How to use Intentional Networking as a Growth Strategy for you and your Business

At a time when marketing budgets are tighter than ever, it's wise to learn some new cost-effective levers for growth.

In this Mentor Lab, we will be exploring how intentional community-building, strategic networks, and aligned partnerships become powerful growth drivers – often in ways that aren’t immediately visible at the beginning of the journey.

Deepa Mani, Founder of POC (Proud of Colour) Beauty and Chandralaya School of Dance, will share her extensive experiences across business, arts, and community-led ecosystems, and show you how to reframe networking away from transactional exchanges and toward relationship-building rooted in trust, reciprocity, and shared purpose.

Deepa explains how you can move from simply 'meeting people' to building allies, sponsors, and collaborators who actively contribute to long-term success. The session will highlight how you can leverage cross-industry connections, community engagement, and strategic partnerships to open doors to opportunities, capital, visibility, and resilience.

This Mentor Lab positions community not as a nice-to-have, but as a strategic success multiplier.

Key Takeaways:
- Understand the difference between transactional networking and strategic relationship-building, and why the latter drives sustainable growth.
- Learn how to identify and cultivate allies, sponsors, and advocates, not just contacts, within and beyond your industry.
- Explore practical approaches to forming purpose-aligned partnerships that create mutual value and long-term impact.
- Recognise how community acts as a multiplier, accelerating confidence, opportunity, and resilience across the founder journey.

If you're looking for practical tips on how to harness the power of connections, then join us!