Had to pick between a steak dinner and a coffee chat with a CEO last week

I was at this Detroit mixer downtown and got invited to two things at the same time. One was a fancy steak dinner with some old friends from my last job. The other was a quick coffee with the CEO of a local startup I'd been trying to meet for months. I grabbed the coffee and it was super awkward at first because I spilled half my drink on the table. But we ended up talking for 2 hours and he offered to introduce me to his supply chain guy. Has anyone else picked the networking option and regretted it or had it work out weird like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

charles91917d ago

Seriously though, that coffee spill might be a secret handshake for getting real connections. @keithharris pretty much nailed it with that Royal Oak story, sounds like your guy and his guy had the same chill vibe. I've been on the other side of it too where the "fancy" option just leads to a bunch of small talk about people you don't even like. Plus, that steak would've been gone in an hour, but that intro from the CEO could pay off for years. Spilling coffee is just you proving you're a human being, not a smooth-talking robot.

keithharris17d ago

Man that coffee spill is basically a rite of passage in my book. I did the same thing once at a small bakery in Royal Oak, dumped iced latte all over a potential mentor's notes. Thing is, he laughed it off and we ended up talking for another hour about supply chain headaches. Picking the steak dinner probably would have been tasty but that coffee chat got me a foot in the door at a company I ended up working for later.