My business turned 11 years old on July 12th.

The very first event was July 12, 2012 at a champagne lounge in Tribeca. Eight people showed up. Then 40. Then 300.

 Very few people know this: I had started a documentary production company. My contract with ABC had come up, and I was having a moment of reflection. If I was on my deathbed, would I have a body of work I could look back on and say proudly “I did that?” 

I didn’t.

For 10 years, I had been getting up between 3:00 am and 4:30 am to do morning television on TV. Business news. It was get it out, get it out. On the hour. Never stopping to make the stories beautiful. 

I wanted to produce longer stories, have time to revise them, and make them beautiful. I decided to launch a documentary production company. I took on a partner, since I was still on the air. Greta suggested hosting monthly meet-ups to do business development and build a project pipeline.

Avenue Media had a short run. But the dark horse brand that really took off was my women’s leadership platform. Eight women showed up to that first event. Then 40. Then consistently 300. 

It’s been 11 years since that first event, and today, how I network and build community has changed slightly. Here are my top seven tips on how to network strategically.

Whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:

1. Join the Samita Lab Mastermind. Join 7 other women leaders in the core program that sits at the center of my business model. The Mastermind teaches you exactly how to build a powerful person brand and the mindset to support it. It culminates in a keynote in front of an audience at the end.
   
   I only enroll for this program once a year.
   
   The waitlist is open for the Class of 2026.
   
   
2. The Anatomy of a 'No' If you’re struggling to say ‘no’ gracefully at work, I created a free download here with scripts (15,000 downloaded)
   
   
3. Help! I need confidence! ****Join 2500 people in taking my mini-public speaking Masterclass. Learn to organize a compelling talk and my framework for making it super easy.