You never know where a conversation will lead – whether it will be a dead-end that leads nowhere or a trail head that marks the start of your journey.
Recently I attended a local fashion industry event. It was a Palm Royal-themed happy hour and everyone’s outfits were just as fun as you imagine they would be. There were a dozen or so brands with a little booth set up at the event and one of which was a newly-launched kidswear brand. I went up and introduced myself to the owner, Jeff.
Nearly three years ago Jeff and I had spoken about his brand idea. Being that he was wanting to create children’s clothes and I specialize in women’s, we weren’t a good fit to work together, but I had shared about the overall development process and pointed him towards some other people who could help.
We met for the first time at this industry event. He had a rack with samples of his first collection next to him and he said that the bulk production run had just arrived that day. You could see the excitement! “You were one of the first people who I talked to and you pointed me to the resources that helped me make this launch happen.”
Don’t underestimate the significance of conversations. Even conversations with people in your network who aren’t in your industry or directly related to what you do can point you to the right path.