The Art of Networking: A Masterclass with Whitnie Narcisse (Dating Concierge, prev. Operating Partner - First Round Capital)
This week the Enrich membership (and select guests) gathered for an absolutely genius masterclass on networking with Whitnie Narcisse. As networking becomes increasingly critical for career advancement—with 85% of jobs filled through networking and 70-80% of positions never publicly posted—this session provided actionable frameworks for networking, best practices on outreach and recommendations on how to build a system to support your network. Plus, it was a lot of fun.
If you'd been there, here's what you'd still be thinking about:
Your intro is your handshake—make it memorable. Whitnie broke down her FACE framework for introducing yourself:
Factual - Share concrete background/experience
Memorable - Include a distinct detail others can recall
Credible - Establish relevant expertise/experience
Engaging - Be dynamic and authentic vs robotic/monotone
This structured approach helps others remember you and creates a foundation for meaningful connection beyond the initial meeting.
Mine your existing network before cold-calling the universe. Whitnie advocated starting with warm connections before venturing into cold outreach. People tend to forget about the folks they already know and can re-connect with, so don’t neglect your existing relationships!
Send good outreach. Her practical advice included personalizing each request and, if you’re looking for an introduction, making it ridiculously easy for others to help by pre-writing introductions they can forward (Enrich investor Roy Bahat is also a big proponent of this approach). She also emphasized the importance of a quick follow-up to maintain momentum in new connections - so send a note right after a meeting, conference, interview, etc.
We also took some great notes on the perfect tech stack for maintaining your network, planning events to deepen connections, and how to make networking feel like making friends rather than collecting business cards. To get access to the complete notes and attend future Enrich events with incredible experts like Whitnie Narcisse...join Enrich!
