Leaning into Network Collapse 

In the world of fractional work and entrepreneurship, it’s easy to feel like you're always chasing the next job or opportunity. It can be exhausting to constantly put yourself out there, always taking meetings “just in case” they lead to your next big project. But let’s be honest: sometimes, things get missed.

However, there’s an interesting phenomenon I’ve experienced—sometimes even if I miss an introduction or a job possibility the first time around, I’m sometimes carried back to it by other people in my network. I’ve started referring to this as a network collapse. To me, it feels like my network is quite literally collapsing on itself and converging back around a shared interest or idea.

I first experienced and coined this idea about a year ago, when I got to know David Nebinski, the creator of the Portfolio Career Podcast. During the same two months, two people referred me to him, and 1-2 others referred him to me. But that alone didn’t trigger the collapse.

A month later, I hosted a book club event with the author of The Perfectionist’s Guide to Losing Control, Katherine Morgan Schafler. She joined us in person, and we shared her fireside chat on social media. Guess who David had already booked as a future podcast guest? That finally triggered the collapse, leading him to message me:

“It seems like we have a lot in common. Should we meet?”

Since then, we’ve attended each other’s events, and I’ve been a guest on his podcast. At another recording this spring, where Katherine was also present, we all reflected on how we first connected.

“Network collapse,” said David. “I like it.”

“I’m going to write a blog post about this idea tomorrow,” I told him. (A lie, obviously.)

But here we are. Better late than never.

Triggering Intentional Collapse Points

Ever since that moment, I’ve noticed other pockets of my network collapsing in similar ways.

For example, when I was first exploring crypto projects, several people from different corners of my network ultimately pulled me into the idea of helping catalyze crypto communities. Similarly, when I began talking about my interest in building a block association on the Upper West Side, two separate people referred me to the Cabin Neighborhood Accelerator. This connection triggered several other “side quests” related to neighborhoods, technology, and community building.

It begs the questions: Can you intentionally trigger a network collapse point?

Here are some of the key elements that seem to anchor these moments:

1. Ideology
   The most powerful network collapses seem to stem from a shared ideology or viewpoint. Even without a product or event to rally around, simply telling people what matters to you seems to reap a lot of invisible long-term benefits. Over time, these conversations align visions and create strong foundations for future partnerships. One caveat: The more you open up about your problem space, the more overwhelming it can become as more people converge around it. That might be a good time to shift focus on those who not only understand the problem, but also share your ideas for possible solutions.

2. Workflow
   I like to pay attention to who I bump into when I’m “out in the wild” at events, meetups, or happy hours. If you notice that you’re constantly seeing the same people, you might use that as an indication that you might have more in common than meets the eye. This goes for online networks that you frequent, too. As I’ve picked up my blogging cadence noticeably in the past 3 months, I’ve started to notice who else is blogging frequently, along a similar set of ideas. As a high output individual, it’s pretty clear to me when I meet someone else with a similarly high throughput on their own work. To me, this is a signal that we might be able to collaborate together on something.
   

3. Problem stage
   I’ve started paying closer attention to the maturity of the stage of evolution of someone else’s problem. Are they early into their idea, have they already built a platform around it, or are they still deciding which direction to go? There aren’t any wrong answers here, per say, but the collapse points need to happen in moments when everyone’s interests align mutually. The reason David, Katherine, and I were all brought together is because we were all in the interest of amplifying and promoting something (a podcast, a book, or a book club). Since I tend to get pulled into very early projects these days, on ideas that haven’t yet really seen the light of day, it sometimes helps me to team up with 1-2 others who have a little more traction or footing.

As a fractional worker juggling 1-2 major projects and 15-20 "side quests" at any given time, I sometimes think of my work like a spider weaving a web. Each thread connects different parts of my network, sometimes triggering collapse points that bring everything together—or, in a more whimsical sense, help me catch an opportunity I might have missed. But sometimes, it works the other way around, and the network catches me, pulling me back into something I didn’t realize I was circling.