By Chris Heivly, Managing Director at Build The Fort and Startup Community EIR @ Techstars

Someone recently hit me with a metaphor that instantly clicked: “A network is like a garden — it needs seeds, water, and time.” And honestly, it’s one of the simplest and most accurate ways I’ve ever heard to describe the work of building a meaningful network.

Let’s break it down.

Plant the Seeds

I preach this one a lot — because it’s where everything begins. Meeting new people regularly is how you plant seeds. One new person a week is the minimum, 3-4 should be the target. That’s it. This could be a coffee, a Zoom chat, a quick intro at a meetup. It doesn’t have to be a big production. Just show up, be curious, and add a few new seeds to your garden. The more diverse your garden, the better.

Water It Weekly

Here’s where most people fall off. Planting is exciting and fresh — but watering? That’s about discipline. In our network metaphor, watering means checking in with folks, asking how things are going, or better yet, connecting people in your network to each other. It’s that “give first” spirit that makes startup communities thrive. Be the one who remembers a founder’s ask and makes a key intro two days later. That’s water to your garden.

Give It Time

Now for the toughest part: patience. No amount of seeds or water will give you overnight results. You can’t force relationships to mature any more than you can yell at a plant to grow faster. Some of your connections will sprout immediately into amazing collaborations. Others might not bloom until years later — and that’s okay. The key is not to rush. Trust the process.

Startup communities, just like gardens, aren’t built in a day. They need regular tending. Regular tending creates the opportunity for the sun to shine and do its job. That “gardener mindset” helps you move from a transactional approach to a transformational one. You’re not networking for a win this week — you’re cultivating something that might change someone’s journey (or yours) months from now.

So, plant generously. I meet 2-3 new people a week and have for just about every week for the last 12+ years.

Water thoughtfully. And give it the time it deserves. I make 2-3 introductions per week, and I reach out randomly to people in my network 2-5 times per week.

That’s how gardens grow. That’s how great networks are built. And that’s how startup communities flourish.

Learn more about Techstars Startup Community partnerships, a new way for you to build your thriving startup community as a member of the Techstars network.

Read More