Hybrid Friendships: In Business and In Life

Posted on | July 18, 2008 | No Comments

I had a chance to sit down and talk to Kady for the first time after some virtual run-ins in cyberspace.

She reached out first and it was only natural to reciprocate because I wanted to explore some possible synergies between us. But the other reason to meeting her is that it’s very rare for me to meet other Asians in entrepreneurship much less those in the new media scene, especially young entrepreneurs.

I just wish we had more time to talk because the one hour meeting certainly was not enough. Great flow of ideas between the two of us. Certainly a talented professional in many regards.

As we wrapped up the meeting, she gave me a surprising compliment. I was, according to her , a “hybrid.” I asked her what she meant by that. According to her, she felt comfortable enough to consider the professional relationship to crossover to a social relationship. I was, in her eyes, cultured and sophisticated enough, that we could tether between the social and the business side of the relationship. Basically, I didn’t have to be just another business contact. We could conceivably hang out together. How cool is that? Someone actually thinks I’m cultured and sophisticated enough to hang out with. Lol.

I was certainly flattered considering we had only known each other for an hour. Though, it really isn’t too surprising when you look at our commonalities;

asian
entrepreneurs
young
in the social media scene
similar social interests (outdoor and indoor activities)

Combine any of those factors together and a decent rapport is bound to occur. In fact, that is the basic schema that I use in assessing the potential of any relationship: social, business, or otherwise.

Now who knows what is to become of us in the future. I’m certainly not predicting BFFs in the making here. Who knows what the future holds. I can’t even predict whom I’ll stay friends with one year from now with my current circle. Heck, I couldn’t even predict that I’d be friends with some of the people that I’ve recently met in the past few months.

But I will offer the following commentary.

It is very very rare for me to develop a “hybrid” friendship, as Kady puts it. Trying to find friends is hard enough. Trying to find friends who are also in business for themselves is even rarer. Unless you are actually in business, then you just can’t relate nor understand. It’s like me saying I know what it’s like to be a woman. I don’t.

There are just elements to our lifestyle that the typical employed person does not understand. It’s not that I don’t have tons of contacts who are entrepreneurs and are also young. I do. But for whatever reason, we don’t always vibe. How many times do I walk into a business networking function only to be one of the youngest people there? Too often.

It was a pleasant surprise to have someone reach out to me and show some initiative as Kady did. Sometimes, I try to reach out and see if people will “bite”. But they don’t always bite. I think it’s partly because it may come off as taboo for us to mix social and business together.

Why? Don’t people understand the relationship is only strengthened if you mix both sides together? It just shows how strong of a rapport that you have with each other. Call me crazy but I think it’s cool that I can talk business on Wednesday and then we can go camping or party on the weekends.

Effective networking relies heavily on reaching out to others. Thanks Kady for that reminder!

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About Kady Chiu- CEO of Kadidid, which is a new media consultancy . Services include market research, strategy, event management, and advertising. Heavily involved in the social media scene. Great sense of fashion, style, and culture. But not so great at the skiing. She also has a personal blog found here.