[GyopoPlayboy]

There's a lot of talk here about living the location-independent lifestyle and working on your own, but isn't there just as much to be said about the invaluable networking opportunities that come with working a regular job?

I'm asking because I'm at a crossroads where I've built up enough of a client base to go independent and work from anywhere, but there's a limit to how much I can make or work because I'm only one person.

Another option that presented itself recently is that my current work attracted the attention of a huge MNC that wants me to work for them fulltime. My pay would drop significantly from what I'm making now, but I'm very much attracted to the incredibly talented people I met working there who are very entrepreneurial and would make tremendous business partners in the future due to their training, skills, and attitude (skills I don't have).

Networks matter. I tried starting an e-commerce business with someone from the finance world and we just kept dragging our feet, not knowing what the next step was, sinking around 5K into it before we both quit out of frustration.

I'm trying to weight the pros and cons of both decisions now. Feel free to PM me for more personal questions related to my situation.

[Cincinnatus]

While some networking opportunities obtained through regular employment have great value, I place greater value on self-reliance and location-independence, as I would imagine most RVF members do.

I think Roosh himself once wrote that he'd rather earn $20,000 annually and have location independence, than earn $80,000 annually and be chained to a shithole like D.C.

I agree with him. Freedom doesn't have a price tag.

[GyopoPlayboy]

(09-09-2012 11:29 PM)MSW2007 Wrote:  

While some networking opportunities obtained through regular employment have great value, I place greater value on self-reliance and location-independence, as I would imagine most RVF members do.

I think Roosh himself once wrote that he'd rather earn $20,000 annually and have location independence, than earn $80,000 annually and be chained to a shithole like D.C.

I agree with him. Freedom doesn't have a price tag.

I wholeheartedly agree with you there. But you mention that "some networking opportunities" could have great value, so I'm wondering how you would make that decision? In what kind of situation would you give up the prized location-independent route and shackle up, at least for the time it would take to build up the network you need to get to a bigger, greater goal?

[Thomas the Rhymer]

(09-09-2012 11:19 PM)GyopoPlayboy Wrote:  

There's a lot of talk here about living the location-independent lifestyle and working on your own, but isn't there just as much to be said about the invaluable networking opportunities that come with working a regular job?

If the network is the only reason you want to work there, might I suggest the following:

Explain to the large company that you want to first visit the company to make sure you are a good fit for the company and to find out wether your skillset would really add value to their operation.

While you visit the company, say hi to everyone. Try to make 2 minute rambles and finish off with a business card close. Try not to make a firm commitment on the job offer, explain that you need to sleep on it after your fact finding mission.

Go home, choose which people at that company you want to keep in touch with, make lunch dates with them. Be an asshole - do not feel guilty about rejecting the job offer, and do not feel guilty about having used the job opportunity purely as a means to meet these people.

Once you've met these people for lunch or whatever, you can start to absorb them into your network. Then you have the network without having had to work at the company. You can always use your contacts to get introduced to even more people in the company.

As for location indepence, you can build a network anywhere. provided that you swallow your approach anxiety and actively seek marks to interact with. You may end up with a far more useful and wider network by being location independent than if you hole yourself up in a company.

Unless there are other compelling reasons to take the job, I think networking is a lame excuse to work somewhere, because you can always asshole your way into knowing people in the company - then why work there in the first place?

[RichieP]

IMO you're equating networking with "business skills". The former helps with the latter, of course, but they arent the same thing.

Your initial ecommerce experience wasnt necessarily a networking problem. It's a "business chops" problem. You can start to absorb business chops by being around other successful ppl and networking with them, but you can also absorb it by jumping in, going it alone, massive trial and error and reading everything under the sun relevant to your business at whatever point along the road it is. E.g. first you learn all about niche markets, then all about sales and marketing, then conversion. Then all about outsourcing. Then about management and systems and processes improvement. etc. There's alot of shit out there in books and on the net, but there's alot of gold too.

Also it's very possible to network location-independently. I've met more interesting entrepreneurs with successful, location independent incomes out here on the road than I ever did in London. Then again, I'm obviously missing out on certain opportunities and exposure to certain types of high-powered people that you'd only meet in big city corporate circles.

For me it was never a choice though. A corporate job was never for me, so I've had to start getting my business chops on my own. It can be done - reading the very best books in each area counts for alot, and you will find networking opps, especially in 4HWW-type popular places like Thailand, etc.

Really its down to you. I really like ThomasTheRhymer's post... go meet them and make connections, but dont take the job lol. That's the kind of entrepreneurial hack you'll need to succeed in business anyway.

[Vicious]

I'm one of the guys looking at location independence but having a difficult time getting the math to work out. I make good money in my current job that includes all the typical Swe welfare Perks, the most prominent one being 5 weeks of paid vacation. Giving up those perks to start hustling again is still beyond my abilities.

[Kitsune]

I don't think that those business problems for your ecommerce store were network related.
I run ecommerce stores and I don't have a network for them; merely my suppliers, which I cold-called, and the various people I outsource to, which I also found online.

That said, not all people are cut out for the 'location independent - entrepreneur' thing. It isn't as easy as Ferriss makes out, that's for sure.

I mean, there is always middle ground. I'm now running a marketing business which isn't location independent in that my cutomers are from one area, but I work from my laptop most days and can do all my location based work on a monday-wednesday, meaning I can travel for four days a week if the need suits me.

You needn't necessarily be an entrepreneur to do something like this. I imagine if you worked as a consultant or something you could arrange your meetings in a more compact way.

[Smitty]

Networks matter in business. Networks also used to have more meaning in the past than they do today. In the past (in the U.S.) workers spent more time in one organization and they developed deeper relationships with their coworkers. Coworkers were close with each other because they lived in the same neighborhoods, their kids grew up together, and they often worked with each other for decades. They would "go to bat" for each other and not think twice about calling in a favor.

Today we have a much more diffuse and transient workforce which makes it much more difficult to establish and maintain meaningful relationships with the people in our network. The result is that we call the people in our network "contacts" and not "friends." I believe it was MikeCF who said something to the effect of focus on building relationships, not networks. Good advice and very important for someone just getting started in a career. In my experience, contacts last about a year but friendships will last forever.

GyopoPlayboy, you seem entrepreneurial. Based on what you wrote in your first message above, if I were you I'd surround myself with smart people, learn from them, build relationships and then find a way to go independent again. Some people rot in a cubicle and piss and moan about it the entire time, while others know that it's not simply a means to a shitty end -- they maximize the opportunity and use it to their advantage. If the MNC opportunity will help you to learn from smart people, build strategically important relationships and put you in a better position a year or two down the road, then take a step back financially and do it. Build your foundation now and then execute with vigor.