How to Build a Professional Network From Scratch | with Courtney Lucas

Quality Over Quantity: Networking for Real Connection with Fernanda Brasileiro

Ever come home from a networking event having met thirty people and wondered if a single one of them will ever matter? What if the secret isn't working the whole room, but having two or three real conversations and letting trust do the rest? In this heartfelt episode of the Network Build Grow Podcast, host Melissa Taylor sits down with Fernanda Brasileiro — a 20-year supply chain leadership veteran turned founder of two businesses: a people-development consultancy helping companies fix team dynamics, trust, and culture, and Filled Cups, a Charlotte social-connections brand built to fight the loneliness epidemic. Fernanda is candid about being on a learning journey with networking, and she shares how she went from "business card shark" to building genuine, lasting connections. Top Takeaways Trade quantity for quality — Fernanda used to try to meet everyone in the room and left exhausted. Now she goes deep with two or three people and the connections actually last. Trust is the foundation of everything — Borrowing from Patrick Lencioni's pyramid: without trust at the base, teams (and relationships) have nothing to build on. Connection is how you get there. Choose events that match your needs — At this stage, Fernanda prioritizes groups that offer real learning and professional development, not just mixers. Know what you actually need before you go. Open with humor — Her go-to icebreaker is a light joke about the situation a drink, the room, an awkward moment to make the first exchange feel human, not transactional. Build a simple follow-up system — A Google Sheet "informal CRM" captures every card, with a formula flagging anyone she hasn't spoken to in three months so they land in her outreach queue. Lead with active listening — Be genuinely interested, ask curious follow-up questions, and make the other person feel heard. (Melissa's "X Games" expand, explain, give an example are an easy way to remember it.) Be a connector, not a taker — Fernanda follows up to offer help and introductions, not to extract something. Generosity is what makes networking feel good and work long-term. Failure is tuition — An earlier e-commerce side hustle didn't survive, but it taught her marketing, time management, and how many hats running a business really takes lessons she carries into both ventures today. About Fernanda Brasileiro Fernanda Brasileiro is the founder of a people-development consultancy that helps medium and large companies improve team dynamics, engagement, culture, and trust through workshops, training programs, onboarding, coaching, and fractional learning-and-development support. Drawing on 20 years of corporate supply chain leadership, she now works as a thought partner and advisor rather than a full-time employee. She's also the founder of Filled Cups, a Charlotte-based social-connections brand that hosts monthly social and singles events to combat the loneliness epidemic having helped 200+ people form genuine friendships since launching in November 2024 and hosts the Connectedness podcast on relationships, friendship, and personal growth. Resources & Links 🌐 Network Build Grow Community: networkbuildgrow.com  🧑‍💼 People Development Consultancy — Leadership development, team training, onboarding & fractional L&D FernandaBrasileiro.com 🔔 Subscribe for weekly conversations on networking, leadership, branding, and business growth  🌐 Join the Network Build Grow community at networkbuildgrow.com

How to Build a Professional Network From Scratch | with Courtney Lucas

What do you do when you've spent years working remotely and suddenly realize you have no professional network and your new business depends on building one fast? And how do you turn a hallway conversation into a client without ever sounding salesy? In this practical episode of the Network Build Grow Podcast, host Melissa Taylor sits down with Courtney Lucas, founder of Steel Talent Solutions, an outsourced recruiting firm built for small and mid-sized manufacturing and distribution companies. After nearly a decade working remotely, Courtney launched her business and had to build a professional network from the ground up. She shares exactly how she did it — from choosing the right rooms to following up the right way — plus a real story of landing a prospect she met while sneaking out of a networking event. Top Takeaways Build your network from zero, on purpose — After nine years remote, Courtney had no local network. The fix: research groups before you go, walk in with no preconceptions, and stay genuinely curious about people. Get in the room with your ideal client — For a niche business, industry-specific groups (like Women in Manufacturing) put you in front of the exact decision-makers and founders you want to serve. Pair them with broader groups like a chamber or Network Build Grow. Skip "What do you do?" — Courtney opens with whether someone's a member, if they've been to the venue, or where they're from easing into a real conversation before it turns transactional. Networking is relationship-building, not speed dating — Show up, ask questions, listen more than you talk, and follow up. The biggest mistake seasoned networkers make is dominating the conversation instead of having one. See people two or three times before the one-on-one — Going back to the same group repeatedly is what makes those repeat connections and meaningful coffees actually happen. Persistent isn't pushy — Most people stop knocking after the first try. A lighthearted, well-timed second message ("thanks for being persistent") is often what opens the door. Be the connector — Introduce people with nothing in it for you. Like a gumball machine, the right connections come back around even if not from the person you helped. Lead with authenticity and a little vulnerability — "I don't even know what I don't know" disarms people. Showing up as a genuine human is what makes you memorable. About Courtney Lucas Courtney Lucas is the founder of Steel Talent Solutions, an outsourced recruiting service provider for small to mid-sized businesses (roughly 25–250 employees) in manufacturing and distribution. She built her model to give growing companies expert, end-to-end recruiting support from writing the job description through onboarding without the steep 20–30% agency fees that price most small businesses out. After nearly ten years working remotely for a Manhattan-based company, Courtney launched her business in Charlotte and built her professional network entirely from scratch, an experience that shapes her relationship-first, authenticity-driven approach to networking. Resources & Links 🌐 Network Build Grow Community: networkbuildgrow.com 🏭 Steel Talent Solutions — Outsourced, end-to-end recruiting for small and mid-sized manufacturing & distribution businesses : www.steeletalent.com 🔔 Subscribe for weekly conversations on networking, leadership, branding, and business growth  🌐 Join the Network Build Grow community at networkbuildgrow.com

