Welcome to the Networking Maverick Community!

By: Lauren Marsicano

Insta: @NetworkingMaverick

How often has this happened to you: You go to networking events night after night handing out as many business cards as possible hoping that at least a few of those to convert to $$$, but you have little show for all your efforts. I call that method the spray and pray, and it is exhausting. We’ve all been there. I’m here to tell you there is a better way to network and grow your business, and it all starts by shifting your perspective from building your business to building authentic and meaningful connections with everyone around you (not just at events!). By doing this, I was able to build a six-figure business in under a year, and I want to help others do the same.

I’m the first to admit that I didn’t do this alone. I have an amazing and driven business partner (the Leyva to my Marsicano), an awesome significant other and family support system, and some wonderful mentors, but I learned quickly it takes more than that to build a business from the ground up. My law firm, Marsicano + Leyva, launched right after the new year in 2017 with no clients, a new office, and a business credit card. We had both quit our jobs before the holidays gearing up for the launch, leaving the safety of a steady paycheck behind. Bills were already coming in. My own personal expenses but also for the systems and equipment we had purchased in order to open our doors and put out our shingle. I. Was. Terrified.

Almost immediately, I began signing up for each and every networking event I could fit onto my calendar. No plan of action or active purpose, other than to get new clients. Working the room recklessly and without a real, authentic regard for the actual person I was talking to at the time. Instead, I was thinking what services I could provide for them, and then, about the next person I could meet, and the next, and so on. This went on until I had no more energy or no more cards. I was hungry for business but failing to actively engage with the people I met. I was grinding away, day after day, attending events; hoping at least some of these new contacts would turn into the long-term business clients I dreamed of helping. For the first couple weeks, I got a handful of responses to my follow-ups, and even less closed business. I was beside myself and running on empty. What was I doing wrong? Why couldn’t these contacts see the benefit of my services? Long-gone was my initial enthusiasm and adrenaline at launch, and the goal of providing cutting-edge and cost effective legal solutions for businesses and individuals seemed like a pipe dream. Negative thoughts crept in. Was I just another naïve entrepreneur? Just another young attorney who, only four years out of law school, should never have left the security of her associate position in a prestigious law firm?...

I shut out that negativity just in time, and decided to choose to have, what my family calls, PMA – a Positive Mental Attitude. Negativity in check, I began to reassess. I met with my support system and the individuals of influence in my life to discuss, listened to more podcasts, and read even more books. Each of them providing a piece of the puzzle until finally it all fit into place and clicked. I was going about networking all wrong. I decided to focus on building stronger relationships in my community. Over the next year, I refocused my plan of action and my intentions. I decided to network with purpose and focus on making authentic connections. I set small goals at each event. I actively engaged with those individuals I met. I concentrated on building a personal relationship with the person in front of me rather than trying to push my services. By shifting my perspective, I was able to build a community. At the end of that year, I had a network of business owners, entrepreneurs, and creatives that I trusted and that I could turn to for support as well as fun, and during that same time, our firm had become a six-figure business. This past year, and with that same mindset, we doubled that amount. Now, I want to give you the skills, motivation, and resources to do the same with your own lives.

Through the various platforms in the Networking Maverick community, my goal is to provide you with all the tools, resources, and e-mentorship you need to make authentic connections and build your own successful business. This blog will provide insights on how to network more effectively, in-depth reviews on networking events from South Florida and around the globe, highlights from my YouTube and podcast interviews with #NetworkingMavens worldwide, and provide other resources to empower you to build your own community and grow your business through authentic connections. Each of my platforms and social media accounts will provide you with different tools, resources, and information, so be sure to check them all out! To know what upcoming events I’m attending and get access to special discounts, subscribe to my monthly newsletter here:

If you own a business, want to launch one, or just want to network more effectively this year, then follow me on my own journey as I engage, educate, and empower individuals around the world teaching them to cultivate their own community through authentic connections.

I look forward to connecting with you soon!