Drove 40 minutes to a Midtown mixer instead of the free one in Alpharetta, and I'm still scratching my head | Atlanta Networking - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals
Drove 40 minutes to a Midtown mixer instead of the free one in Alpharetta, and I'm still scratching my head
Last Thursday I had to pick between a free networking breakfast in Alpharetta at 7am or a $15 mixer in Midtown at 6pm, and I went with Midtown because I figured free food means people just grab a plate and bolt. Turns out the Midtown crowd was mostly folks selling life coaching, while a buddy who hit the Alpharetta one landed a real referral for his printing business. So now I'm wondering, do you all go for the paid events or stick with the free ones, and has the price tag ever actually made a difference for you?
Did you ever stop and think the free ones might actually be better? I used to skip free events too because I figured cheap means low effort, but a guy at my gym swore by this free Thursday morning group and I finally went, and it was all small business owners actually doing work, not pitching. Price tag means nothing if the room is full of the wrong people, so now I check who's coming first and worry about the cost later.