Never turn down a meeting. Even if you’re unsure about its importance, you never know what opportunities may arise. Recently, I boarded a flight and bumped into a gentleman wearing a hoodie with his agency’s name on it. I’ve been trying to connect with this agency for years, and he was kind enough to share his business card with me. This chance encounter reminded me of the power of networking.

While I try my best to have an empty seat next to me, for comfort purposes, it is always an opportunity to sit next to others, and in particular when flying economy (coach), passengers tend to be more approachable. You have ample time to kill, uncomfortable seating, crying babies, poor wifi, and the passenger in front of you decides to recline his/her seat. So you might as well strike a conversation to kill time and most of the time, you will find that you are somehow connected to this person (six degrees of separation). I always disembark with a business card in hand and a potential opportunity and in the worst case, I enjoyed a conversation.

In-person meetings offer a unique opportunity to connect with people you might not otherwise come across. You never know who you might meet on the way to or from a meeting. I’ve made valuable connections with people I know and people I wished to meet with, simply by showing up.

I also bump into dear friends whom I only meet in airports! Network, network, network. No better way to grow your business. And let’s be honest, videoconferencing can never replace the power of in-person meetings.

So, my advice to you is to never turn down a meeting. You never know what opportunities may arise on the way to the meeting, during the meeting, and after the meeting. And if you’re looking for me, I’ll be the one in the 7awi hoodie. Please reach out and ask me if I work at 7awi (Hawi). 

PS: I’m ordering more 7awi hoodies!