Five years ago, I connected with someone on LinkedIn.
At the time, it felt like one of those ordinary social media connections — polite, distant, and easy to forget.
Recently, something unexpected happened.
A LinkedIn contact from Canada sincerely invited me to lunch. He had mentioned it once before, and I didn’t think much of it. We all know how social media invitations can be — sometimes just a friendly gesture. But after he returned from Mexico, he reached out again, this time seriously and thoughtfully. That’s when I realized he truly meant it.
I checked our connection history.
We’ve been connected on LinkedIn for five years.
During those five years, we never actively discussed business. There were no deals, no projects, no constant messages. We simply interacted occasionally — a like here, a comment there. Quiet, consistent, and genuine.
He is British, studied in the United States, later settled in Canada, and has been doing business with China for over 45 years. When he talks about China, he knows many cities incredibly well — sometimes even better than people who grew up there.
For our lunch, he sent me several restaurant options in advance, considering location and style, and even made a reservation ahead of time. We live in different cities — he drove about 45 minutes, and I drove nearly an hour. We chose a place in between. Luckily, the weather cooperated and it didn’t snow that day.
When we finally met, the conversation flowed far more naturally than I expected. It didn’t feel like meeting an “online connection” for the first time — it felt like catching up with an old friend. We talked about business, culture, China, Europe, and Canada.
His wife is Greek and speaks three languages: English, Greek, and a Slavic language. Honestly, I wasn’t surprised. Multilingual families are very common overseas — one language from the father, one from the mother, plus the language of the country where they live.
Then he said something that truly stayed with me:
“Nice people will meet nice people.”
It’s a simple sentence, but in that moment, it felt deeply true.
He also said something else that meant a lot to me:
“Your English is very good. More importantly, you know how to express yourself and your company on LinkedIn.”
This was the first time a foreign professional openly acknowledged the work I’ve been doing on LinkedIn. He told me that among the many Chinese professionals he has worked with, very few are willing — or able — to consistently use overseas social media platforms to build a personal presence and communicate company values over the long term.
He said he had been following my posts for a long time.
That was when I realized something important:
Many things you think no one is watching are, in fact, quietly being seen.
We talked almost the entire time. As for what we ate — just burgers and fries. Honestly, in moments like this, food doesn’t matter. What mattered was that this was a real, offline meeting that started on LinkedIn.
Not for a deal.
Not for cooperation.
Looking back on my journey — from having nothing to building something little by little — I realize I’ve met many people who were willing to help along the way.
Some relationships were never rushed for returns.
Some things were simply about being a good person first.
Nice people will meet nice people.
A founder’s reflection on a five-year LinkedIn connection that turned into a real-life meeting — and why trust, consistency, and personal branding matter in global business.
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