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Join for freePosted: Mon 13th Jul 2026
Learning to network is an important skill for all business owners and leaders. Opportunities are often created through relationships, not just qualifications.
Effective networking helps you build genuine connections, increase visibility, exchange ideas and access new possibilities for growth, collaboration and career progression.
In this Lunch and Learn, business mentor Falguni Patel explains how good networking can help you build trust, confidence and a supportive professional community.
Why not all networking events are the same, and how they vary by target audience, format, length and cost
Why planning and preparation before the event is so important – you don't want to be left searching for business cards or fumbling for words when asked: "What do you do?"
Building connections and arranging one-to-ones after the event – this is the reason you're networking, so it's important to take time to nurture these connections
With over 20 years of experience as a multi-award-winning entrepreneur, Falguni is now a TEDx and a sought-after keynote speaker, a business start-up mentor and a personal transformation strategist.
She has been in business since her 20s and has successfully launched businesses in the beauty, wedding, recruitment, education and now mentoring industries.
Her vast experience and industry knowledge have allowed her to mentor and transform business owners into successful entrepreneurs and influential leaders.
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Lightly edited for clarity.
Beth: Hello, everyone, and welcome to today's Lunch and Learn. My name is Beth, and I'll be your host today. For those of you attending a lunch and learn for the first time, Enterprise Nation is a vibrant community platform for start-ups and small businesses.
I'm very pleased to introduce Falguni Patel, who is a business mentor. In this session, Falguni will explain how good networking can help you build trust, confidence, and a supportive professional community. If you have any questions throughout the webinar, please post them in the chat, and we'll do our best to answer them at the end of the session.
Today's session will be recorded, and we'll send the recording with some further follow-up resources later today. So over to you, Falguni.
Falguni Patel: Thank you. Right. Hi, everybody, and thank you for joining The Art of Effective Networking.
A little bit about myself: I'm a multi-award-winning serial entrepreneur, a TEDx and keynote speaker, and a business start-up mentor. I've got my socials and contact details so you can connect with me however you wish, so please do – it'd be nice to connect with you.
So today, what we're looking at is what networking actually is. I think for most of us, we go into networking with a different idea, but what is networking actually? It's not selling – you're not attending a networking event to sell to the people in that room.
It's not pitching. We're not pitching our business or our idea to those in that room. You're not just collecting business cards, seeing how many you can get around the room. And it's not about asking for favours – can you buy this, can you recommend me, can you connect me to so-and-so? That's not what it's about.
What networking is about is building genuine relationships based on trust and value. You want to build trust with those people in that room, and you want to provide them value as well as gain something for yourself.
So if these things aren't networking, what is networking? Let's take a closer look.
Your network isn't about collecting contacts – it's about creating connections. You are building a network that technically works for you: a net of people who are going to be busy working for you.
You're going to be connecting with them, building connections, and educating them about your business. If they know what you do and you know what they do, then if you come across somebody who needs their services or their product, you can refer them, and they will do the same. That's what a network means – it's about the people you know, your contacts, who are actively looking out for potential business for you.
So it's very important to understand who is in your network and to have the right people. This is determined by the networking events you attend. Most people assume that all networking events are the same – I promise you, they're not.
I've been networking for 25-plus years, and they are all very different. Just because one particular networking event works for a particular type of person or business, it doesn't necessarily mean it's going to work for you. You can see I've listed some of the types of networking events here: in-person, online, speed networking, awards, workshops, masterclasses – the networking opportunity is huge.
However, you have to do the research before showing up, before signing up, before paying for some of them, to see whether the kind of people turning up are the people you wish to connect with. I can put my hand on my heart and say I've been to events where I didn't do the research, and I spent hours and hours and gained nothing out of it. That's what I used to do in the early days, but now I do the research.
I ask the organisers who is likely to show up, what type of business is likely to attend, and that gives me an idea of whether I'm going to build the right connections. So I want you to take a moment and think about what it is that you sell or provide, what type of clientele you sell to, and who is likely to be able to refer you those clients.
