A lot of people have gotten into the notion that everything in life is going to be dictated by how much money you make. And of course, making money (and spending it on reasonable things) is a good way to go about your business. However, there are a lot of cases in which the money you make right now is actually far less important than the relationships that you are making (and are able to make) at the moment. While a lot of people do not think a whole lot about relationship building, it will ultimately make or break your business success. If someone offers you a good handful of gold or a good relationship, take the relationship. Gold will do nothing for you except sit there until you sell it or make something out of it.
Having a strong network can help you out in so many ways. For one thing, if you have a good relationship with other people, you do not need to worry about what would happen if a bad situation were to unfold. In cases such as when your car will not start or you need a baby sitter right this second, having a great network can be the difference between being up a creek without a paddle, and having somebody race to your rescue at a moment’s notice.
There is a very good litmus test that you can use to determine how good of a network you have. All you have to do is count how many people you could call up at two in the morning, and get some help from. If that number is more than five, you are doing reasonably well. If it is over 100 people, you are a networking star. But of course, the trick with any kind of relationship is that it must be constantly nourished if it is to survive and grow. With time, a relationship can wither, or grow downright mighty.