Networking in Brisbane as a New Business Owner
Finding the Right Rooms Changed Everything
I haven't always liked networking. Coming from a corporate background, it felt like something that came with the job rather than something I actually wanted to do, and starting Loud Haus is what changed that.
Over the past few months I've thrown myself into it properly. Attending different events around Brisbane, DMs to people whose work caught my eye, rooms where I didn't know a single person walking in. Somewhere in that process, networking stopped feeling like networking and started feeling like connection.
I've met founders, small business owners and creative people who've made building this business feel a lot less lonely and a lot more interesting, and if you're a new business owner who finds networking awkward or painfully corporate, you don't need to become someone who loves working a room. You might just need to find the right one.
Why networking feels different when it's your own business
When networking is something you do for an employer, it's easy to walk into a room thinking who should I talk to. Running your own business changes that. I'm not building a network because it's expected of me anymore, I'm building one because I genuinely want the right people around me.
People I can learn from, I can trust enough to refer clients to, great people whose businesses I want to see do well, and people I can sit across from with a coffee or a wine and talk honestly about what's actually going on. Walking into a room curious about who you're about to meet feels completely different to walking in with an agenda.
Starting a small business can be bloody lonely
Nobody warns you how lonely building something of your own can get. There's real freedom in it, but you're also the one making every decision, doing the work and figuring things out in real time, usually wondering whether everyone else has some playbook you missed out on.
There's no built-in group of colleagues going through the same thing at the same time, which is a big part of why networking has become so valuable to me. Some weeks I don't need a lead, I need a conversation.
And often, sitting across from another business owner, hearing what they're working on, what's going brilliantly, what's driving them mad, what ridiculous problem ate their Tuesday fills my cup immensely.
It's a solid reminder that plenty of us are figuring this out as we go.
I've stopped trying to network and started curating my network
My goal was never to know everyone in Brisbane.
It's to build a smaller group of people I like, trust, learn from and would happily put in front of a client, and that curation has happened as much online as it has in person. A few months ago, I had around 40 connections on LinkedIn. Since then I've been deliberate about reaching out to people whose work or ideas actually caught my attention, and sending genuine DMs to people doing interesting things has become one of my favourite parts of running Loud Haus.
Not pitching, not sliding into an inbox with a sales message dressed up as a compliment, just yapping away.
Great things start with a conversation
LinkedIn DMs have a reputation for being a slippery sales slope, and we've all had the message that proves it. Mine have always come from somewhere else, I want to connect with people I can learn from and stay a bit of a sponge around, the kind of people who make me think you've achieved that already?
Those conversations have led to plenty of rooms, real and virtual, full of creative-led founders doing weird, wonderful, outside-the-box things, which is exactly the kind of energy I want around me. You don't need an agenda for every conversation, and you definitely don't need to work out what someone can do for you before you've learned who they are. Say hello, ask a question, be curious, see where it goes.
Finding the right networking events in Brisbane
Going to different events around Brisbane has taught me that networking isn't inherently good or bad, the room is what matters. I've tried free events and paid ones, big rooms and small ones, and I've landed on a clear preference for more intimate settings where there's enough space to talk to people rather than racing to collect names.
Three communities have stood out for me so far.
Like-Minded Women events have felt warm from the moment I walk in, and there's something to be said for a room where you can relax enough to actually be yourself, because that's when the good conversations happen. You can find them on Instagram to see what's coming up.
The Brisbane Junior Chamber of Commerce (BJCC) has also become part of the rotation. Being around other professionals actively building their careers and businesses puts me in conversations I'd never have sitting behind my desk, and it's a solid reminder that putting yourself in the room creates opportunities you can't manufacture from home.
Madame Republic Events (especially the Supper Club!) has been another one I keep coming back to. Sitting down for an excellent meal gives a conversation room to breathe in a way a standing-room mixer never quite manages, there's no pressure to work the whole room before the night ends, and you get to know the handful of people you're sitting with more intimately.
How do you know if you've found the right room?
For me, the right networking room is the one I leave energised by the people I met, not relieved that it's over, and that's become my measure of whether an event was worth the morning or evening. Success doesn't have to mean walking away with a lead.
Did you have one conversation you'd like to continue?
Did you learn something, or get introduced to an idea you hadn't considered?
Did you meet someone you'd happily recommend to another person, and
Did you feel comfortable being yourself the whole time?
If the answer to a few of those is yes, that's a good time, and it might be worth attending again (and again).
What if networking scares the shit out of you?
You don't have to be the loudest person in the room, you only have to start one conversation, and yes, walking into a room full of strangers can still be nerve-racking even once you're the one running the business. My advice is to shrink the goal and lower your expectations.
Don't go in trying to meet everybody, go and meet one person, and ask about something exciting their working on, a pivotal moment in their career, and read the room. It only takes one genuinely good conversation to make the night worthwhile, and if you go to an event and hate it, that doesn't mean you hate networking, it might just mean you were in the wrong room.
Try something new next time, a different event host/group, a breakfast, a workshop, a supper club, an intimate gathering, a free event, a paid one. Find the format that works for you rather than forcing yourself into whatever version of networking everyone else says you're supposed to like.
Five months into business, my network means something different compared to when I first started Loud Haus.
I knew a network would matter when I started building Loud Haus. Yes, I want potential clients in that mix, and yes, I want referral partners and people whose work I can confidently point clients toward, but I also want peers, friends, creative people, founders doing things differently, people a few steps (years) ahead I can learn from and people at a similar stage who understand exactly how weird this whole process is.
Every conversation, every DM, every coffee and every slightly nerve-racking walk into a room where I didn't know anyone has made building this business less lonely and considerably more interesting.
If you want the full story on how Loud Haus came together, it's on the About Blair page.
So if you're a new business owner in Brisbane and networking scares you, you don't need twenty business cards or a polished elevator pitch, and you don't need to become a different version of yourself. Start with one conversation, then another, and eventually you'll find your people.
If any of this sounds familiar, flick me an enquiry and tell me what you're working on, or what room you've found that actually feels like yours.
Before you go, have a sticky beak at what we can work on together.
Yap again soon, Blair
Frequently asked questions (FAQs) about networking in Brisbane
Is networking worth it for a new small business owner?
It's been worth it well beyond business development. The biggest returns have been people to learn from, potential referral relationships, real friendships and a stronger sense of connection while building something of your own.
How do I start networking in Brisbane if I don't know anyone?
Pick one event that genuinely interests you and set the bar at one good conversation. You don't need to know anyone before you walk in, and you don't need to meet everyone in the room to make it worthwhile.
What if I hate traditional networking events?
Try a different format! Networking doesn't have to mean a corporate function room and a stack of business cards, smaller events, workshops, dinners and supper clubs create a completely different kind of experience.
How do I find the right networking events for me?
Try a mix and pay attention to how you feel afterwards. A good event should leave you wanting to continue at least one conversation, and the quality of the people in the room matters more than the number of leads you collected.
