Stop Waiting for Opportunities. Start Creating Them.
How many times have you said:
"I'm just waiting for the right opportunity."
Maybe you're waiting for more followers.
More views.
Someone to discover your business.
Or that one connection that could change everything.
But what if the opportunity you're waiting for is something you need to create yourself?
That's something I've learned from building businesses while working full-time as a teacher.
Opportunities don't always show up.
Sometimes you have to create them.
And it often starts with one conversation.
1. Stop Waiting to Be Discovered
I've been a full-time educator for 25 years.
Along the way, I've built businesses in insurance, explored mortgages, learned affiliate marketing, and developed ways to create recurring income.
Why?
Because I believe in having options.
I work to live. I don't live to work.
But here's something important.
None of those opportunities happened because I sat around waiting.
I had to learn new skills.
Meet people.
Ask questions.
Make mistakes.
And put myself into conversations I might never have had otherwise.
2. One Conversation Can Change Everything
Think about the people you know today.
How many of them came into your life because you started a conversation?
I've been fortunate to connect with people like Scott Gerrard, Matthew Hill, Tom Burden, and many others.
Those relationships have helped me learn new skills, discover different approaches to business, and create opportunities to collaborate.
But those relationships didn't happen overnight.
They started with conversations.
Sometimes a comment.
Sometimes a direct message.
Sometimes a Connection Call.
And sometimes an introduction from someone else.
That's why I spend so much time connecting with people.
Not because everyone will become a customer.
But because I never know who I might be able to help—or who they might introduce me to.
3. Stop Pitching. Start Getting Curious.
Here's where many people get networking wrong.
They send the same message to 50 people.
They drop their business link.
They ask someone to join their opportunity before learning anything about them.
That's not relationship building.
That's broadcasting.
Instead, try asking:
"What are you working on right now?"
That's it.
One question.
You might discover they're launching a business.
Growing a Skool community.
Trying to improve their content.
Or looking for someone with a specific skill.
Now you have an opportunity to learn more.
Maybe you can help.
Maybe you know someone who can.
And maybe that conversation leads to something neither of you expected.
4. Why I Created Connection Meetups
For years, I've watched people attend networking events, collect business cards, and never speak to those people again.
They leave saying:
"I met 30 people tonight!"
But what happens next?
Nothing.
That's one of the reasons I started hosting my own Connection Meetups.
I wanted something different.
Not a room full of people delivering sales pitches.
I wanted people having genuine conversations.
Sharing their stories.
Talking about their goals.
And discovering ways they could help each other.
At our first in-person Connection Meetup, we had 14 people register and eight attendees.
Instead of focusing on who didn't show up, I focused on what happened in the room.
People were connecting.
Learning about each other.
Making introductions.
And continuing conversations afterward.
That's what successful networking should look like.
5. The Most Important Part of Networking Happens AFTER the Event
Here's something I built into my Connection Meetups.
The follow-up.
During the event, attendees have opportunities to exchange contact information, take a selfie together, and save a reminder of who they met.
Why?
Because I don't want the connection to disappear when everyone goes home.
I encourage attendees to follow up with at least one person within 48 hours.
Not to pitch.
Not to sell.
Simply to continue the conversation.
At that first meetup, attendees reported making follow-up connections, and some arranged additional in-person conversations.
That's the result I want to see.
Because the real value of networking isn't how many people you meet.
It's how many relationships you continue building.
Here's a message you can use:
"Hey [Name], I really enjoyed meeting you at the Connection Meetup. I'd love to hear more about what you're building. Would you be open to continuing our conversation this week?"
Simple.
Personal.
No pressure.
And it gives the relationship somewhere to go.
6. Build Your Power 10
Inside Connection Creator Academy, I teach something called the Power 10.
The idea is simple.
You don't need thousands of followers.
You need 10 meaningful relationships with people who know you, trust you, and understand what you're building.
Imagine having 10 people in your ecosystem who could:
Introduce you to someone valuable.
Help you learn a new skill.
Collaborate on a project.
Refer someone who needs your expertise.
Support what you're building.
And you can do the same for them.
That's how a powerful network develops.
Not through collecting contacts.
Through building relationships.
Your Power 10 isn't a list of prospects. It's an ecosystem of people who can help one another grow.
7. I Didn't Have a Platform. So I Created One.
There was a time when I didn't have a podcast.
I didn't have a blog filled with articles.
I didn't have my own Skool community.
And I wasn't hosting Connection Meetups.
But I wanted to meet more people.
Learn from successful entrepreneurs.
And share what I was learning with others.
So I started building.
The Network Marketing Insider Podcast became a way to meet people I might never have connected with otherwise.
Those conversations became episodes.
Episodes became short videos.
Transcripts became blog posts.
And those articles became resources people could discover through Google.
One opportunity started creating others.
I stopped waiting for someone to give me a platform and built my own.
You can do something similar.
It doesn't have to be a podcast.
It could be a meetup.
A community.
A newsletter.
A blog.
Or simply becoming the person who introduces others.
Start with what you have.
8. Your Challenge: Create One Opportunity This Week
Here's what I want you to do.
Don't wait for your next opportunity.
Create the conditions for one.
This week:
Start one conversation you've been putting off.
Reconnect with someone you've lost touch with.
Introduce two people who should know each other.
Invite someone to collaborate.
Ask one person: "What are you working on right now?"
You don't need to complete everything in one day.
Just start.
Because every meaningful relationship begins somewhere.
And sometimes that one conversation becomes something much bigger.
The Opportunity Might Already Be in Your Network
You might already know someone who could introduce you to your next business partner.
Your next customer.
Your next collaborator.
Or someone who could help you solve a problem you've been struggling with.
But if you never start the conversation, you'll never discover what's possible.
That's why I believe so strongly in connection marketing.
Show up. Start conversations. Help people. Follow up.
Then keep doing it.
Not for one week.
But consistently.
Because relationships take time to build.
And the opportunities they create can last far longer than a single social media post.
If you're tired of traditional networking events where everyone is trying to sell something, I'd love to invite you to one of our Connection Meetups.
We host both in-person meetups in North Jersey and virtual meetups for people who want to connect from anywhere.
The goal is simple:
Meet people.
Have meaningful conversations.
Discover how you can help each other.
And most importantly, follow up.
Come build relationships that continue long after the event ends.
Build Your Power 10 Inside Connection Creator Academy
Want to keep building relationships between meetups?
That's exactly what we're doing inside Connection Creator Academy.
We're helping 9-to-5 professionals build their Power 10—10 meaningful relationships in 30 days.
Inside, you'll find opportunities to connect, collaborate, learn, and take action alongside other people who are building something.
Take advantage of the 7-day free trial and start building your Power 10.
Keep Learning With Network Marketing Insider
This article was inspired by my solo episode, Stop Waiting for Opportunities. Start Creating Them.
You can explore this episode and more conversations about networking, affiliate marketing, Skool communities, recurring income, and relationship building on the Network Marketing Insider Podcast.
You can also explore the Network Marketing Insider Blog for additional strategies and stories.
Stop waiting to be discovered.
Start creating conversations.
Start building relationships.
Start creating opportunities.
Your next opportunity could begin with one conversation today.
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