Networking is more about farming than it is about hunting.

– Ivan Misner (Founder & CVO of BNI)

Networking is a term that we might have come across throughout our life but under different contexts. In business, it’s different. When you first enter the MBA classroom, you get a completely different intention behind networking and its usefulness.

Networking sounds like a normal way of communicating and making friends. However, it is way different from this. It starts with having deep value and a goal behind it. Networking is simple for extroverts. It is terrifying for introverts when you step into the business arena. It is always believed that one can’t thrive without making valuable connections.

Personally, despite being paced down by introversion, I have been to conferences. I have volunteered and attended NGO events. I have also visited fairs for the sake of observing and meeting people. And from past experiences, I have made one or two valuable friendships too. But, I have never been to a Networking event. It is driven by its purpose in connecting people of skills and talents who have shared goals or purpose. Such events help in making new relationships that can uplift and add value to one’s professional and personal life.

While getting close to the end of 2022, I was able to experience it during “The Underdog of Madras” event. This was because of my friend Nithin Alexander. He is also the founder of Xander Media. It is his new marketing venture. He also founded The Underdog Community. This is a community for Entrepreneurs and Creators. I have been a silent observer of his growth. I have heard about and rooted for his passion. Seeing it come alive was indeed a very proud moment.

Learn More About Why Networking Is Important In : Forbes & HRB

The Underdogs Of Madras: Experience

To be honest, a part of me wanted to attend the event. Another part of me was a bit anxious. So, I almost missed the chance to attend the event. But thankfully, Nithin opened the registration portal again. I signed up for the event that happened on 26 Nov 2022 from evening 3:00 PM-8:00 PM. I ended up getting a new experience.

When I entered the venue Villa 77 at Adyar after a 1hr travel through various modes of public transport, I was actually a bit freaking out. I didn’t know anyone except Nithin. I haven’t met Nithin for years. The situation felt like attending a wedding where you don’t know anyone. Your only friend is actually the bride. Very awkward at first and thought it would continue that way. Still, I realised it must be the same for many of the participants who came alone.

At first glance, with all the decorations, settings, and props, I could immediately get the impression. The event was planned well. It was really structured well with the help of event organiser “Melam Thalam“. I don’t know whether it’s intentional or not. Even if someone is introverted, this event provides a platform for effective networking.

At first, I approached one random friendly-looking person and conversed with her. Naturally, I was at ease. The event started with the icebreaking session among the 50 participants. This was followed by the guests’ introduction and the final networking sessions. These sessions enabled us to converse with each other, even one on one. The networking session is favourable no matter what your intention to attend the event. During the guest session, we could have gathered the participants for a single Q&A session. This would have been better than breaking into two groups of guests. Other than that, it was absolutely fun.

I haven’t been able to interact with everyone. I was still able to get to know some of the change makers. I listened to the stories of talented entrepreneurs in Chennai. I even conversed with some wonderful people who I couldn’t have met anywhere else. I felt like this event added value to the course of the journey I am going through. And I am glad that despite being anxious I made it to the event and stuck till the end.

The Underdog of Madras: Takeaways

During this meet and greet event, I noticed the effort behind the event planning. I also became aware of the execution. I usually learn faster by putting myself in context. I could observe a lot there. Apart from that, during the guests’ introduction and panel discussion, I learnt a lot. There are indeed valuable takeaways the session offered.

• Getting to know and listen to some of the young, influential and passionate entrepreneurs such as Vinusha MK (Founder of Four Season Pastry), Venu Srinivasan (CEO of Leo Coffee), Richie Richard &Aravind Suresh (Founders of Meen Satti), Shyam Prasad Rajasekaran (Founder of Veg Route), Sriram (Founder of Prime Fort), Vasanth Tamilselvan & Nisha Ramasamy (Founders of Ariro Toys & Winners of Shark Tank India), Sudarshan Babu (Founder of Jinglebid), Deepak Kumar (Founder of Scrollme, Habitate), Sudharsanan Ganapathy (Founder of The Social Company), Edwin J Robert (Founder/CEO of Ping Us), Somasundaram Mahesh (SDE – Disney+ Hotstar), Priyanka Chandramouli (Head of partnership – APAC @Freshworks) and Niranjana Krishnakumar (Founder of Cittaliving)
• This made me realise that even though I have seen most of these people in my LinkedIn feed. I have hardly tried to get to know them or their brand. To be honest, meeting these people gave me more intent to learn more about them. I became curious about their business and their plans. I also want to see how they are going to grow. And bam, that’s when I realised, how effectively they are branding themselves and their business by participating in this event.
• Moreover, it also proved how much I am lacking in terms of knowing people like these. I need to research these growing businesses and startups in Chennai and Tamil Nadu. Because when I spoke with other participants each of them were having someone on the panel as their inspiration. It indeed seeded me an interest to look up more entrepreneurs and be aware.
• I am always interested in stories. Listening to the journey of the above-mentioned guest felt nice. I enjoyed hearing about their beginning and the decisions that carried them to where they are at present. It did motivate me to some extent.
• Besides, I have got to speak with a few of the talented CEOs, budding entrepreneurs and creators. I was able to get more inspiring insights while exchanging my ideas and interests. This way it provided the utmost inspiration, satisfaction of learning and productivity. Finding people with shared interest is always a wonderful thing and definitely Networking session like this gives us these opportunities.
• At the end of the day, I was flooded with more ideas. These ideas included who I can collaborate with in the future and how I can do it.
• Lastly, it gave me a go-go tap on my shoulder. I will actively participate in events like this in future without doubt or fear.

Final Thoughts

I wrote this blog post to bring awareness to all. Most importantly, I want to reach my dearest introverted friends who are giving up on opportunities like these. I also want to recognize Nithin and his team who made this event happen. I am pretty sure it’s just the beginning. I hope there will be many such future events organized by them. They should not lose their purpose. If you are a creator, enabler and entrepreneur make sure to check out the Instagram page “The Underdog Marketers“.