Networking Sucks

Written By Allie Perry April 5, 2025

Networking sucks.

The last thing I want to do is go to an event where I don’t know anyone and be forced to strike up conversations with strangers, or worse…endure small talk. 

I’d rather eat glass.

BUT.

I was recently invited to attend and do demos at an industry event that would be full of people I didn’t know and perfect for networking. 

And, despite all of my natural instincts filling me with the urge me to politely but vehemently decline, I said yes.

In my 29 years of making jewelry, 25 professionally, I’ve never been to any industry event. 

No tool demonstrations. No trade shows. No goldsmithing, stone setting, or engraving classes. 

When I worked for other people, I was always either too low on the food chain to bother sending, or too important to be out of the shop for any extended length of time. I somehow unintentionally evaded that sweet spot that made me the perfect candidate to be sent anywhere.

So. Now that I work for myself, I’m doing my best to say yes to new opportunities and experiences, even if on the surface they don’t seem like my idea of a good time.

And it’s been great!

This particular event had a few familiar faces I knew would be in attendance- people I’m friends with online or other small businesses I’ve collaborated with on social media. And it ended up having even more familiar faces than I expected, like diamond setters I’ve followed on Instagram, and master engravers whose work I’ve admired for years. Meeting these people in person felt less like forced small talk and more like seeing a famous actor next to you in line for pizza. I got to sit in on training sessions, ask questions, and watch masters at work. I got to see and try new tools, and talk to tool vendors about the tools I already loved and which ones might be good to add to my collection.

It felt like summer camp for jewelers.

One of the most unexpected and delightful parts of the two-day workshop was the opportunity to simply discuss the work I do with people who really understood me.

Most people in my life know I make jewelry. But, they don’t really know what that means, or what physical work I actually do. It’s like that friend you have who works as a “consultant”. (What do they actually DO all day? No one knows.)

My friends don’t have the foggiest idea what I’m talking about when I mention shanks (isn’t that something that happens in prison?) or mandrels. They don’t know what gravers are or why a thick girdle and a crown would even be mentioned in the same sentence. 

Imagine my joy when I casually mentioned to someone at this workshop that I’ve always struggled pulling tubing from scratch, and instead of the usual cocked head and scrunched nose, I was met with a few tips to make the process easier.

Think of my elation when I asked a question about satellite turntables, and got an answer that instantly solved two problems I’d been having.

Talking to people who do the same work and can commiserate over the same shared experiences is something you may take for granted if you work in a field that’s less niche than goldsmithing, but it’s something I almost never get to experience, and certainly not in person.

And while I was at this event, I tried to say yes to every opportunity. 

Did I want to join the other vendors at dinner the night before? (Ew, as if.) Of course! 

Did I want to attend a banquet at the end of the second day? (Definitely not.) Yes, absolutely!

Did I want to attend a crawfish boil? … Listen, I had to draw the line somewhere. That was firmly where the line existed for me. I went out for a steak dinner instead.

But when I was asked to offer my opinions on product packaging, discuss challenges, or give two different interviews, I instantly said yes.

And I can’t recommend it enough. 

You may dread it, or even say aloud to no one in particular that you don’t want to go to this as you step out of your hotel room on the way to the event, but I bet you’ll come away with new ideas and fresh excitement about old ones, and you’ll be glad you went.

So the next time someone invites you to do something you normally wouldn’t, just think of me, get out of your own way, and say yes.

It’s either going to make for a good time or a good story!