Stop Taking Meetings
Naval Ravikant has a rule for startups: don't spend your time in meetings unless you absolutely have to.
He thinks networking is overrated. All those articles about "how to network better" make him want to vomit. His advice is simpler: go build something great. Your network will appear on its own.
"Go do something great and your network will instantly emerge. If you build a great product or get a good customer base, I guarantee you will get funded."
The Only Good Reasons to Shake Hands
Naval isn't against all meetings. There are two good reasons to show up: recruiting great people and learning from people smarter than you.
But you have to make sure you have something to offer them too — otherwise you're just taking.
"Do it for recruiting. Do it to learn from really smart people. But make sure you have something to offer them too — otherwise you're just taking."
Name Tags and Beer Are Not Work
Here's Naval's test: if you're standing at an event with a name tag and a glass in your hand, that's not work. That's entertainment.
He was blunt about it. If you told your co-workers you're going to "an important event" — no. This is leisure time. The beer and pizza should have tipped you off.
"This is not your work time. This is your leisure time. If the beer and pizza didn't tip you off, let me be clear."