From corporate HR to business ownership, I discovered that some of the most valuable connections happen outside the office.
For more than 30 years, I worked in human resources. I built relationships, connected people, solved problems, and spent a good portion of my career talking to just about everyone.
And I loved it.
What I didn’t do much of? Network outside my organization.
Not because I didn’t enjoy meeting people. Quite the opposite. I’ve always been a natural connector. I’m the person who remembers a conversation, thinks of someone who might be able to help, and makes the introduction.
But in corporate HR, networking wasn’t necessarily on my radar. I had employees to support, leaders to advise, problems to solve, and about a hundred other things competing for my attention.
Besides, I wasn’t trying to find clients. I had a job to do.
Then I became a business owner.
And suddenly, networking took on an entirely new meaning.
Turns Out, I’ve Been Networking My Whole Career. I Just Didn’t Call It That.
Looking back, so much of what I did in HR was about building connections.
I connected employees with resources. I brought managers and employees together to work through challenges. I built relationships across departments, earned trust, and became someone people knew they could call when they needed help.
Sound familiar?
That’s networking. Just without the name tags and breakfast meetings.
The difference is that most of those relationships existed within the walls of my organization.
When I launched Purciarele Group, those walls disappeared.
And I discovered a whole community of business owners, professionals, entrepreneurs, and genuinely interesting people who had experiences, ideas, and perspectives I might never have encountered otherwise.
I was hooked.
One Introduction. Two New Clients.
Recently, something happened that reminded me just how powerful relationships can be.
One of our existing clients connected us with not one, but TWO amazing new clients.
Two!
Not because we launched some elaborate marketing campaign. Not because we delivered a perfectly rehearsed sales pitch.
Because someone we work with trusted us enough to recommend us to someone else.
And that means a great deal to me.
When you run a service-based business, your reputation is everything. People are trusting you with their employees, their challenges, and sometimes situations they’d rather not be dealing with in the first place.
A referral says, “I trust this person, and I think you can, too.”
There’s no advertising campaign in the world that can manufacture that kind of confidence.
And here’s the best part: those relationships started with simply doing good work, being available, following through, and treating people well.
Which, when you think about it, is exactly what HR should be doing anyway.
BNI, the St. Johns County Chamber, and Finding My People
I’m a member of both BNI and the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce, and I genuinely LOVE networking.
And not just because it might bring me my next client.
Need a service? I probably know someone!
From a handyperson to a psychic and just about everything in between. Seriously. That’s networking!
One of my favorite things is hearing someone mention a problem or something they need and being able to say, “Oh! I know someone who can help you with that!”
And I love making those introductions.
It doesn’t have to have anything to do with HR. It doesn’t have to result in a referral for my business. Sometimes it’s simply about connecting two people who might never have found each other otherwise.
That’s what I enjoy most.
Through BNI, the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce, and other networking opportunities, I’ve met some incredibly talented, hardworking, and interesting people. I’ve learned about businesses and industries I never would have encountered during my corporate HR career.
I’ve also gained a greater appreciation for our local business community. There are so many people working hard to build something, support their families, create jobs, and make a difference. Getting to know them and learning their stories has become one of my favorite parts of being a business owner.
And I’ve discovered something along the way:
The more people you get to know, the more people you can help.
Sometimes those relationships turn into business opportunities. Sometimes they turn into friendships. And sometimes you’re just the person who knows a really good handyperson.
Or a psychic.
Either way, I call that a win.
So Why Don’t More HR Professionals Network?
Now, I don’t want to suggest that HR professionals never network. Plenty do.
But having spent decades in corporate HR, I understand why networking outside the organization can fall pretty far down the priority list.
You’re busy.
Really busy.
There’s an employee issue that needs attention, a position that needs filling, a manager who needs guidance, a policy that needs updating, and somebody who needs something yesterday.
Finding time to attend a networking event? Good luck.
And if you’re working in corporate HR, you might reasonably wonder why you need to network with business owners, accountants, attorneys, or other professionals in the first place.
I understand that thinking because, for many years, I didn’t see networking as a priority either.
But here’s what I’ve come to appreciate.
Networking isn’t just about finding your next client or your next job. It’s about expanding the people, perspectives, and resources you can bring to the table.
For HR professionals, that can mean knowing a great employment attorney, a benefits expert, a recruiter, a payroll specialist, or another HR professional who’s faced a challenge you haven’t encountered yet.
It can mean understanding what’s happening in businesses outside your own industry.
And sometimes, it simply means having someone you can call and say, “Have you ever dealt with this before?”
That’s valuable whether you’re running an HR consulting business or supporting employees inside a company.
The Best Connections Don’t Feel Like Networking
Here’s something I’ve learned: the relationships that have meant the most to me rarely started with a sales pitch.
They started with a conversation.
A genuine interest in what someone else was doing.
A willingness to listen.
A follow-up when I said I’d follow up.
An introduction that might help someone, even if there was nothing in it for me.
And maybe that’s why I’ve enjoyed this part of business ownership so much.
I haven’t had to reinvent myself to become a networker.
I’ve simply taken something I’ve always loved doing—connecting with people—and brought it into a much bigger community.
Thirty-plus years in HR taught me the importance of trust, communication, relationships, and follow-through.
Business ownership has shown me just how far those qualities can take you.
My Advice? Get Out There.
Whether you’re in HR, running a small business, or building a career, don’t underestimate the value of getting to know people beyond your everyday circle.
Get involved in your local Chamber of Commerce. Visit a BNI chapter. Attend a community event. Show up, introduce yourself, and take a genuine interest in the people you meet.
And please, don’t make every conversation about what you sell.
Ask questions. Listen. Remember people. Make introductions. Follow through.
You might gain a new client. You might find a resource you didn’t know you needed. You might make a lifelong friend.
Or you might just have a really good conversation.
Personally, I think that’s a pretty great return on your time.
After more than 30 years in HR, I thought I knew quite a bit about building relationships. Turns out, I was just getting started.
And these days? Give me a problem, a project, or a person you need to find.
Chances are, I know someone!
Amy Purciarele is the Founder and CEO of Purciarele Group, providing practical, personalized HR support to businesses.
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