That one Thursday where every handshake paid off twice

Last month I hit a stretch in Midtown where three separate coffee meetups turned into actual work, not just small talk. First guy at the Peachtree Center Starbucks passed my name to a startup needing a part-time sysadmin, that alone covered my rent for the month. Second one was a random chat at a Ponce City Market rooftop event, she runs a small law firm and needed someone to fix their printer hell for 400 bucks. Third was a follow-up from a job fair in Buckhead two weeks prior, and that one landed a recurring consult gig worth 1,200 a month. I usually hate scheduling stuff back to back, but that day proved the numbers game works if you show up ready. Anyone else have a day where three random connections all panned out at once?

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1 Comment

martinez.paul9d ago

So how do you actually prep for these meetups without turning them into awkward sales pitches, because I feel like that's the fine line nobody talks about? I've walked into too many coffee chats where I tried too hard to pitch and people just shut down, versus the times I just listened and let them vent about their tech problems. That Peachtree Center one sounds like you genuinely helped them before they even mentioned the startup, am I right? I think the magic is in doing something small and useful right there, like fixing a setting on their phone or explaining a dumb error message, so they remember you as the person who solved stuff, not just another schmoozer. It sounds like you've got a system where you're already solving their pain before the ask, so what's your trick for reading when someone's actually got a lead versus just being polite?