One of the most underrated skills for overall success and career advancement is networking.

I spent countless hours messing with my website, curating the perfect proposal format, and tweaking my niche. I ignored the one and only thing that matters in business:

People do business with people.

So in 2025 I read 7+ networking books and went to a grand total of 33 networking events - all in the effort to master networking.

That led directly to landing $18,600 in consulting side hustle jobs this year (while also building/maintaining connections at my day job).

All the books summarized nicely into (3) networking strategies.

🎁 #1 - Giving

The most successful connectors are givers. And there is this unspoken rule that investing time and energy into people (and putting their needs first) leads to good karma, luck and opportunities flowing back to you.

Here are some things I give people (that is not super weird and creepy lol):

• 🧠 Links to articles, videos, books, podcasts
• 🧑🏼‍🦰 People suggestions (who they should meet)
• 🎨 Hobby supplies (relevant to previous conversations)
• 💻 Small services (researching something, fixing a setting in their phone)
• ✈️ Small errands (taking someone to the airport, offering to take pictures for someone at an event)

🔎 #2 - Finding the Right Rooms

You want to put yourself in rooms with a high density of value aligned individuals - people that are focused in a specific area you want to build & grow in. I like to do a little professional stalking of people in my industry who seem to have a great networks and figure out where they hangout.

💡 Ideas:

• 👷🏼‍♀️ Industry associations (NAWIC, SWE, etc)
• 🎤 Conferences / talks
• 💞 Volunteering organizations (Habitat for Humanity, etc)
• 🚀 Entrepreneur meetups

👍🏼 #3 - Being Likable

If you’re not making friends while connecting, you are doing it wrong. And in order to make friends you have to be likable! You can do this by mastering two things:

#1 - Being Interested

Start with being interested in the other person. Ask them lots of questions. Ask them about their goals, their work, their hobbies, their life.

💡 Tip: Try asking them for simple advice (food suggestions, what software to use, what book to read, etc) and you will be seen more favorably.

#2 - Being Interesting

On the other side you have to be interesting too. You need to show people you have value to bring to the table. Build what is called "Social Proof":

• 🥇 Receive awards and recognition
• 📰 Have articles written about you (or be so good that you are having articles written about you)
• 🎤 Speak at events
• 📸 Get tagged on social media
• 🗓️ Attend lots of events and be social

🎬 Video

I have a TON more tips in the full video below. I even hired a new editor so let me know what you think in the comments if you like this animation style editing more!