How do folks meet interesting people in their area?
I'm on a quest to meet a lot of new people this year. Intentionally keeping "a lot" vague because I don't know what's a reasonable pace, but let's start with 1 per week for the rest of the year & adjust from there. Would love to hear how others meet folks in their area
Maybe I don't use twitter correctly? Linkedin seems too difficult to filter for "interestingness". I'm hoping I can find folks here, but it also seems like Indie Hackers is fairly remote/digital. Meetup seems to be less popular these days, at least in Boston 🤔
How have you made new connections with like-minded folks where you're located?
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Honestly, the simplest thing that added a lot to my efforts whenever I want to meet new folks... straight up asking them if they want to be friends! It's an under utilized angle. :) If I meet someone online or in person who I believe to be interesting I will literally say, "Listen, making new friends as an adult is sometimes awkward but here goes - I think you're interesting and I'd like to get to know you better. Want to have coffee later?" Truly works wonders in forging new relationships. Even if either party decides we're not really that compatible as friends, the connection was made!
Makes sense to me! I think the problem I'm trying to solve is how to put myself in more situations for meeting folks casually
It was easier back when I went to the office 5 days a week & saw the same faces regularly
Have you read "The 2 hour cocktail party" by Nick Gray? I love the concept.
Another thing I've been doing is holding whiskey tastings. I'm new to my area, so I ask a friend I know to come over for a whiskey tasting and to invite a couple of people.
I actually just ordered it yesterday! I've heard about it him / the book on a few podcasts now so figured it was time to order it.
What were your biggest takeaways from the book? Love the idea of asking friends to bring other friends to your whiskey tastings
The overall concept is solid. It will help you become a networking focal point. It won't really work in my small community, but if I were in a bigger city I would do it.
I have the same issue. Was at a co-working place but it fizzled out. Now I regularly go to a local coffee shop. Met some cool folks that work remote there too. Plus lots cheaper than co-working with the benefit of delicious drinks! ☕
I've seen meetup decline in my area too. I've tried hosting on there but I think covid killed the user base.
Me and some remote friends have a slack group if anyone is interested. https://join.slack.com/t/remoteworkaroo/shared_invite/zt-1ung5vvqa-GwygmhqFaW4oXEeZhGyf4g
I'm in north Atlanta and down to cowork with anyone ever over here! Gonna try hosting an indie hacker group next I think.
Thanks for sharing your Slack group!! Hope hosting the indie hacker meetup goes well :)
Similar to @kamphey , I once hosted a event (Live Hacking: How to hack into a website). I thought this would be a good way to start, since non-techies perceive this as a commonly known "exciting" area.
Once the live presentation was set up, I put out some cheap flyers on the university campus and asked a speaker from the startup incubator there to talk about it. In Germany, a local feed app called Jodel is popular among students, and I did 2-3 promo posts there.
In a coworking space, I rearranged the meeting room to allow up to 20 people to attend.
Result: there were 7 people, 2 of them acquaintances of mine and 2 from the coworking space because they were curious. One group even came from the said incubator.
I think if you do this regularly, you can build a local platform. In my opinion, if you want to pull this off, you shouldn't focus on the regionality, but on the topic. Focus on the context of such events. Even if that means thinking beyond your own location.
Had not thought about topic vs location. That makes sense to me 🤔 If you want to become the go to person for something, it's best to have a very specific thing that you're known for
Where are you based? I travel a lot so finding permanent communities in person is hard. Exploring hobbies whereever I go is the best way (bjj, backpacking, nomad/entrepreneur meetups)
I turned to online to start building connections and a fair few have lead to in-person meet-ups. Twitter has been the best source for me, but I've just started discovering Discord and Slack commmunities
Back when I was rock climbing regularly, it was a great way to have casual conversations with people
Yeah, it's much easier to find like-minded people when your hobby is not tied to internet. Can just go to local sports store or climbing spot and hangout :D Actually one of the my longest "active" groups right now are social runs(just a bunch of people running together few times a week, got in on accident while buying a new pair of Hoka shoes at https://rununited.com/hoka/ and saw an event flyer. Been almost 2 years now of running with 'em!)
Which are the best places you found while traveling as a nomad?
It depends on your vibe, but mine have been Cape Town (number 1 for me) and Medellin- only got here last week but already love it.
Do you nomad at all?
I plan to nomad when I start marketing my product. Honestly, I can't code while traveling ;-)
Sounds good! Whats the product?
I've made new connections by hosting events, not just attending them. I hosted the Indiehackers meetup in Bali almost 4 years ago. Met some great people, friends, who showed up. And ended up in a group that still meets to this day every week.
I also host a board game night at coworking spaces. Go to coworking spaces and share what you love. You'll find people who want to do that too!
But beware, I also hosted a email newsletter meetup, and only one person showed up. it's not all a huge group all the time. But that one person ended up becoming a cofounder with me of a SaaS product, within a year. So Maybe it's about quality not quantity.
Love your story about hosting the Bali meetup! Sounds like you met a great group of people. Have any tips for hosting events like there where you don't know most of the attendees?
Find networks, find spaces, find existing communities. Host an Indiehackers meetup. It's free!
You don't have to host a presentation if you don't want to present. Just a meetup, a networking event. If you go to coworking spaces, you are doing them a favor of hosting the event. They might even be able to tell you what has recently been asked for.
Coworking spaces are one thing, but another is going to a VC, seriously cold call a VC and ask if you can host a meetup event with them. They provide the space, you host the event.
But also try to find Facebook Groups, Whats App groups, Telegram Groups, Slack Groups. anything related (regionally or otherwise)
Also fall in love with the process because the results can be varied. I've hosted board game nights and 7 ppl played, sometimes 15 people, but also once 0 people showed up. Literally just last week I organized the space, and in our chat group only one person RSVP'ed. they were the ones who canceled! I was still gonna do it but they didnt' want to just meet 1:1.
