How to build a community when moving to a new city

Executive overview

Moving cities doesn't automatically build a network. The people you want to connect with are busy, already have full lives, and won't come to you.

Success requires treating network-building as an active campaign, not a passive hope. Three principles determine whether the move transforms your life or just changes your postcode.

Proximity is power — but only if you do the work to earn it.

Finding the right people takes deliberate effort

• Target people are hard to find; they won't seek you out
• Cold outreach at scale is required — expect low response rates initially
• Early contacts become allies who introduce you to deeper networks
• Use filters (values, wealth, nonprofit involvement) to identify high-quality targets
• Build the list manually if no public list exists; expect months of outreach

You only get out what you put in

• In established hometowns, most people become passive bystanders in their own network
• Every invite in a new city must be treated as a priority — say yes
• Organise events, hikes, dinners; don't wait to be included
• Treat everyone as having something to offer; avoid judging by surface success
• Ask questions, find what people are passionate about, and listen deeply

Integrate work and life rather than separating them

• The work/life split is a false boundary that limits both
• Mountain bike with the CEO, wake surf with the founders you coach
• Host events at home; bring entrepreneurial friends to community causes
• When like-minded people share activities, effort disappears — it becomes effortless
• Integration produces a quality of life that transactional networking never reaches