Because, as we said, the people in that network aren't necessarily going to buy from you; however, they will know people who could. So who is it that you want to connect with? You need to know that before you attend, because it will make life so much easier.
Also, do the research – is it specific to your industry? I remember once I attended a networking event; somebody said to me, ‘It's brilliant, come along', but the event was for lawyers, and I'm a business start-up mentor, so that was a bit of a mismatch. You've got to think about it, because time is money – even if it's free, your time is money, so you have to make sure it's going to be valuable for you.
So, how do you prepare before you attend the event? This is very key. Many people think you just book an event, show up, hand out a few business cards, and everything's going to be great – unfortunately, it doesn't quite work that way.
Why? Because you want to make the most of it, and you want to be prepared. So you have to ask yourself, or the organisers: who will be there? Who do you want to meet? Who would you like in your network?
What do you want to learn? There are many networking events where they teach or have a speaker there, and you can learn things. So it's very important, again, to think about what you want to gain out of this.
How can you help someone else? You're not necessarily attending a networking event just to gain something for yourself. The more you can give – I'm sure you've heard the phrase, ‘give and gain' – the more you're likely to gain. If you refer a business to somebody, they're more likely to refer someone back to you, so think about what you can give.
Research the speakers. If the event has speakers, make sure you research them, because they will have a huge network of people, and you can connect with them on LinkedIn or other social media. Research who's attending, too – like I said earlier, you want to make sure you're in the right room; a room full of lawyers doesn't necessarily work for a business start-up.
And personal preparation: your 30-second elevator pitch, your introduction. Who are you? What is it that you sell or provide, and who are you looking for? You need to have your business pitch ready.
Business cards or a QR code: what are you going to give the person you've been connecting with? Now, here's the issue with a QR code – I had one, and the venue had very poor Wi-Fi, so if you're relying on a QR code, that could be a problem, because then there's no way to connect. So be prepared with what you're going to give out.
What are you going to wear? This seems obvious, but trust me, it's not. Sometimes an event is very informal – jeans and a T-shirt – and sometimes it's very formal; if you go very formal and it's 38 degrees, wearing a suit isn't going to be comfortable.
So it's important to think about what you're going to wear, because you want to be comfortable – you're going to be there for a good few hours. And one other thing: what are you going to give away? You don't have to give anything, but if you have a leaflet or a sample, you can give it to the people you meet – it's a good way of connecting, because you can then go back and ask them for feedback.
Now, after the event – this is the most important part, and many people stop, forget, or delay taking action. Within 24 to 48 hours after the networking event, you must take action, especially with those you wish to connect with and have built rapport with. Otherwise, it's a waste of time – you've wasted time and money.
So you want to make sure that connection stays fresh, and you want to stay in their mind. Contact those you wish to build a connection with straight away – send them an email, send them a WhatsApp, however they wish to connect. Arrange to meet up, either online or in person, and send them a LinkedIn request.
You'd think this was an obvious thing to do, but I can say even now I sometimes forget, which is a bad habit. I was at a networking event about a month ago; they gave me a list of everybody attending, and I haven't got through it. So I only managed to contact the people I'd made a connection with and collected business cards from.
But you do want to try to connect with as many people as you can, and think about how you're going to help them. So if you met me at a networking event and knew I was a business mentor, what could I provide, or what could you potentially provide for me? I'd think about the same thing for you.
For example, somebody in the beauty industry selling a particular product – I'd find someone who needed a similar product and potentially introduce them, or I might trial the product myself and put it out on my social media. So you've got to think about what a two-way connection, a two-way relationship, looks like, and what you can do to strengthen it.
How are you going to continue the connection? This is the hardest part. Two to four weeks on, if you haven't already arranged a meet-up, make sure you do – again, in person or online. Send them an email with something that will help them.
For example, I met an HR business owner who works with small businesses, so I sent her something about a new HR rule or regulation. She probably already knew it, but I'd come across it and emailed it to her, and she said thank you so much – she hadn't heard about it. That puts you back in front of that new connection and builds trust.
