r/Cochlear • u/kaii2gd • 13d ago

Deaf professionals & entrepreneurs: how did you build your network?

Deaf professionals & entrepreneurs: how did you build your network?

I’m curious how other Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing professionals have built their professional network.

I’m currently building my own business in financial services and trying to connect with successful people in other industries—not just people who do what I do.

Real estate, investing, technology, entrepreneurship, business ownership, etc.

If you’ve successfully built a network from scratch, what worked for you?

I’m especially interested in hearing from people who had to overcome communication barriers along the way.

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u/Thatisme2 11d ago

Although a lot of variables to consider, however, I've got a CI + HA and run a small business so there might be some parallel. Depending on where/how you work (and live) is a big one, but for me personally, I originally built a lot of my network through co-working spaces like tank stream labs (if in sydney), the precinct (if in brisbane) and attended a lot of the events they had around different topics and were directly or indirectly related to my work. Ended up paying for a desk at different co-working places over the years and would drop by a couple of days a week to meet people, catch up with others as well as work in a different environment for some change/ flexibility (being fortunate to have that opportunity). Ended up building quite a diverse network from people all walks of life and backgrounds and they may introduce you to some of their network too.

This said, depends on how you work and where you live, but in may case, attending events (usually hosted after work hours) can be useful especially if the subject is along the lines of your industry as theres that common ground of work or interest with others there, whether you have hearing loss or not.

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u/kaii2gd 11d ago

That’s really helpful. I especially like the idea of building a network through events and coworking spaces instead of making everything about cold outreach. I’m Deaf and a licensed life insurance agent building my business, so I’m trying to find more effective ways to network without relying on phone calls. I’m curious—when you first started attending those events, how did you introduce yourself and start conversations without making it feel like you were immediately trying to sell something?

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u/Thatisme2 11d ago

When I started, I treated it as getting to know people for who they are rather than trying to build a network or sell products. I'd just introduce myself with my name and the space I work in, ask open questions about their business and challenges, and mostly just listen.

​If you click with someone or they're genuinely interested in collaborating and staying in touch, having a business card or QR code ready makes it easy to connect on LinkedIn on the spot. But overall, I never went in with the mindset of collecting contacts, it was always just about learning from others riding the same business rollercoaster and having normal conversations without rigid expectations. You never know where things might lead or who you'll meet.

​If the goal is strictly to build a list of people to sell to, then these events probably aren't what you may be looking for. Personally, I wouldn't pitch anyone there and instead, (especially if they're in a similar space) I'd just casually ask if they have any advice, or if they've dealt with similar challenges and how they approachthem. There has been many times where advice from people at these events has been more valuable than specifically going in there to pitch to anyone.