According to Thomas Kwaka (better known as Big Ted), a well-known event’s organizer, CEO of the Main Events Company and Deputy Director in charge of State branding and events, the older generation has us beat when it comes to networking. He credits this to the fact that older people valued a more interpersonal communication approach. Resulting in doing business with a friend that shares your goals (A simple partnership to make). Networking is a grave deal in the world of business and this is accredited by most past prosperous Founder speakers.

Some of the small things Big Ted lives by is that every day, he carries 10 business cards to distribute to people. However, he only hands them out to people he can collaborate with and produce something productive. He believes that if you surround yourself with people with the same problems as you, none of you will progress.

“If I say that I’m struggling to pay rent and all of you say the same thing, we are in the wrong room because none of us can help the other. We can only find comfort in sharing a similar burden but maybe if I socialize with the landlords, I get to see a different perspective and even learn something.” Thomas Kwaka said

He also makes it a point to speak to as many people as he can. He gave the example that every time he goes to a bar (upmarket bar), he speaks to someone. Lastly, there’s value in spending time with people from different age groups. Big Ted gave the example of frequenting social settings consisting of older people and just learning from them. Networking is a key determinant to the growth of a business but the most important factor may very well be how you network.