5 Tips to Help You Build Your Network

Rachael Cosgrove, the founder of Gift Bags by Rachael, is a marketer who connects brands with high-profile events and award shows.

Cosgrove worked in Event Marketing at People Magazine for 12 years where she was involved in every aspect of People's sponsorships of events like the Academy Awards, Grammys, Emmys, SAG Awards, Country Music Awards and many others. Among her many duties, Cosgrove was the lead on gift bags. Eventually, she started helping her colleagues at Time Inc.'s sister publications with their gift bag needs. She soon realized she had begun building what would become her own business.

Since launching her company five years ago, Cosgrove has created a network spanning several industries. While she has curated gift bags for celebrity events like the SAG Awards, Sports Emmys and Grammys, she has also handled onsite gifting for tech conferences such as Code and WSJ's Tech Live.

"I've built up a whole database of brands that I've worked with over many years," she says, "but I'm always looking for new brands. I'm reading the magazines seeing who's featured. I'm looking in stores. I'm looking online. I'm scouring Instagram. I'm constantly trying to get the latest and greatest."

While that is a large part of her job, another big piece of her puzzle is nurturing all of her relationships. She sat down with Jessica Abo to share five tips to help entrepreneurs grow and nurture their network.

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