Relationships Big or Small, Can Build Opportunity

Tony Hsieh, the CEO of Zappos, believes that people create their own luck and -advises his team to meet as many people as possible and get to know them. He recommends meeting people, engaging and talking with no purpose except to connect. “Think about each person as a new dot on your canvas and over time, you will see the full picture.”  He mentions the power and serendipity of bumping into people and sharing ideas. He also relates a story about going out to dinner with a rep from a very small brand rather than reps from some larger brands he and his business partner had met during a shoe show.  While at that moment the rep from the small brand couldn’t contribute significantly to the Zappos bottom line, he later went on to become the president of a company that they were trying to acquire.   Had they not nurtured that relationship, that opportunity would have been lost.  That is such a great way to look at meeting new people and it makes me want to make even more of an effort to meet people and really connect.

Ann Banning - Wright