Oftentimes those in the work field struggle to balance pursuing a successful career and trying to solve some of the world’s problems – but motivational speaker Christopher Kai, who also happens to be an entrepreneur, author, and consultant, isn’t letting any boundary keep him from doing both.
Much to every local entrepreneur’s delight, Kai is more than willing to share his knowledge about the potential power of networking.
Later this month on Thursday, Jan. 29, at 7:30 am, the Century City Chamber of Commerce will present “Making Networking Work,” during which Kai will share his five ways to effectively network and bring about impacting results.
Raised in Queens, New York in a middle-class family, Kai was unfamiliar with the concept of “Big Gamers,” who can be any authoritative figure that may appear to be out of the standard entrepreneur’s league.
From billionaires to celebrities to executives, Big Gamers are the group of people that entrepreneurs should seek to develop meaningful, lasting relationships with, according to Kai.
After moving to Los Angeles over a decade ago, Kai had a discouraging start to his consulting career and eventually started to focus on meeting Big Gamers as a result.
His first book, a college success guide that helps students with personal statements and interview skills, launched connections with wealthy parents who hired him as an educational consultant.
Once Kai began to hone in on corporate clients and large non-profits, he has been able to work with countless Big Gamers, including but not limited to movie producers, athletes, school administrators, and political leaders.
By networking with Big Gamers, entrepreneurs are able to start thinking like them and eventually make a long-lasting impact in a particular field of work.
“I’ve been told to ‘write what you know,’” Kai said. “I’m not rich or famous yet, so how did I get to go to these premier events? I wanted to be like Robin Hood in a sense and give people access to some of these strategies.”
Some of the key steps that will be addressed at “Making Networking Work” involve finding events that such Big Gamers attend and approaching them with confidence.
“When you meet Big Gamers, you can learn new things and be inspired by what’s going on in the world,” Kai writes in his latest book, “Big Game Hunting: Networking with Billionaires, Executives and Celebrities.”
Ultimately, Kai’s most valued goal is to help those who are less fortunate. Four years ago, Kai founded Mondays at the Mission, a homeless youth program at Union Rescue Mission in downtown Los Angeles.
“At the upcoming networking event, I look forward to meeting more people that I can help,” Kai said.
With a knack for enlarging his circle of colleagues and collaborators, Kai maintains that all of this networking isn’t actually about networking at all.
“It’s labeled as networking, but it’s really all about relationships and community,” Kai said. “In 10 years I hope to continue speaking and writing books and focus on education and entrepreneurship.”
Kai has published three books and has given more than a thousand speeches/workshops worldwide. Along with a team of volunteer mentors, Kai has helped hundreds of homeless students stay in school, find jobs, and attend college via collaborations with Big Gamer guests like Elon Musk, Nolan Bushnell, and Chris DeWolfe, who have visited Mondays at the Mission.
The “Making Networking Work” event will be held at the Century Park Conference Center at 2029 Century Park East in Century City. Tickets are $25 for Chamber Members, $35 for non-members, and $40 at the door.
For more information on the Century City Chamber, call 310.553.2222 or visit centurycitycc.com.
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