How to make a business networking platform work in Asia?

I've done a lot of work in this space (created the new art of conference network: Hashtags to handshakes). Here are a few thoughts for you: -get clear on you goal(s) and the type of people who can help you. -take inventory of what you have to offer(use this acronym Work history, Hobbies, Education, Network) -once you see the people you want to connect with, do the online research to see if you already have something or someone in common(LinkedIn). -read and comment on their content or something in their profile. -Invite them to 15min virtual coffee as an introduction call. (Be in a "how can I be of assistant mindset) -ask them two question during your virtual coffee (1. What are you working on that you're most passionate about? 2. What the biggest challenge?). Once you know someone's challenge you can find ways to be helpful. -Be patient. -let me know if you need more support ;)

Absolutely. I have done this in various aspects of my business, either as a consultant for film projects or as a sponsorship consultant / referrer and in many other aspects. There's a nice quote - it escapes me who said it - but "Your network is your net-worth" - what they mean by that is there is incredible value in who you know, but not just that - it's really WHAT you know, about how to HELP them. Couple of ways you can make money by introducing: - Find out what someone (or a business) needs. It could be more sales / clients / or a service. Then figure out how to get paid for that. Let's say a business sells XXX service for $10,000. If you were able to bring them a new customer willing to spend that, do you think they'd be happy to pay you a 10% referral fee? Probably, as long as they have a healthy profit margin, and you agree this upfront. If you bring people what they need, they will usually be happy to share the proceeds with you. In my own example, event organizers for major celebrity events often ask me for help to introduce sponsors, for which they pay a commission. The equation is easy - they need sponsors to finance their event. So if I help them find a brand, or advise them on doing that, they pay me some of the proceeds for making that introduction. It helps them achieve their goal quicker. - The other way is online. Many companies run "affiliate" or "referral" schemes. Just like Uber will give $10 of free rides if you share with a friend, online companies often give fees for clicks or leads to potential customers. Just do a search for "affiliate marketing" or look up sites like Clickbank or Peerfly. If you have a good online network, social network or email list, you will be able to make money by letting your contacts know about things that interest them. The great thing about referral income is it is often a percentage, and so it has great leverage for you. The more the client spends, the more you earn, for often the same effort. So focus on referring either big clients, or a wide spread of small ones, but be careful of too much effort on one small client! Hope this helps.

Twitter is actually a great prospecting tool, and these are people you should absolutely be engaging with as a brand. The key is to engage without coming off as spammy. Instead of "Buy our product now to solve your issue", try something friendly like, "Hey XYZ! We'd love to help you [solve problem]. Let us know how we can help!" or "We'd be happy to put you in touch with one of our experts on this topic. Let us know if you'd be interested in chatting." In other words, as long as you're focused on providing value over pitching your products, your responses won't come off as spammy, and you'll not only be able to get more qualified prospects from Twitter, but you'll also grow a stronger and more lovable brand presence.

Hello Areriel, It can be hard to know where to start at beginning. What I suggest you do it to start a blog about the things you'd like to be doing. Then start building you following on the social media. Use Facebook, Twitter and Google+ to connect and engage with industry professionals. Go to industry events and connect with people. Make business cards of your blog and give it to them. Be interested in what they do and they will become interested in what you do. If you're interested for a call, I can teach you exactly how you can connect with industry professionals online and offline. Just send me in advance the city you'd like to work in (I guess that's LA) and more info of what you'd really want to do. This is my VIP link for a free call https://clarity.fm/martinzhel/inbound I will be glad to help you out.

I moved to SF from Michigan for my startup a few years back, best decision ever. Lots of events, lots of talent and very accessible vc's. Its all quite natural. Just get into the mix. there is literally events all day everyday somewhere in the San Francisco Bay area. Use some of the free ticket services to find good Events. Join an incubator like plug and play tech center. Network! make sure to do the Palo Alto scene as well as the San Francisco scene, very different.