How to network with other Entrepreneurs and Business Owners

s3ndnudes

Hello,

I am looking for advise on a networking question. How do business owners and budding entrepreneurs network with other entrepreneurs, particularly those in the Dublin region? What groups, meetings, events are out there to meet people?

My personal network and close friends are less focused on entrepreneurship and more on fixed term employment.

I am in my 20s and have worked on a couple of ventures with friends and have made some income from these streams but these were people I met through friends I already have. Aside from my job, my other source of Income is Investments in public companies- but this obviously doesn't require me to have anyone in my network!

If anyone had some Irish/Dublin specific advise on where to go, what to attend etc that would be great! A quick google search brings up some pricey courses and a ticketed event.

mneylon

Maybe check the Chamber as well as any local enterprise offices
At the moment there aren't going to be any "in person" events, but most of the groups are still organising virtual events

ironclaw

Speaking from my own experience, it depends what you want to get out of it. If you are looking for serious and driven entrepeneurs, you'll need to do a lot more legwork. I've found it more valuable to attend trade shows / expos that have companies that you align with and talk to them direct. Or, just reach out to someone in the industry who you've identified and ask to meet up for a coffee. To me, thats a better way to spend an hour and you'll network much, much faster.

I've found there is a significant range of skills in these casual meet ups. You have the odd gem, but the majority are individuals that are either looking for a short cut to riches or just fancy talking themselves up. Dig deep enough and you'll find most have achieved very little or are just talking a big game. On the flip side, you do meet people doing something interesting but honestly, it's few and far between. The same applies to co-working spaces. If someone is rarely working and wandering the office constantly, they are either a genius (0.0001%) or a spoofer.

Another avenue, for the tech space, is to publish and post in spaces that have individuals you want to work with or align with. I get two or three emails a month from people that find me on Github or from blog posts.

Entrpreneur is a now a buzz word that has lost a huge amount of meaning so thread carefully to any event that banners itself under that.