The last thought on my Dad who passed in 2017. He built his network in a very unique way. In late late 1960s, he bought a used Ford Econline van and outfitted it with a file and desk with a typewriter. He stocked the file cabinet with business forms and copies of state laws and local regulations.

He also got a futon. and would park at camp sites and sleep in the van. He would ship it to each Hawaiian island for a few weeks and would visit every business in every small town and would talk to the owners about what laws and regulations affected them. They would gladly pay annual dues for him to keep them informed. No one had ever done this for them before. he did those van tours for about 5 years. As he talked to more business and kept them in the loop, he offered more and more services to fill their need. He created custom signs for them (check return policy, No Tools loaned, etc). He even created a group health insurance program for members. This grew into trade associations. Hawaii Assn of Gasoline dealers (gas stations), Hawaii Food Industry Assn, Hawaii Liquor Dealers, Hawaii Flooring Assn, the list goes on. All from that Ford van and talking to people one on one.