I haven't gotten around to putting any blogs up the last two or three weeks but for a good reason. I was contacted through my personal email by someone who was looking for someone to help out with a business plan. I read it, and moved it directly to my spam folder. Why would anyone approach me about a writing a business plan? I thought it was one of those email scams that is just fishing for any kind of personal information.To my surprise, a few days later I got another email inquiring about the exact same topic from the same individual. I decided to investigate the emails a little further and it turned out, I was legitimately being approached by an entrepreneur who knew my background and wanted to team up with me for an idea he had. Never in my wildest dreams would I have expected someone approaching me out of the blue to ask about pairing up for a potential business opportunity!
Turns out, my name (through "random" networking that I participated in throughout college) had gotten to him through a friend of a friend. It is absolutely amazing how small connections you make with any person throughout your life can come back to you (and I'm only 23!). After replying to this guy through email, he decided he would like to meet up with me in person to talk business. He drove about two hours to meet me and we agreed upon a basic package where I would write up a business plan for him for a set price.
To think that an absolute stranger who heard my name decided to drive two hours to come talk to me face-to-face is absolutely stunning--and it all stems from networking and taking a risk. Now I cannot say that I have wisdom on the subject like many of you reading this blog do, but I have had countless of people from an executive level to an hourly level employee tell me never to say no to a good opportunity. Whether it is a random opportunity like I described earlier or that random project that has been tossed around your group at work, grab hold of that opportunity and give it your all. These random projects is what builds perspective, reputation, and allows you to build and strengthen your basic leadership skills. Proving that you are proficient in learning a new topic or completing something outside of your expertise is not only self-fulfilling but is a strength that is downright marketable.
Do you have a random opportunity that you came across recently? Feel free to comment or email me with any stories, questions, or concerns you may have.
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