profile big budget films. The two men now work together to get their screenplays produced and use their knowledge and skills to help the other.

You never know who knows who and knows what. Everyone possesses something that someone else doesn’t. The thing is you never know what that other person has to offer when you first meet them. That's why you can't be judgmental. Networking isn’t just about business. It’s about building strong personal relationships that are meaningful. You wouldn't want someone to just use you for one thing and that's all right? Networking is a way to increase what you know and who you know. It offers you a chance to meet new people and go different places in your chosen path.

The true stories are from my own experiences. The first true story is of how I met Wes Hartman (writer of Sky Sharks and I Hunt Monsters) Robbie Bevard (writer of Ninja High School) J.L. Anderson (writer/artist of Tiffany and Charlotte and NHS: Maidens Of Twilight) and Fred Perry (creator of Gold Digger and my favorite artist)

The second story is how I met my good buddy Mark Aguilar. Who has been a great friend and good sounding board for coming up with new ideas

Networking is awesome when the benefits are more than just business.