I have a confession. I don't particularly enjoy networking.

There, I said it.

I can walk into a room full of people and immediately start wondering who I'm supposed to talk to. I notice the groups that already know each other, the people confidently moving from one conversation to another, and I start thinking, Do I just stand here? Should I go say hello? What do I even say?

And then there are those awkward moments when you finally gather the courage to walk up to someone, introduce yourself, and realise they are already in the middle of a conversation.

I've had enough of those moments to know that I'm probably never going to be the person who walks into a networking event and works the entire room.

For a long time, I thought that meant I was bad at networking.

Then Infiniti Connects changed the way I looked at it.

Being part of a community meant I kept meeting the same people. I didn't have to make an instant impression. I could have one conversation, meet the same person again a few weeks later, continue where we left off, and slowly get to know them.

That's actually much more my style.

One of the relationships that came out of this was my friendship with Kritika Seth of Humble Hippo. We met through Infiniti Connects about two years ago. It wasn't some strategic business meeting where we sat down and discussed how our businesses could benefit each other. We simply started talking.

We became friends first. We liked each other's company, spoke about work and life, and eventually started collaborating on hampers. Today, we're working together on grazing tables too.

If someone had told me at that first meeting that this person would eventually become a friend and business collaborator, I probably wouldn't have believed them.

That's the thing about networking that I didn't understand earlier.

You don't always have to walk into a room looking for an opportunity.

Sometimes you just need to meet people.

I've also realised that being an introvert gives me a different way of connecting. I listen. I observe. I remember things. I notice when someone is genuinely excited about what they're doing. I notice how people treat others when there is nothing to gain from them.

Those things tell me much more than a polished introduction ever could.

Of course, I still have to push myself. I still have to walk up to people sometimes. I still have moments where I would much rather be at home. But I've stopped expecting myself to network like someone who thrives on constant conversation.

My goal now is much simpler.

Have a real conversation. Find something interesting about the person. Stay in touch if I genuinely want to. Let the relationship take its own course.

Because some connections turn into business. Some turn into friendships. Some lead to introductions or ideas. And some remain simply pleasant conversations.

You don't need every interaction to produce something.

For me, networking has become less about collecting contacts and more about becoming part of a community where relationships have time to grow.