Mention anything exciting you're doing. So if you're doing something exciting – for example, when I became a TEDx speaker, I sent it to all my connections and invited them, even though it was a paid event. They said they weren't able to attend but asked me to send a link when it was published, which I did. That builds rapport, connection, and trust.
Think about how you'll continue building that connection. I think this is very key, because sometimes life gets in the way – we're all busy, businesses take over, and as a small business, you're pretty much doing everything on your own. So you have to think about what you're going to do to keep that relationship going, and sometimes it's not as easy as we think.
All of this has to be done straight after the event, so taking action straight away is key.
So I've come to the end of the slides, and I'm going to leave some time for connecting and answering questions. But I just want you to take a moment to think about how you go about networking and what you want to gain – put it in the chat if you can.
Something else I want to add: when you're networking, you're building your personal brand. Coming across as knowledgeable in your industry is absolutely key. For a long time, I found it very difficult, when networking, to understand my personal brand and what I needed to do.
So when you go out again, whenever it is – even in Enterprise Nation, which is a fantastic networking platform where you can connect with various people – think about the personal branding and the connection you're bringing to what you do, and be very clear about what you need to do.
I've also created an additional 10 steps to better networking guide. If you'd like me to send it over, you can connect with me on any of the platforms I've mentioned. You can see my business card here – I use that as a photo.
Sometimes with physical business cards, people lose them, so what I do is get the person I've met to take a photo of it. That way, they have my details and a picture of me, so they know who they've connected with and can get in touch directly.
So it's up to you what information you put on your business card, but you do need to give something – an email is ideal. I don't tend to give out my phone number on my business card, but people have my email, website, LinkedIn, and social media, so they have ample ways of connecting.
What I also do, for the people I really want to connect with, is take a picture of their business card, so I know when I get home that I need to contact them as a priority. I try to do that within 24 to 48 hours and book an online session with them, then prioritise everyone else as I go along.
If you are going to put a photo on your card, one thing I've realised is that if the picture looks completely different from the person people met at the event, they may not be able to link you to it, and I've had that experience myself. So try to keep it similar to how you looked on the day, because otherwise it can be hard to put a face to a name when there are so many people involved.
So I'm going to open it up – I can see there's lots of messages coming through, lots of questions, so if you'd like to ask questions, that'd be fantastic.
Beth: Thank you, Falguni. Brilliant, so we have got some questions. In the Q&A, someone would like to know how you actually go about making conversation at these events. Do you have any prompts? Do you do any research beforehand? How do you go about that?
Falguni: That's a brilliant question. You'll probably find it difficult to believe, but I'm actually an introvert, so I struggle when I'm in a networking event – it's very uncomfortable for me. So I have prompts set up for how I go about finding people.
When you look around, there will be lots of people there – try to be open. I see people standing in huddles, looking closed off; try to open up to other people, especially if you're an extrovert. Look out for the introverts in the room and welcome them.
But if you're introverted, like I am, look out for other people – there might be people standing around just looking around. Go up to them and say hi, because ultimately, everybody there is there to network, and they know they're there to build connections, so they'll be open to you walking up and saying hello.
You want to try to avoid people who are in a corner having what looks like a one-to-one, private conversation. If it's a large group having a general conversation, just join them – they'll be very welcoming.
Beth: Absolutely, yeah, that's exactly it, isn't it? People are there to network. So kind of that balance – you said at the beginning that a networking event isn't for selling, but they should also have their pitch ready. What's the balance to be had there?
Falguni: Remember, the way I see it, those people aren't necessarily there to buy your product, but you want to educate them about it. So, technically, you're not pitching directly to them, but to the network that they know, because they have a vast network.
If you've done your research, you'll know the kind of people in the room, and they'll be able to say, ‘I know somebody who does X, Y, and Z', or ‘I know somebody who hosts events', or ‘I know a business start-up mentor with this much experience as a speaker'. So you're educating them – you're not necessarily selling directly to them, but to their people, their network.
Beth: Yes, that makes a lot of sense, thank you. We've got a few people in the chat – I can see some comments about being an introvert, and they loved your post identifying as an onion. What's that about, Falguni?
