Five small things that have opened big doors for me
Read time: 5 minutes
Recently I was on a coaching call with someone who asked: "Where does most of your work come from?" I started giving the obvious answers: LinkedIn. Introductions. People I've worked with before.
As we talked, I realised there wasn't really one answer. Very few opportunities started with me actively looking for that particular thing.
But they weren't completely random either.
Usually, I could trace them back to something I'd done much earlier. A conversation, a post, or an event I nearly didn't attend.
And I think that's the interesting bit: you can't really control which opportunities come your way, but you can make yourself more likely to encounter them.
These five things have made the biggest difference for me.
1. Give people a way to find out you exist
For the majority of my career, only the people I'd worked with really knew what I was capable of. Writing online changed that.
I've posted consistently on LinkedIn for the past few years and written this newsletter every week since the beginning of 2025. This is issue 91!
That has led to clients, partnerships, investors and relationships with people I'd never have met otherwise.
You don't need a huge audience. But if your ideas and expertise exist beyond your immediate circle, more people have a chance to discover them.
2. Do things before you feel completely comfortable
I've become much better at recognising when I'm saying no because something is wrong for me, versus saying no because it makes me nervous.
They're very different things.
Speaking on panels, coaching, and being on billboards across London all pushed me (far!) outside my comfort zone. But each one also expanded my world somehow.
It's not about saying yes to everything. It's about being careful that you're not saying no because something feels uncomfortable.
3. Start writing
Interestingly, writing has probably created more opportunities for me than anything else. Partly because it creates something that goes out to the world.
But also because it forces me to work out what I actually think. It helps me make sense of things, see patterns and develop ideas.
And it doesn't have to be in the public domain. Notes, journalling, a newsletter, LinkedIn. I think the format is less important than the activity itself.
4. Meet people, then actually keep in touch
I'm not someone who naturally wants to go to every networking event. But I've learnt that new conversations expose you to things you can't predict: friendships, collaborations and opportunities.
Then the second part is staying in touch afterwards. And not because you want something. Send the message, congratulate someone, have the occasional coffee. Some of my most valuable professional relationships have grown from very normal interactions over time.
5. Pay attention to what you're consuming
There is so much information competing for our attention. I've become much more selective about what gets mine.
What you read, watch and listen to really does shape what you think about. And that influences the ideas and conversations you have, and the things you pursue.
I really try to be selective and consume things that leave me with new questions or ideas rather than just filling time. Better inputs = better outputs.
The takeaway
You can't manufacture every opportunity. But you can increase your chances of encountering them by putting yourself out there, meeting people and being open to things you might normally avoid.
Do that consistently and you create more possibilities for things to happen.
You can't control exactly what comes from them. But you can increase the chances that something does.
Speak soon,
Dupé
PS: Want support building authority on LinkedIn? Reply to this email and we’ll set up a conversation.
