Alana Muller 0:09
Welcome to Enterprise.ing, a podcast from Enterprise Bank & Trust that's empowering business leaders one conversation at a time. Each week, we'll hear from top business professionals about lessons on leadership and entrepreneurship that they've learned along the way. I'm your host, Alana Muller, an entrepreneurial executive leader whose primary focus is to connect, inspire and empower community. We at Enterprise Bank & Trust thank you for tuning in to another episode.
Alana Muller 0:41
Hello, and welcome back to Enterprise.ing podcast. From time to time, rather than bring a new guest on the show, I like to go back and highlight previous guests to showcase the ideas and concepts that they talked about and give you, our listeners, some tactical tips for putting those ideas to use. Today, I want to go back to Enterprise.ing podcast episode 18, which featured Carlos Antequera, CEO and Co-Founder of Novel Capital, whose FinTech funding platform breaks down the traditional growth barriers faced by today's B2B software companies. Carlos talked about the importance of reaching out and connecting with others. Let's take a listen.
Carlos Antequera 1:20
I generally say I'll give 30 minutes to anybody that's willing to put the energy into reaching out. Now, it might not be tomorrow. Sometimes you might have to schedule within a week away, but I'll make it happen if you're putting the energy out there, definitely it's worth me putting my energy. I get as much as I put in as well, right?
Carlos Antequera 1:36
I don't know how many times I’m talking to younger founders or early entrepreneurs, and it makes me think about some basic things that you tend to forget. And it maintains the empathy, right? To recognize the entrepreneurial journey is hard and sometimes you forget as you build your business a little bit about the earlier days...
Alana Muller 1:54
Carlos's willingness to make time for others who put energy into reaching out to him is really impressive. In fact, over the years, I've noticed that many people buy into that same notion, and that opportunity to connect with others is ripe for the picking, if we are willing to do that initial outreach. In fact, if you yourself are interested in boosting your own connections, leveraging the good advice shared by Carlos, here are a few easy actions that you can take.
Alana Muller 2:21
First, create a list of people you know. Now, here's the thing, I know that you know thousands of people, and that's great. But I want you to start smaller than that. I want you to focus. Start with five people who you know, who are in professional roles that are interesting to you. Maybe it's the parent of one of your children's friends, maybe it's a neighbor, maybe it's somebody who you see regularly at the gym. Identify just a few individuals and find their contact information. You can usually get things like phone numbers, email addresses from mutual connections from LinkedIn, or from their companies’ websites.
Alana Muller 2:56
Another action is to create a list of people you don't know, but would like to get to know. This list may be slightly more challenging to establish than the first because you may not know who you don't know. Chances are that you could come up with three to five names of people who you've heard of. Perhaps somebody who you heard speak once in an event, maybe somebody you read an article about in the paper. If you don't have contact information for them, why don't you ask the people on list number one? I bet they do.
Alana Muller 3:23
Now, reach out. This is what Carlos was referring to. Put the energy in one or two at a time, starting at the top of your list. Reach out to people who you wrote down to connect with and ask them to meet you for a cup of coffee or to visit with you for a 10-minute informational call. Of course, the next step is to actually get together, find a mutually convenient date, time and location. In fact, when you reach out, I suggest that you be the one to suggest a date, a time and location to get the ball rolling. It could even be virtual. And if that doesn't work, I'm sure that your contact will respond with some alternatives for getting together.
Alana Muller 4:02
Now, repeat the process. My guess is that through your interactions, you will establish and enhance relationships, build up your confidence and travel down roads you didn't even know existed.
Alana Muller 4:14
That's all I have for you today, my friends. Thanks for tuning in to Enterprise.ing podcast. And if you haven't already listened, go back and check out Enterprise.ing podcast episode 18, entitled “Carlos Antequera on Patience and its Role in Networking.” I know you'll be as inspired as I was by Carlos. You can access it on enterprisebank.com/podcast or wherever you listen to your podcast. See you next time on Enterprise.ing podcast.
Alana Muller 4:43
Thanks for joining us this week on Enterprise.ing. Be sure to visit our website enterprisebank.com/podcast to subscribe, so you'll never miss an episode. If you found value in today's program, please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or telling a friend about us. Enterprise.ing, powering business leaders one conversation at a time.
Alana Muller 4:43
The views expressed by Enterprise.ing presenters or guests are those of the presenter or guests and not necessarily of Enterprise Bank & Trust or its affiliates, all content of this podcast and any related materials are for informational purposes. Enterprise Bank & Trust does not make any warranty express or implied, including warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, and specifically disclaims any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information presented. Enterprise Bank & Trust is not under any obligation to update or correct any information provided in this podcast. All statements and opinions are subject to change without notice.
