Derek Sivers
from the book “Your Music and People”:

Meet three new people every week.

2000-05-18

That’s your simple goal to expand your network. Every single week, meet at least three new people that could help your career.

Have a real conversation — something more than text on a screen. Ask questions, get to know them, and make a personal connection. Learn what they’re looking for, and how you can help them.

At this rate, you’ll meet 150 new people each year. The more people you know, the better.

One of the biggest pop stars in the world right now got her start by meeting 50 people per day for a year! Before her first album, her manager took her around America, meeting every promoter, producer, radio director, video director, writer, editor, publisher — every person in the music business that could help her career. Just five minutes of hello, handshake, and “nice to meet you” with this charming future pop star. It must have been exhausting. But after a year of this, there were 15,000 people in the music industry that had met her face-to-face and will always feel a personal connection to her.

Though you probably won’t go to this extreme, it’s an example of how far you could take this idea.

If we assume your music is great, and you are a likeable person that people enjoy helping, I’ll make this prediction: The number of people you meet will determine your success.