Those of you who know me will also know that I'm addicted to
conferences. For me, the eye-opener was the second edition of
the European Shareware Conference. I went there just to see what
it was like, not knowing anyone. I am very shy in nature, and
it's not always easy to get to know new people. But when I was
there, I went to the informal drinks the evening before the
conference, and knew everyone who was there in no time.
I actually think that going there without knowing anyone was an
advantage. I could not just sit there alone all the time, and
had to talk to people I didn't know. During the next few days of
the conference, I made it a habit to ask everyone who they were
and what they were doing. The result was an unforgettable
experience, a lot of fun and long lasting friendships.
After this experience, I got addicted to the conferences, like I
said. I'm now helping with organizing the ESWC, but I've also
been to ISDEF several times, I've been to SWRUS-Kiev for the
first time this year, and I've been to Tech*Ed Europe 2 times.
The conferences are my holidays, and it's where I meet some of
my best friends.
Next to going to these conferences, I also started joining
online communities, such as ASP and AISIP, and participating in
newsgroups and forums. This can be very time consuming, and you
have to be smart in it: Don't read every word anyone has ever
written. You just don't have the time for that. But participate
in these conversations which are interesting to you.
Another thing I did was volunteer work for the ASP. Volunteer
work means that you have to put a lot of work in without getting
paid or getting anything back. But still I'm very happy to do
it, even if sometimes it gets difficult to find the time.
And of course, being a conference lover, I also started speaking
at conferences. I was very insecure about this at first, but in
the end it turns out to be fun and not difficult at all, and
it's a great way for getting people to know you.
To be honest, the real reason for doing all this is simply
because I enjoy it. But the nice side effect is that everyone
knows me, and that I can just call up a large number of people
to ask them to do something together.
My father asked me yesterday if I get anything out of those
conferences. My answer was yes. I do get something out of it.
Except for the friendships, there have also been great
partnerships formed there. For example, some people I met are
now selling my software as affiliates.
My business, as most of you know, is software. But the same
principles go for any type of business. If you want to succeed
in business, it's important to know lots of people. It's
important that people trust you and know exactly who you are and
what you are doing.
These days I don't limit myself anymore to people I accidentally
meet on conferences and in online communities. These days, I
actively search for new contacts to set up partnerships. I
always treat these people as my friends.
And you know what's interesting? Once you know more people, they
will also introduce you to their friends, and they will say that
they have an interesting idea for you to work together with
someone they know. They will do this for free, just because
that's what friends do.
You already know how it works with money: Once you have lots of
money it's easy to make more. The same is also very true for
business relationships. Once you know lots of people, they will
introduce you to others all the time, and before you know it you
meet even more people, and even get access to people you always
thought would never be reachable.
So if you are serious about your business, it's vitally
important to go to events such as ESWC and participate in online
communities, and at times actively pursue new contacts to help
you bring your business to the next level.
