Hey there!

I hope you're having a great day. Have you ever heard of the concept of weak ties? I first came across it in the book "The Defining Decade" by Meg Jay and let me tell you, it completely changed the way I thought about networking.

You see, sometimes we get so caught up in our close circles that we miss out on all the amazing opportunities that lie beyond them. That's where weak ties come in. They're the people you know, but not super well or someone you are connected to through other people. Maybe it's that friend's cousin who works in a company you're interested in. Or that person you met at a summer camp years ago. These might seem like small connections, but they can open doors to things you never thought possible.

I've personally benefited from weak ties in so many crazy and unexpected ways. Like when I went to study in Brazil and met people who connected me to other people in different countries I went to visit later. Or when I met my co-founder through a chance encounter with a speaker at a summer camp over a decade before we began doing business together. And even when I made a career change in the past from data analysis to information security. I mentioned in a previous post about how I got to speak at a voiceover conference. This opportunity came as a result of a weak tie - a fellow voiceover artist that I had gotten to know on LinkedIn who put me forward to be considered as one of the panellists. All of these things came about because of weak ties.

To leverage weak ties, you can’t rely on luck. You have to be intentional about building and leveraging weak ties. And that's why I wanted to share this with you. I know we all have big goals and aspirations, and I truly believe that weak ties are the key to unlocking your potential in both business and life.

If you're looking to expand your network and open doors to new opportunities, I recommend checking out the book: "Who Not How" by Dan Sullivan. It's a great book that delves deeper into the concept of leveraging connections to achieve your goals.

LinkedIn is a great platform to leverage weak ties and expand your network. Here are a few actionable steps you can take to start building and leveraging weak ties on LinkedIn:

* Connect with people you've met in the past but haven't kept in touch with: LinkedIn makes it easy to reconnect with people you've met in the past, but haven't kept in touch with. Reach out and reconnect with them, and see how you can help each other out.

* Join groups and participate in discussions: Joining groups and participating in discussions is a great way to connect with people in your industry or with similar interests. This is a great way to build weak ties and expand your network.

* Reach out to people in your industry: LinkedIn is a great way to connect with people in your industry. Reach out to people you admire or who work in companies you're interested in and see if they're open to connecting.

* Attend virtual events: With the advent of the pandemic, virtual events became more and more popular. Attend virtual events in your industry, and reach out to people you meet there.

* Leverage your existing network: Your existing network can also be a great source of weak ties. Ask your friends and colleagues if they know anyone in your industry or who might be able to help you with your goals.

Remember, building and leveraging weak ties takes time and effort, but it is a valuable investment in the long run. The more weak ties you have, the more opportunities you'll have to achieve your goals and reach your potential.

As always, feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or want to chat more about this topic.

Happy networking!

Resources mentioned [Affiliate Links]

* "Who Not How" by Dan Sullivan (Amazon UK | Amazon US)

* The Defining Decade by Meg Jay (Amazon UK | Amazon US)

TLDR Summary

* Weak ties are connections you have with people who you don’t know super well.

* Weak ties can give access to opportunities beyond your close network.

* Weak ties helped the author in finding a co-founder, being invited to be on a voiceover conference panel, and changing careers.

* Weak ties need to be built and leveraged intentionally.

* LinkedIn is a great platform to build and leverage weak ties.

* Building and leveraging weak ties takes time and effort but it's a valuable investment in the long run.

Thanks for reading Ore’s Gist! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

About the author

Hi 👋, I'm Ore Apampa. I am an entrepreneur and voiceover artist based in the UK but I do love to travel so I'm not always there. I share stories about my experience being a voiceover artist whilst doing a PhD and being a startup co-founder at Pathfound - a career and future prep company. I'm hoping sharing the things I learn on my journey will help other people on their journeys. Subscribe to my newsletter - Ore's Gist to be notified when I post something new.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit oresgist.substack.com