Everyone's purpose is different. Some people want to meet others. Some people want to learn a new skill. in my case some people want to play hardcore board games, some people want to speak more english, some people want to play funny party games. Everyone's different.
I'm joining a local dad group right now and I bet some people want support, some people want an adult to talk to, some people want someone to have a beer with, some people want nanny advice, or need to find a play group, or need to find a better dinner spot. In any situation if you're hosting.. or joining... everyone's got a different reason.
How did you find the dad group? That's a cool idea.
I asked the day care my son goes to.
Thanks for all the advice! Seems like you've found a process that works for you. Would never have thought of cold calling a VC as an option.
A lot of this happened more organically for me pre-COVID when I was in the office 5 days a week, and at the rock climbing gym 3-4, but now working from home mostly, it's easy to let a whole week go by w/o meeting anyone new
I've met more interesting people online than offline, especially since COVID. I actively scout for communities I can join on Discord, Slack or really any platform and aim to schedule as many 1-1s as I can in those groups.
If you're based in a place where events are common, it's great to attend those. If not, always a great time to be a host yourself.
Building a community of your own is also a great way to meet super smart people. I have been working on this myself and can really say it's been incredible so far.
Thanks for the answer! How do you find these Slack & Discord communities?
I only use Slack @ work and have barely used Discord
I found by searching relevant areas I was looking for help with, like building my newsletter or by vertical, like web3 and fintech, which are areas I am interested in.
Some I've also found through Twitter.
I suggest that you go to a coworking space, as these are currently the best places in small and big cities. You'll be able to meet new people who are working on different products and services. Give coworking a try!
Any favorites you have for meeting folks?
I'm in the Boston area & seems like the choices are fairly limited here unfortunately. May give WeWork a try to switch things up from my usual WFH routine
You must try this
Ah, that's a good question. I have this question myself and while meetup allows me to attend tech events in nyc, it's not really great for finding other things to do with people. So I decided to see if I can build my own solution and started working on looknforgroup. Add yourself to the waitlist so you know when it's launched!
And let me know if there's anything you'd think would be great to have in the app.
Like the idea! What's your user acquisition strategy for the app?
Gonna try organic reach first so social communities like Reddit, Facebook, forums and talking to people about the app in populated areas in nyc, giving/placing handouts in populated areas with qr codes etc. Gonna try to be as creative as possible and enjoy trying to manually attain users for abit just to see how well it works, then add paid ads about a month or so in.
Curious to hear how the qr code strategy plays out! Seems like it could be an effective way to get a lot of people who live near each other on the platform.
But I also can't speak to how likely people are to use random QR codes in general
Will this only work in nyc?
Not at all, it'll be wherever you're located. Just set your location and distance!
It's great to hear that you're on a quest to meet new people this year and expand your network. Making new connections can be challenging, but there are many ways to do so.
You mentioned Twitter and LinkedIn as potential avenues for meeting new people, but they may not be the most effective for your goals. Instead, consider attending local events or conferences related to your interests. This could include industry-specific events, meetups, or even volunteer opportunities. These events can provide a natural opportunity to strike up a conversation with like-minded individuals.
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Offlate I have been travelling across SEA and working from different cities. A few things that have worked for me to meet interesting people - find old local bars to visit (even if you don't drink), co-working space especially ones with active community. And lastly see for activities & tours :)
How much does this nomad lifestyle in SEA costs you roughly per month?
Well, it depends city to city (some are more expensive w.r.t. stay and general cost of living), and personal choices.
With mid-range stays, flights between cities and general cost; it can be around 2000-2500 USD.
1200 USD - 2500 USD is a good range IMO.
I have the same problem too ! I live in Bangladesh and I really cannot find people who are thinking like minded like me(SaaS entrepreneurship). And people use Facebook in here a lot but for entertainment. 😓
Interesting! Does Bangladesh have any hotspots for entrepreneurs in the SaaS space?
not really. Did you read the famous book Rich Dad Poor Dad ? In there the writer found a friend, similar mind set as him, named Mike. 😌 I really wish I could find my Mike in my journey soon.
mostly in telegram chats
Interesting question!
If you imply interesting people based on shared interests, then popular sites that have a region-specific filter are a way to start. If the question broadens to finding interest in almost anyone, then ceasing from judging people is a way to start. Just observe them as they are; if you do this well enough, then you will find insights about them that will surprise or interest you.
On a side note, my upcoming launch(app) offers such filters. Because I believe It is time for similar-minded people to meet and collaborate in a new way. Also, to build businesses together.
I tried meetup.com, probably advise against it. But, with everything, the more you do it the more likely it is to happen.
There are a decent amount of volunteer clubs with older people that are interesting and these people are usually quite accomplished in their respective fields.
I've had some luck with meetup.com
I joined an Indie London group that has a lot of like-minded people, as you can imagine.
Where do you find the volunteer clubs? I like that idea.
My past experience with meetup (at least for developer / coding related meetups) is that it's basically a lecture followed by some food with more or less zero interaction. Folks mostly seemed like they were there for the free food 😅
Yea. The developer ones are surprisingly weirder than I even thought they would be.
As for clubs. Since I don't know where you are. Start with something outside of tech you are interested in. For me, it was helping homeless and mentally disabled. I don't think it really matters so much what it is.
This isn't a proven theory. But from my experience the people that volunteer are older people who enjoy working and were very successful in their careers. They don't need money but they still like to work, be active, and be social. Lots of wisdom from these folks.
Makes a lot of sense re: the type of people who typically volunteer