June 15, 2026
Eight years ago, I attended a DFW Technical Entrepreneur Group Meetup and struck up a conversation with someone I thought could be a great connection.
Towards the end of the meeting, when people were starting to leave, we tried to exchange information. But we hit a wall. Neither of us had a pen, I'd forgotten my business cards, and with everyone dispersing, we couldn't even borrow one from someone else.
It was awkward and frustrating. We both walked away, but I somehow managed to get his contact information. The problem was, without a system in place, it was easily forgotten. And honestly, I never reached out to nurture that relationship.
That moment stuck with me for years. I realized the problem wasn't that we didn't want to connect but it was that there was no good system in place to make it easy. How many other connections was I losing the same way? How many conversations ended with good intentions but no follow through?
Fast forward to recently. I went to a networking event at the Nook in Light Farms. This time felt different. I came in with a lot more confidence, knowing I actually had the tools to help everyone I met. I ended up connecting with thirty to forty people, and something shifted. I remembered them. Not by accident, but because I had a way to capture who they were and what we talked about.
But here's the thing. I don't want to talk about my solution. "What I want to know is: what do you do?"
When you meet someone at a networking event and want to stay connected, how do you actually make it happen? Do you have a system? Are you organized about it, or do you kind of wing it?
Maybe you use a CRM, or a spreadsheet, or just your phone notes. Maybe you write things on business cards. Maybe you remember people by the conversations you had. Or maybe, like me eight years ago, you sometimes just lose touch and hope they reach out first.
I'm genuinely curious because networking is so personal. There's no one right way. It's whatever works for you and your style.
Some people are naturally great at remembering names and details. Others need structure. Some prefer high tech solutions, others swear by pen and paper.
"The real question underneath all of this is: are you intentional about it, or is it happening by accident? And if you're intentional, what made you decide to have a system in the first place?"