From a $25 Pair of Socks to a Signed Contract: Building a Business on Relationships | Randal Doane

What if your next big client isn't waiting at a networking event, but on the other end of a relationship you've quietly tended for years? And what if the most disruptive question you can ask in a crowded room isn't "What do you do?"  but "What do you do for fun?" In this warm and wide-ranging episode of the Network Build Grow Podcast, host Melissa Taylor sits down with Randal Doane — founder of Cadence Editorial Services, author of Stealing All Transmissions: A Secret History of The Clash, and a self-described introvert with a punk-rock approach to building relationships. From a winding path through sociology and academia to hanging up his shingle as a writer with no network and no business training, Randal shares how showing up, playing nice, and paying real attention turned a referral-first practice into something that runs almost entirely on relationships. Top Takeaways Lead with the person, not the pitch — Randal often opens with "What do you do for fun?" Some people freeze; the ones who lean in, you really get to know and that's where the real connection (and business) starts. Reciprocity compounds — A $25 gift certificate for mountain-biking socks (chosen because he actually knew the person) turned into a six-figure project, two years of work, and eventually an in-house role. Small, genuine gestures pay off in ways you can't predict. Your passion project is your brand — Randal still writes a monthly rock-and-roll essay on Substack and LinkedIn. People who've never met him walk up at events asking, "So what are you writing now?" Memorable beats polished. Referrals are the engine — Over 95% of his business comes from referrals. You don't go to networking events hunting your next client you go to get to know people and let them get to know you. Create content people save, not just like — An 8,000-word, six-part series on Cleveland's startup scene pulled 40,000+ impressions and turned strangers into people who recognize him in the room. You create your own luck — Serendipity is real, but it shows up for people who've put in the labor. Preparation plus opportunity does the rest. Capture the connection while it's fresh — A quick voice memo after every meeting, dropped into a CRM, beats trusting your memory (or the paper planner that always fails). Networking is an act of faith — Building a business on relationships means suspending disbelief, keeping a journal of where you've been, and trusting the road even right after a terrible networking night. About Randal Doane Randal Doane is the founder of Cadence Editorial Services and the author of Stealing All Transmissions: A Secret History of The Clash. After graduate studies in sociology in New York and a decade as an academic dean in Ohio, he became a full-time writer in 2017 by his own account with no network, no business training, and a "red shirt" rookie first year. He's since built a referral-driven copywriting and ghostwriting practice serving healthcare, mental health, and med-tech clients, with a gift for translating dense, authoritative science into clear, persuasive copy. He's also a passionate champion of Cleveland's growing startup scene and a lifelong music writer whose punk-rock sensibility shows up in how he connects with people. 🔔 Subscribe for weekly conversations on networking, leadership, branding, and business growth  🌐 Join the Network Build Grow community at networkbuildgrow.com

