It was my great pleasure to speak last week with a group of aspiring accountants who are members of the DePaul University Chapter of Ascend.  I led a discussion on the importance of networking for the purpose of job acquisition as well as networking for the purpose of building a practice of their own. A big shout out to my young friend Andrew K. for arranging the invite.

We covered the idea that success depends not only on “what you know” but also on “who you know” and perhaps more importantly on “who knows you.”

I suggested that for young professionals, just as in any investment, those that you make early will likely pay the biggest dividends over time. This is true of networking.  The people you meet today may be the very people who help you 2 – 10 or even 20 years from now. Invest in relationships. You have all the capital you need to get started.

As always I encouraged everyone to have a business card as a way to easily convey your contact information.

If you know of any groups that would like to have a thought leader on the topic of networking or strategies for new business acquisition contact me at reno @renoweb.net.