i had some kind of network already in place from starting out.
all my initial gigs came from acquaintances. and from then on usually referals.
i only had 1 client so far that i acquired out of nowhere. and it was random luck.
i also cooperate tightly with thought leaders who operatw in certain industry (eg Smart City). people who can talk and inspire decision makers. I am then their tech guy whenever they convince someone to build an AI for X... this is a win win. they can shine and i get a great project to do :-)
I've been in the industry for almost 10 years but never managed to network my way out of the engineering circles into the money/decision making circles or thought leaders as you call them.
This is mostly by design by companies to keep engineering side detached from the business side and the borders are strictly enforced to have every engineer as a replaceable cog.
Is there a way to build that initial network as a dev or is it just a matter of luck, like the right contacts in university or being at the right place at the right time? Since just cold calling business people or approaching them at gatherings doesn't get you anywhere since nobody trusts strangers they just met.
i think the first "right" step I took was that I asked for a broader role in the startup I was working for.
I didn't just want to be a senior dev anymore. I wanted to have client contact and also contact with potential suppliers/business partners.
At one of our business partners back then, I met a guy who brought last year up to 200k of business for me.
That was 5 years ago and we are friends since then, working together since 2 years.
So long-term relations are key. And patience. When I first met him he was just a great drinking buddy with whom I could talk about politics :P