Falguni: What's that about? It's from the keynote talks I do. I talk about identifying as an onion and how we all have various layers, and sometimes we're too afraid to open up and peel back the layers to identify our authentic selves.
It took me a long time of self-discovery on that journey. If you're interested, you can find the whole video on YouTube, or you can find it on LinkedIn.
Beth: Brilliant, yeah, we'll find a link. Okay, great. So I know you've touched on this, but what would you say is the biggest mistake people make when they first start networking?
Falguni: People attend the wrong networking events – that's one of the biggest issues. I've attended the wrong ones myself; it's time-consuming and sometimes costly. As a small business owner, you want to minimise any expense you're not going to get a return on, so make sure you research the type of people who will be attending.
Is it right for your industry? My very first business was in the beauty industry, and I went to every networking event possible while I was still learning, which wasted a lot of time. You have to think about what you're going to gain, and whether the network is going to be the right people for you.
Another mistake people make is not following up – I'm guilty of that too. As I said, in the 24-to-48-hour window straight after networking, you have to get in touch with the people at the top of your list.
Beth: Yeah, absolutely. So Pierre asked in the chat: how do you prepare to give a one-minute pitch and not sound like a robot, reading it all out word for word?
Falguni: You don't necessarily want to make it a one-minute pitch. In your introduction, think about it as if you're meeting somebody – you're not going to talk continuously for one minute. You may want to break it up into sections, because it needs to flow like an actual conversation.
If you talk for a full minute, you'll put that person off, and they won't be able to retain the information. The key is the first 30 seconds, and then think about how you'll drop in extra information as the conversation continues.
What you ultimately want to avoid is spending 10 or 15 minutes with one person in the room. If you're there for two hours, you want to maximise it as much as possible, which is why you then have to follow up to find out more about them and give them more information about you. It's not necessarily about telling them your entire business story at the networking event.
Beth: Yeah, absolutely. So we've had a few questions about large networking groups – absorbing all the information and conversations you've had can probably be quite overwhelming. Do you have any tips or tricks for managing that, and how you can hold on to that information after you leave?
Falguni: You can. Normally, they do provide you with slides, or videos, or if it's specifically training, they provide you with information – again, ask and find out. You may need to take your own notes; there's nothing stopping you from filming a few short videos, though I wouldn't recommend filming everything.
Garrett, I promise you, you're not going to go home and watch everything back – you're not going to spend two hours watching the video of the networking event you went to. So you want to be very specific.
Will you be able to connect with everybody? Absolutely not – there might be 100 people at that event. If anything, smaller events are easier, so think about the size of the networking event. I know a lot of people mentioned they have ADHD, or are introverts like me – if you're nervous about it, do not go to large networking events.
Start small, build your confidence. As I said, this is learning – I'm constantly learning about myself when I attend, and it's making me braver. Stepping out as a business owner, you're becoming braver every time you do it, and then slowly and gradually you can attend bigger events, because otherwise it's overwhelming; you're bombarded with business cards and people trying to sell you things and become best friends.
Beth: Yeah, going into a room full of people you don't know and putting yourself out there, I can imagine, is extremely daunting. But the more you go, and if you find the right one for you, I'm sure it gets easier. So we've got a question in: in your experience, and from some of the events you've been to, what would you consider a good networking event versus a not-so-good one? You mentioned relevance, but is there anything else?
Falguni: Yes, again, I think it's very industry-specific. I joined a very famous seven a.m. networking event once – I won't mention names – they meet up weekly, so it's a weekly membership.
For my particular industry, I was in the beauty industry at the time, and the majority of members in the group were male. It was difficult because I hosted hen parties, bridal showers, and similar events, so the male-majority group struggled to find me referrals. I was there for a long time, but I did gain a lot of information, connections, and confidence from that event.
So you've got to ask yourself: am I going to gain anything from being in this particular networking event? It's tricky, and sometimes it is trial and error – what works for one business may not work for another.
