You’re at a networking event. You’ve talked to a few people. But those conversations only lasted a few minutes and were pointless. What are you doing wrong?

One thing you may or may not have realized is that entrepreneurs love to talk. More specifically, they love to talk about themselves. The more you get them to talk about themselves, the more they will like you. The more they like you, the more they will open up to you. The more they open up to you, the more you can develop a relationship and learn from them.

I learned this the hard way, and that’s why I’m so inclined to share this mentality with others who come after me…or just want to catch up with me. I spent almost eight months being extremely tight-lipped about my “brilliant” idea. I couldn’t believe it wasn’t out there already, and I felt that everyone would jump on it if I let them in. Well, my scarcity mindset had me paralyzed with fear and growth and development of my company suffered severely.

One of the most underutilized tools in the social media strategies employed by entrepreneurs and community leaders is the niche social network. It’s like having a Facebook like site for your brand or industry. Businesses exist within communities, and struggle every day to find ways to add value to those communities and to effectively engage with their audience. A social network can be the perfect way to accomplish all of these goals in one place.

I used to absolutely hate going to networking events. Back in college, my professors would always emphasize networking being a key player in creating success. Now, I am the first to admit that there may have been just the slightest chance that I may have not been the model college student. And sure, my nonchalant attitude was probably the number one reason why I flat out didn’t understand the science of networking. But my professors insisted and of course I would give it a shot.