Building a Brand and a Referral Network as an Introvert | with Pam Horack

What if the thing holding back your financial future isn't how much you earn or what you invest in — but the fact that no one ever taught you the why behind your money? And what if the same goes for your business — the secret to growth isn't working a room harder, but building genuine relationships on your own terms? In this warm and practical episode of the Network Build Grow Podcast, host Melissa Taylor sits down with Pam Horack, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, founder of Pathfinder Planning, and the personality known to her clients as "Your Financial Mom," for a conversation that blends two powerful worlds: planning-first financial advice for everyday people and authentic, introvert-friendly networking. Top Takeaways * Planning comes before products — a real financial plan starts with your values, goals, and the why, then the investments make sense. Budget matters, but it's not where you begin. * Ask what you're retiring to, not just what you're retiring from — many people hit retirement with no idea what comes next. * Your own industry association is an overlooked goldmine — like-minded peers who serve a different client can become your best referral partners. * Networking and professional development go hand in hand — don't dismiss your industry group as "just" professional development. * Invent a persona that sticks — people may forget your name, but they'll remember "Your Financial Mom." A memorable tagline makes you unforgettable in a crowded room. * Untangle your business from your personal finances — if the two are jumbled together, you can't even tell whether you have a viable business. About Pam Horack Pam Horack is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and the founder of Pathfinder Planning, a planning-first firm she launched in 2010 to make financial planning, wealth management, and investing accessible to regular working families — not just those with a million dollars in investable assets. Known professionally as "Your Financial Mom," Pam brings a warm, human, education-driven approach to helping people get their financial lives in order so they can grow into their goals. Beyond planning and asset management, Pam has expanded into serving small and micro-business owners through her signature focus on untangling business and personal finances. Her "Financial Mom" persona powers her speaking, workshops, and business development — and she has a book on the way. A self-described introvert, Pam has built the majority of her business through referrals and authentic, relationship-first networking. Resources & Links 🌐 Network Build Grow Community: networkbuildgrow.com  💼 Pathfinder Planning — Planning-first financial advice, wealth management, and small business financial planning 👩‍👧 "Your Financial Mom" — Speaking, workshops, and financial education (book coming soon) Subscribe & Connect If this episode gave you a new way to think about your money, your business, or showing up more confidently when you network, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow entrepreneur, business owner, or anyone who could use a little financial mom wisdom. 👉 Not yet part of our community? Visit networkbuildgrow.com to join us. 🔔 Subscribe for weekly conversations on networking, leadership, branding, and business growth  🌐 Join the Network Build Grow community at networkbuildgrow.com

Mindset Is the Foundation: How to Think, Network & Grow Your Business | Anthony DeNino

What if the biggest thing standing between you and your next level of success isn't your strategy, your budget, or your connections — but the way you think? In this energizing episode of the Network Build Grow Podcast, host Melissa Taylor sits down with Anthony DeNino, founder of CORe, mental performance consultant, and keynote speaker, for a conversation that bridges two powerful worlds: the psychology of high performance and the art of authentic networking. Anthony has spent nearly 12 years helping companies, organizations, and individuals unlock greater success — not by working harder, but by thinking better. In this episode, he shares the frameworks, stories, and practical tools behind his SMART methodology, how he built his entire business through networking, and why every single interaction — from the boardroom to the nonprofit volunteer table — is an opportunity hiding in plain sight. Whether you're a business owner, sales professional, or entrepreneur who wants to show up more powerfully in every room you walk into, this episode delivers the mindset and networking strategies to make it happen. Top Takeaways 1. Mindset is not a buzzword — it's a personalized, foundational practice that must be tailored to the individual or team. 2. Know your audience before you coach them — understanding someone's fears, desires, and context makes all the difference. 3. Show up, even when you're unsure — the events you almost skip are often where the best opportunities live. 4. Presence beats attendance — put the phone down, step away from the table, and actually engage. 5. Volunteer work is underrated as a networking strategy — shared values are already established before you say a word. 6. Think with the end in mind — visualize a successful outcome before you walk in the room, not after. About Anthony DeNino Anthony DeNino is the founder of Core, a consulting and speaking practice built on one foundational belief: mindset is the foundation for everything we achieve — and everything we don't. A former sales professional and banking executive who walked away from corporate life after realizing profit was prioritized over people, Anthony channeled nearly 30 years of business experience into building a company that helps individuals and organizations reach their highest potential. As a mental performance consultant and keynote speaker, Anthony works with small and mid-sized businesses, Fortune-level companies, nonprofits, and associations — bringing a customized, deeply human approach to mindset training, leadership development, and sales performance. His signature SMART framework — Success Means Acquiring Right Thoughts — is the cornerstone of how he helps clients shift thinking, change behavior, and create lasting results. Resources & Links * 🌐 Network Build Grow Community: networkbuildgrow.com [https://networkbuildgrow.com] * 💼 Core — Mental performance consulting, keynote speaking, leadership and sales training * 🔗 Connect with Anthony DeNino on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adenino 🔔 Subscribe for weekly conversations on networking, leadership, branding, and business growth  🌐 Join the Network Build Grow community at networkbuildgrow.com