No matter how talented you are, no matter how brilliant your business idea may be, growth becomes slow and frustrating if you are walking the journey alone. One of the most common mistakes entrepreneurs make is failing to invest time and energy in building relationships and networks that can support their vision. Business is not just about products or services, it is about people, trust, and connection.
Look around at the most successful entrepreneurs, and you’ll notice a pattern: they rarely succeed in isolation. They are surrounded by mentors, partners, collaborators, and peers who push them forward. Mark Zuckerberg had the early Facebook co-founders and investors like Peter Thiel who believed in the idea when the world thought it was a college project. In Nigeria, brands like Paystack and Flutterwave didn’t just rise because of technology, they leveraged relationships with investors, regulators, and global networks to scale their reach.
The truth is, people often underestimate the power of relationships because the benefits are not always immediate. You can attend a conference today, meet someone, and not see the value in that connection until two years later when that person introduces you to an opportunity that transforms your business. Networking is like planting seeds. Some sprout quickly, others take time, but eventually, the harvest comes.
On the flip side, ignoring relationships can cost you dearly. Many small businesses stay stuck because they refuse to collaborate or share ideas. They treat everyone as competition instead of potential partners. Some entrepreneurs also shy away from mentorship because of pride, thinking they can figure everything out on their own. But mentorship is one of the fastest shortcuts to success, it allows you to learn in one year what it took someone else ten years to figure out.
Experiences show this clearly. A bakery owner in Lagos shared how her business nearly collapsed during the pandemic because she couldn’t access raw materials. What saved her was not advertising or promotions, but a connection she had made months earlier with a supplier who gave her credit when she had no cash flow. That single relationship kept her doors open until things stabilized.
Globally, networking is recognized as a key factor in entrepreneurial success. A Harvard Business Review study found that 85% of jobs are filled through networking, not traditional applications. The same applies to business opportunities, contracts, partnerships, and even funding often come not from cold pitches but from warm introductions through trusted networks.
Another layer to this mistake is misunderstanding what networking really means. Many people think networking is simply exchanging business cards or adding people on LinkedIn. True networking is about building genuine, mutually beneficial relationships. It is not just “what can I get from this person?” but “how can we both grow?” People remember those who add value to their lives, not those who constantly take without giving.
For entrepreneurs in Africa and beyond, the digital age has opened up endless opportunities to build networks without even leaving your home. Online communities, Twitter spaces, LinkedIn groups, and webinars connect you to people across the world. But it still requires intentionality. You must show up, contribute to conversations, ask questions, and demonstrate authenticity. Relationships are built over time, not overnight.
So ask yourself today: Who are you learning from? Who is in your circle pushing you to be better? Who can you call when you hit a wall in your business? If your answer is “no one,” then you are making one of the most costly mistakes. Success is rarely a solo journey, it is a community effort.
Building relationships and networks is not about being extroverted or attending every event. It is about being intentional, nurturing trust, and showing consistency. When you invest in people, you invest in the very foundation that will hold your business up in times of crisis and accelerate it in moments of opportunity.
Continue Reading the Full Series on Tech Career Mistakes
This article is part of our “5 Common Mistakes People Make When Choosing a Tech Career” series. Explore all the mistakes and discover how to avoid them:
