The Networking Trap: What Most Women Get Wrong and How to Own the Room

I’ll never forget one of the first times I thought I was “networking.” 

It was one of those after-hours mixers, the kind with bad lighting, watered-down cocktails, and a line at the appetizer table. I walked in with a stack of business cards, determined to “make connections.” An hour later, I had a handful of cards shoved into my pants pocket, a tired smile plastered on my face, and not a single meaningful conversation to show for it.  

That night, I learned what too many women in corporate and entrepreneurship learn the hard way: networking done wrong is a colossal waste of your time, your energy, and your business momentum.  

#Truthbomb - Networking isn’t about the number of hands you shake or how many cards you collect. Networking is about doors. The ones you can open for others, and the ones they can open for you. 

A Modern Example of Networking Gone Wrong 

Fast-forward to today. The “bad cocktail mixer” has been replaced by the “bad LinkedIn connection.” 

You know the one. You accept a new connection request on Monday morning and within minutes your inbox is hit with a five-paragraph sales pitch, three links, and a calendar invite for a “quick call.” You don’t know them. They don’t know you. It’s pushy, tone-deaf, and let’s be honest— SPAM. 

That’s networking gone wrong in the digital age. It does nothing but damage reputations. Instead of building trust, they burned it. Instead of opening doors, they slammed them. Instead of giving, they tried to take. I call them online “gold diggers”.  

As women over 40 stepping into entrepreneurship, your time and your business are too valuable to waste on the wrong approach to networking. Don’t be talked into doing it wrong by a “marketing pro” who promises big results. It just doesn’t happen this way.  

Why Networking Still Matters in the Digital Age 

Now, you might ask: “If that’s networking, why bother at all?” 

Because when it’s done right, networking is still one of the most powerful levers for entrepreneurs. Your digital presence, your posts, your funnels, your email campaigns create awareness. But it’s your relationships that create trust. 

Think about it. The career-changing promotion that came because a colleague put in a word. The client you signed because someone made an introduction. The opportunity you got because someone vouched for you. That hasn’t changed, it’s just expanded. 

Networking isn’t dead. When done right, it’s fire for your brand. 

Own the Room 

So, what does it mean to own the room? It means you stop approaching networking as an afterthought and start treating it like a growth strategy. Here are three shifts that make all the difference: 

• From Transaction to Transformation 

Stop networking for what you can get. Start networking for what you can give. Give to Grow – it's my mantra and I live it. Share insight, make introductions, be a connector. When people feel supported instead of sold to, you stand out. 

• From Random to Relevant 

Not every group, event, or platform is worth your time. Ask yourself: Who has access to my dream clients? Who shapes the conversations I want to be part of? Go there, not everywhere. If you’re a chiropractor, you wouldn’t network at a chiropractor convention, you’d network with gym owners or personal injury attorneys. This feels like common sense, but I see people in wrong rooms all the time.  

• From One-to-One to One-to-Many 

Coffee chats are great, but they don’t scale. Boss-level networking leverages stages, podcasts, masterminds, and social platforms to connect with many at once without losing authenticity. 

How to Put This into Practice 

Here’s how you can start moving from “random” to “room-level” this month: 

- Audit Your Circles. Look at your current connections, groups, and memberships. Are they aligned with where you’re going or just where you’ve been? 

- Set a Networking Goal. Get specific. Instead of “meeting more people,” decide: I will build five meaningful relationships this quarter with women entrepreneurs in my city. 

- Create Value in Advance. Share an article, introduce two people, or comment thoughtfully on a peer’s post. Make deposits before you ask for withdrawals. 

- Polish Your Digital First Impression. Your LinkedIn profile, website, and content are the modern-day business card. Make sure they say who you are and why you matter. You have 3 seconds to make an online first impression. Do not skip this important step! 

- Follow Up Like a Pro. Track your new relationships. Put reminders on your calendar. The second and third touch are where the real connection happens.  

The LAUNCH Perspective 

At LAUNCH, we teach that growth doesn’t come from luck, it comes from systems. Networking is no different. A forgotten business card, a spammy DM, or a random lunch isn’t a system. 

Room-owning networking is a system. It fuels your content because you’ll know what your audience is talking about. It grows your list because connectors become advocates. It opens opportunities that can’t be Googled or cold-pitched. 

For women 40 and up stepping into entrepreneurship, this is more than strategy, it’s survival. You don’t have the luxury of wasting years on the wrong approach. Your time is your most valuable asset. Your business requires intentional targeting and brand recognition coming out of the gate, and networking with laser-targeted focus will get you there. 

Your Next Steps 

If you take nothing else from this, take this: Networking is about being unforgettable. 

So: 

- Identify your target personas and networks where they hang out. 

- Engage with value.

- Leverage platforms to scale. 

- Systematize your follow-up. 

- Convert relationships into opportunities. 

Because when you network with intention, you don’t just collect contacts. You build credibility, momentum, and a business that grows because of the system you use to push it forward with momentum. 

Pro-tip: 

Networking without a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool is pointless. You can meet incredible people, but if you don’t have a system to track, follow up, and nurture those connections, they’ll go nowhere right along with you. 

We use Constant Contact – a powerful suite of tools for connection backed by automation. It’s the CRM we use, and we dive deeper into how it integrates with your marketing goals in the LAUNCH 101 webinar. Constant Contact keeps your networking efforts organized, helps you automate your follow-ups, and ensures no opportunity falls through the cracks. 

Register here for the LAUNCH 101 Webinar – powerful connecting lives here. REGISTER