I nearly networked myself into the ground last year. That sounds dramatic, but it’s the truth. My mission was simple. Make sure there wasn’t a corner of England that hadn’t heard about UK Homes Network. If there was a property room somewhere, I wanted to be in it. If there was a stage, I wanted to stand on it. If there were people talking about property, I wanted to introduce myself and explain what we were building. So I got in the car. A lot. Last year I spoke at nearly 50 events and attended around 120 across the country. Some weeks I was doing 4 or 5 events. Manchester one day. Birmingham the next. London after that. Back home. Then out again. And I loved it. I met some of the most talented property professionals in the country. Developers building serious schemes. Landlords quietly running incredible portfolios. Brokers, planners, agents, investors. I would never have met half of them if I hadn’t been prepared to put the miles in. Networking built this business. Full stop. But there was a problem.Every Friday, like clockwork, 3pm would hit and my brain would just switch off. Completely. It didn’t matter how motivated I felt in the morning. By mid-afternoon I was done. Properly done. The tank was empty. My solution most weeks was not exactly scientific. I’d wander over the shop and spend about £10 on chocolate, crisps and whatever other rubbish I could find, then sit there convincing myself it was either a reward or some sort of emotional compensation for the week I’d just dragged myself through. Saturday morning would arrive and the guilt would kick in. I’d sit there thinking about the emails I hadn’t sent, the marketing I hadn’t finished, the admin that had piled up because I’d spent most of the week either speaking on stage or driving up and down the motorway. So what did I do? I’d end up at my desk most Saturdays trying to catch up on the work I’d missed while I was out “growing the business”. The irony didn’t escape me. Networking is still the most reliable way to build a business in property. You meet people properly. You understand what they’re working on. Trust gets built quicker in one real conversation than in fifty online ones. But I’ve started to realise something else. Business isn’t about how many miles you can drive before you burn out. It’s about consistency. This year I’ve pulled back the number of events and speaking slots to something that actually feels healthy. And something funny has happened. I haven’t worked a Saturday in weeks. I’m sharper during the week. The work actually gets done. I’m more present with my family. My brain feels like it belongs to me again instead of the M6 or M1. Networking built UK Homes Network. I’ll never stop doing it. But I’m finally learning that building something that lasts isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing the right things, at the right pace, for a long time. Turns out stamina beats sprinting every time.

Posted by Chris at 2026-03-16 09:17:22 UTC