How meaningful encounters with teachers, leaders, and entrepreneurs, together with a tenacious exercise in the art of networking, helped me to acquire the key concepts and tools to tackle entrepreneurship, promote change, and pursue my purpose.
How did I discover the value of networking for entrepreneurship?
In November 2013, while attending a class at Kellogg School of Management, I witnessed a lecture that completely changed my worldview. Brian Uzzi, an expert in networks and organizational behavior, illustrated the latent power in our connections with a simple exercise. That moment helped me realize that networking, when understood and practiced genuinely, is not just another strategy: it’s a way of life—a catalyst for personal and entrepreneurial growth.
What began as a personal intuition turned into a global community, an innovative methodology, and a movement with real impact. That experience was the starting point of Scalabl®.
How is networking related to the origin of Scalabl®?
Inspired by that discovery, I made a simple but powerful decision: to meet a different person every day after work. I started with colleagues and friends, and quickly the network expanded. I listened, shared dreams, connected people, and offered help without expecting anything in return.
That practice led me to:
Provide free advisory to entrepreneurs
Co-found companies with people I met through those conversations
Be invited to teach about entrepreneurship and collaborate with prestigious institutions
Thus, Scalabl® was born—not as an idea on a business plan, but as the direct result of genuine interactions, of giving before receiving, of understanding that social capital is one of the most valuable assets for an entrepreneur.
How did we expand Scalabl® internationally through networking?
What started as a habit became a strategic advantage. Between 2018 and 2020, before the pandemic, networking fueled Scalabl®'s international expansion to over 20 countries, supported by connections forged at institutions like Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Singularity, and Kellogg, and amplified by deep human relationships.
The highlight: being invited as a keynote speaker at G20 Argentina, where over 30 entrepreneurs from the Scalabl® community were part of this milestone. It was no coincidence—it was the natural consequence of a network built with purpose, respect, and generosity.
What role does networking play in the Scalabl® methodology?
Over the years, I discovered that networking principles are embedded in every step of the entrepreneurial methodology:
Problem Interview: involves opening your network, listening empathetically, and understanding without judgment.
Solution Interview and Sales: based on trust-building and the ability to co-create value.
Community and allies: the evolved form of networking: a space of mutual growth, collaboration, and expansion.
Today, Scalabl® teaches how to systematize what was once intuitive—to build sustainable business models with people at the center. Projects where the network is not an accessory, but a competitive advantage.
How does networking impact the success of entrepreneurs?
Over the years, I’ve seen thousands of entrepreneurs and business leaders transform their lives by reconnecting with their network, generating meaningful relationships, and cultivating their social capital.
How to Network Effectively When You're Starting a Business
What should you do first?
Start by giving: offer help before asking for anything in return. Listen attentively.
Have purposeful coffee chats: an informal conversation can open unimaginable doors.
Share your purpose and goals: don’t wait until everything is perfectly defined. Speak authentically.
Where to find people to add to your network?
In your current network: colleagues, former classmates, friends
On social media: who sparks your curiosity? Who is doing something you admire?
In interest-based communities (like Scalabl®)
At events, online seminars, learning programs, sports, and social activities
What mistakes to avoid when networking as an entrepreneur?
Don’t talk only about yourself. Listening is more powerful than impressing. Being present is more valuable than trying to prove your worth.
Don’t collect contacts without building real relationships.
Don’t force connections: seek alignment and shared values.
Today more than ever, I’m convinced that networking is not just a skill—it’s a way of being in the world. A strategic and human approach that, when practiced authentically, can turn ideas into realities, dreams into projects, and projects into vibrant communities.
If you are starting out or reinventing yourself as an entrepreneur, start here: have coffee, listen, connect, help. Because perhaps, as it happened to me, that network is the origin of your next great leap.
Do you want to practice strategic networking in community?
At Scalabl®, we create spaces where you can practice and expand your network with purpose. Our global community connects thousands of entrepreneurs, business leaders, and changemakers who share learnings, opportunities, and real collaboration.
Check out our Online Course in Entrepreneurship and Innovation
