What if networking had less to do with collecting contacts — and much more to do with helping people, having better conversations and building genuine communities? In this episode of the Tech Waves Podcast, Jeremy Kemp speaks with Kurt Schmidt, author of The Little Book of Networking: How to Grow Your Career One Conversation at a Time, about how to rethink networking from the ground up. Networking often gets a bad reputation. For many people, the word immediately brings to mind awkward events, forced small talk, business cards, sales pitches and transactional conversations. Kurt argues that the problem isn’t networking itself — it’s the way we often approach it. His starting point is simple: networking is not really about you. Instead of entering every conversation thinking about what you can gain, Kurt suggests becoming genuinely interested in the person in front of you. Be clear about why you’re there, find out what they are trying to achieve, and look for ways to help. Jeremy and Kurt explore how a simple conversation can become the beginning of a meaningful professional relationship — and why openness and clarity can quickly lower the defences people naturally put up when they think someone is trying to sell them something. One of the central ideas in the conversation comes from advice Kurt received from his father: “Don’t build a network. Build a community.” Rather than trying to become the hub at the centre of hundreds of disconnected relationships, Kurt believes the real opportunity lies in connecting people with one another. Bring together people with common interests, ambitions and challenges, and the network starts to become something much more powerful: a community. They also discuss an often overlooked part of networking — reconnecting with people you already know. Kurt estimates that he spends considerably more time cultivating his existing network than adding new people to it. Former colleagues, clients, classmates and acquaintances continue to grow, change roles, start companies and gain new experience. Maintaining those relationships can create a remarkable source of knowledge, trust and opportunity over a career. The conversation also touches on the limitations of traditional networking events and speed networking, where interactions can become highly transactional, and Kurt explains why he prefers environments where people arrive with greater intention. Finally, Kurt introduces Solo Club, the community he has created for people building businesses on their own. Many solo entrepreneurs are excellent at their craft but suddenly find themselves responsible for sales, marketing, finance, project management and everything else required to turn that craft into a sustainable business. Solo Club is designed to help them learn from and support one another. It’s a short conversation with a big idea behind it: Your career doesn’t grow because you collected the most contacts. It grows conversation by conversation, relationship by relationship, and community by community. 📖 The Little Book of Networking: How to Grow Your Career One Conversation at a Time by Kurt Schmidt: https://www.amazon.com/Little-Book-Networking-Career-Conversation/dp/B0F3BQCV3C/ 🎙️ Tech Waves brings together founders, ecosystem builders, community leaders, investors, advisors and superconnectors from tech hubs around the world to explore how better connections can create better opportunities.