If I scroll back to the list I provided, you can see it's huge – over the years, I've been to all of them, and it's interesting: you learn what works for you and what doesn't, and that's the only way to find out.
If you're shy or a bit introverted, some of the larger exhibitions and trade shows can be difficult, unless you're going to go up to people and introduce yourself – it takes time, and they're often not located centrally, so you're paying to get there, and it takes up a whole day. Do you have that kind of time?
The smaller, informal networking events are more of a ‘here's a load of business owners, go and do your own networking' setup. Other types are more structured, so you've got to think about whether you want to be part of a structured networking event where you'll gain more information, and people are actively trying to refer you to clients.
That tends to work well, because you'll see the same people week after week, building relationships and friendships. Some of my greatest friends are from networking events – I've seen them week after week, year after year, watched their businesses grow, and we've helped each other. It's definitely worth it.
Beth: And I could see some comments – people saying the networking of introverts is a big market.
Falguni: It is, because being in business, you're pretty much solo, and you're often an introvert. Sometimes I think introverts set up businesses because they don't want to be out in the open world – and it might be true. I work online now, and I think, you know what? But it's key that you get out there, because you need to be out there.
Even if your business is online – one of my businesses is online, and I'm predominantly online – it's very difficult if I don't go out and network. It's easy to become boxed in.
Beth: Absolutely, yeah, okay. So I think we've got time for a few more. So Elizabeth would like to know how you deal with rejections you might get if you send a follow-up email or message and don't hear back – is that part and parcel of it? How would you deal with that?
Falguni: Absolutely. If you've connected with them at the event and built that rapport, then I've never experienced anybody I've built a rapport with not connecting afterwards. If that happens, don't take it personally – they're probably busy, or it may have ended up in junk mail.
So if you really want to connect, pick up the phone, send them a WhatsApp, and so on. If they've given you their number, and I think somebody asked why I don't put my phone number on my business card, it's because I get so much cold calling and people trying to sell me things. I'm like, if you really want to connect, connect first, and then if we build rapport, I'll give you my number.
If you have a separate business number, then of course you can give that out. I have several businesses, so I can't have a separate number for each one – otherwise I'd have four phones doing different things, and it doesn't work. I've got two different numbers, but that's it, so you have to cut off somewhere.
Beth: Yeah, absolutely, okay. So we've got time for one more – a question in from Paul. Paul would like to know what the best ways are to find networking events, locally, in specific regions, or in specific business sectors. Would you recommend LinkedIn, Eventbrite, or the Chamber of Commerce? Do you have any insight?
Falguni: I like all of them, Paul – there we go. Enterprise Nation, as well, you know, there are so many. I would say start locally, because you can attend easily; if you have to travel two hours to get to a networking event, it makes it a little more difficult, so start locally and research locally.
I go on ChatGPT and put in very specific requirements – if you're specific about what you're looking for, who you're looking for, where, and the outcome, ChatGPT will find you a list of events and networking opportunities. Sometimes people then post those onto Eventbrite, and you can go and do a bit more research from there. I actually found Enterprise Nation via ChatGPT myself, only recently.
So there is a lot out there, so do your research. It will get overwhelming, so just take one thing at a time – it's not a race, it's not a rush. Pick one thing that suits you and feels good, go out and do it: trial and error.
Don't try to do five networking events in one week or one month – it's overwhelming, you'll be bombarded with connections, you won't be able to manage it, and you'll end up hating it. You don't want that, because it's meant to be fun.
Beth: Yeah, it is meant to be fun, so do enjoy it. That's great – I think that's a really nice place to wrap it up. Just enjoy it, it's meant to be fun.
So thank you so much – we've got some lovely thank-yous coming through in the comments. Great session! So just to remind everyone, I've put Falguni's contact details, LinkedIn, and Enterprise Nation adviser profile in the chat, so please do reach out.
There are a few more questions we didn't get to answer today, so please feel free to reach out to Falguni directly. And we will be sending the recording and some further resources later today. So thank you so much for your time, Falguni, and thank you, everyone, for joining us today.
Falguni: No problem – thank you, guys. Bye-bye-bye.
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