You can have all the talent in the world, but if nobody knows what you’re capable of, how will the right opportunities find you?
During my sophomore year at the University of Alabama, I found myself in a frustrating position. For the second consecutive year, I hadn’t secured an internship. I couldn’t figure out why.
I had a good GPA, was studying aerospace engineering, and had submitted applications just like everyone told me to. Yet I wasn’t getting responses. I started wondering what I was missing. Was it my résumé? My experience? Was I simply not competitive enough?
Then I noticed something interesting. There was a student on campus whose face seemed to be everywhere. He appeared on televisions around the university, on the school’s website, and even on our student ID cards. Seriously, the guy was everywhere, lol.
And his presence wasn’t limited to campus. When I looked at his LinkedIn profile, some of his posts had thousands of likes. If you’re familiar with LinkedIn, you know that’s no small accomplishment. Getting 3,000 likes on LinkedIn felt like getting 30,000 on Instagram.
He had serious influence in the professional world, and from my perspective, opportunities seemed to follow him. That’s when something clicked.
Talent Matters, but So Does Visibility
I realized that I could become one of the greatest engineers in the world, but if I never put myself in a position where people could recognize my abilities, that talent might never translate into opportunity. Being qualified wasn’t necessarily enough. I also needed people to know who I was, what I was doing, and what I could contribute.
So, naturally, I decided to test a hypothesis. What would happen if I became more intentional about putting myself out there?
I started attending events, getting involved on campus, and sharing more of my experiences on LinkedIn. I posted about my grades, academic accomplishments, and the opportunities I had to learn and grow. At first, I was simply trying to become more visible.
But over time, something interesting happened. My following began to grow, and I started becoming more involved in the campus community. Through my involvement with a student center, I found myself contributing to efforts supporting the development of Black engineers at the university. As those responsibilities grew, so did my influence.
It was honestly a little awkward at first. I wasn’t necessarily accustomed to being someone people recognized or looked to for leadership. But eventually, I grew more comfortable with that responsibility.
That experience helped prepare me for another opportunity: becoming president of the University of Alabama’s chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). Throughout that period, I continued sharing my experiences, attending events, and developing relationships.
And eventually, the opportunities I’d been searching for began to materialize. The following year, I received internship opportunities.
Building a Reputation Before You Need It
Looking back, I don’t believe any single LinkedIn post or event was responsible for those opportunities. It was the combination of several things.
My online presence helped people become familiar with my experiences and interests. My involvement on campus allowed me to contribute to a community and demonstrate leadership. Conferences and professional events put me in environments where I could meet people who might otherwise never have crossed my path.
And, of course, I still needed to be prepared when those opportunities appeared. Visibility might help you get noticed, but preparation gives people a reason to take you seriously.
That distinction is important. The lesson wasn’t to become popular for the sake of popularity. It was to make my work, interests, and contributions visible while continuing to develop the skills that made those things meaningful.
In a sense, I was building a professional reputation before I fully understood what that reputation could become. And that reputation would eventually extend beyond college.
What This Taught Me About Building a Business
So, how does any of this translate to building a business?
The same principles that helped me build my professional reputation can be applied to entrepreneurship. You can use your experiences, abilities, and contributions to build visibility, establish credibility, and develop influence among the people you want to reach.
The difference is that the strategy won’t look the same for everyone.
For me, it started with LinkedIn, campus involvement, professional conferences, and leadership opportunities. For someone else, it might mean sharing their work on social media, getting involved in their local community, attending industry events, or simply becoming known for consistently providing a valuable service.
You have to figure out what makes sense for you, your abilities, and the people you’re trying to reach. More importantly, you have to become comfortable being yourself. You don’t need to imitate someone else’s personality or approach to build a reputation of your own.
But there’s something else I want to emphasize: this takes time.
I’ve been active on LinkedIn for years. I spent years getting involved on campus, developing relationships, and contributing to organizations I cared about. I ultimately served a second year as president of Alabama’s NSBE chapter, which required countless hours of work and commitment.
It wasn’t always easy, and the results certainly weren’t immediate. But look where that journey has taken me.
I graduated with my aerospace engineering degree and MBA, secured a full-time engineering position, and have had the opportunity to travel across the United States through my career.
I can’t attribute every opportunity I’ve received to networking or LinkedIn. My faith, education, preparation, and the work I put into developing my abilities mattered tremendously. But building a reputation and putting myself in the right environments helped create opportunities to demonstrate those abilities.
And that’s the lesson I want entrepreneurs to understand. You might be incredibly talented at what you do. You might have a fantastic business idea or provide an excellent service. But people need opportunities to discover that value.
Building visibility doesn’t necessarily mean becoming an influencer or accumulating thousands of followers. It means consistently showing people what you’re capable of, contributing to the communities you want to serve, and developing relationships along the way. Over time, those efforts can help you establish a reputation that extends beyond any single opportunity.
So here’s my question for you: How can you take these same principles and make them work for your business?
Where are the people you’re trying to reach? What abilities or experiences can you showcase? What communities could you contribute to? And what can you start doing today that might put you in a better position a year from now?
You don’t have to follow my path. Find your own way to become visible, be comfortable being yourself, and give your efforts time to compound.
And remember, building a network is one thing. Learning how to tap into the relationships you’ve developed is another. That’s where we’ll pick up in the next article.
MKé Exchange explores the experiences, relationships, and lessons that help ambitious people build something meaningful. Discover more conversations and resources at mkeexchange.com.