Last year a friend of mine was leaving the country with her family for a new life overseas. There was a family BBQ held in her honour, and at it I got chatting to one of the neighbours.
We discovered that we had complementary businesses and to cut a long story short, have now been working regularly together for 9 months.
This reminded me of a number of other occasions where I have done business with somebody that I initially met in a completely non-business environment. Talking to people in the school playground, the stables and even a fitness class have all resulted in lucrative business opportunities over the years.
If you get on in a social environment, it’s likely that you will work well together too. So be curious, ask people about what they do and you never know. It might be an opportunity for both of you.