157. You Don’t Need More Networking — You Need REAL Connections 💗

Sofia Hoyos
Aug 11
5 min read

Have you ever walked into a room full of successful business owners and immediately thought...

“Why am I even here?” 😅

Yeah... us too.

It’s easy to believe that the secret to growing your business is simply getting into the “right rooms.” Find the million-dollar business owners. Go to the conferences. Network with the people who are further ahead than you. Collect the connections. Learn everything you possibly can.

And while there’s absolutely value in doing those things, we’ve realized something even more important:

You don’t just need more networking. You need real connections.

In this week’s episode of Hustled Up, we’re recapping our recent trip to Tennessee with a group of cleaning business owners we’ve become incredibly close with — and talking about why this trip felt so different from the typical business retreat, conference, or networking event.

Because sometimes the most valuable thing you can bring home from a trip isn't another strategy.

Sometimes it’s a group chat full of people who actually have your back. 💕

The Right Room Isn't Always the Biggest Room

Before this trip, both of us were feeling pretty burnt out.

We were tired. We were feeling stuck. We weren't particularly motivated to grow. And honestly, we were both in that weird place where you know you should be doing more... but you just don't have the energy to do it.

Then we spent a few days surrounded by women who understood exactly what that felt like.

There were no fancy presentations. No perfectly structured retreat schedule. No pressure to constantly be “on.”

We cooked together. We played games. We went tubing. We paddleboarded. We pet goats. We laughed until we cried.

Oh, and yes... we also talked about business. A LOT. 😂

But the difference was that we weren't just business associates sitting around talking strategy.

We were friends.

And that changed everything.

You Don't Have to Be the Biggest Business in the Room

One thing we talked about during this episode is the advice we hear all the time:

“Surround yourself with people more successful than you.”

We agree!

But there's a little more nuance to it.

You shouldn't walk into a room full of successful people thinking, “What can I take from these people?”

You should walk in thinking:

“What can I contribute, too?”

There were women on this trip with businesses significantly larger than ours. At times, it would have been really easy to let imposter syndrome take over and convince ourselves that we had nothing valuable to offer.

But that's simply not true.

We all have different experiences, strengths, perspectives, and lessons to share.

You don't have to be the biggest business in the room to bring value to the room.

The Best Teachers Don't Always Call Themselves Teachers

One of our favorite things about this trip was the informal learning.

Some people prepared actual “teaches” and shared things they were doing inside their businesses. Others didn't teach anything formally at all.

And yet... we learned from everyone.

Someone would casually say:

“Oh, here's the policy we use.”

Or:

“Here's how we handle this with our VA.”

Or:

“Have you tried doing it this way?”

And suddenly we're pulling out our laptops and taking notes. 😂

One of the talks we heard about quality control actually inspired us to come home and immediately start building a new program for our own business.

That's the kind of learning we love.

It's not someone standing on a stage telling you what they think you should do.

It's someone saying:

“This is what we're doing. This is what's working for us. Take it if it helps you.”

And THAT is incredibly valuable.

Find People Who Will Call You On Your Bullshit

This might be one of the biggest takeaways from the entire trip.

You don't just need people who hype you up.

You need people who love you enough to tell you the truth.

At one point during the trip, one of our friends basically told us:

“Y'all need to work on your leadership.”

And honestly?

We already knew it. 😂

But sometimes you need someone outside of your own head to say the thing you don't want to hear.

The right people aren't going to tear you down. They're going to challenge you because they believe you're capable of more.

There's a huge difference between criticism that comes from judgment and accountability that comes from love.

Find the people who will hold you accountable while still believing in you.

Those people are gold.

You Have to Let Go of Control Sometimes

We also realized just how much we struggle with actually stepping away from the business.

For several days, we couldn't constantly check our phones, answer every message, respond to every problem, or make every decision.

And guess what?

The business survived.

😂

We had delegated. We had people handling things. And while there were absolutely things happening behind the scenes, we had to trust that our team could deal with them.

There was something incredibly freeing about realizing:

“Whatever happens right now... I'll deal with it later.”

We need to practice that a little more often.

Because you can't fully enjoy your life if you're mentally sitting in your office 24/7.

Success Doesn't Always Look Like What You Think

Being around these women also brought up some unexpected emotions.

Seeing what other people have built can be incredibly inspiring.

But it can also make you question yourself.

Why aren't we there yet?

Why haven't we grown faster?

What are we doing wrong?

And that's where comparison can sneak in.

But here's what we reminded ourselves of:

Someone else's success isn't proof that you're behind.

It's proof that something is possible.

One of the women on this trip has a $10 million cleaning company.

And you know what she didn't bring on the trip?

Her laptop. 😂

She was there to have fun, connect, laugh, and live her life.

That was a pretty powerful reminder that success doesn't have to mean working harder and harder forever.

So... Who's In Your Room? 👀

This is the question we want you to sit with after listening to this episode.

Who's in your corner?

When you tell the people around you about your big, crazy, audacious goals, what do they say?

Do they tell you why it won't work?

Do they make you feel silly for dreaming bigger?

Or do they say:

“Okay. How are we going to make this happen?”

You don't necessarily need to surround yourself with million-dollar business owners.

You need to surround yourself with people who support the person you're becoming.

People who challenge you.

People who celebrate you.

People who don't make you feel less than.

People who genuinely want to see you win.

And most importantly, people you can be a human around.

Because we're not just business owners.

We're people with families, relationships, struggles, dreams, fears, bad days, good days, and occasionally a desperate need to float down a Tennessee river drinking margaritas out of a water bottle. 😂