There’s a concept called “making your own luck” that seems to be everywhere I turn lately. Whether you’re newly laid off, have been out of work for months (or years 😡!?!), or are trying to launch a new business like we are at Thurgood, manufacturing luck is an important skill.

Let’s start with a definition. Making your own luck is taking action to create new opportunities for yourself. The opposite of dumb luck, this “smart luck” is about actively looking for things you can do to increase your chances of success. 

Examples for job seekers:

• Attending (and actively participating in) networking events in your field/area.
• Connecting with previous coworkers, managers, and peers to see how they’re doing and share your job search.
• Actively reaching out to a targetted list of companies and leaders you’d like to work for.
• Starting a side hustle using (and developing) your skills.

For those starting a business:

• Networking with other businesses in your industry to understand the problems and solutions.
• Creating interest in your company through “earned media” (e.g. articles or podcasts about your company or industry that quote or reference you.)
• Taking connecting flights (courtesy of our investor Matt Blodgett) – turning each meeting into an introduction to other potential leads, partners, or investors.

These actions increase your luck surface area, e.g., a fictional measure of the amount of “luck” you generate through your actions. Others graph this with doing vs. telling, while that is a valuable way of thinking about the balance (not too much telling → boasting, and not too much doing → suffering in silence.) 

I think of luck surface area much like marketing – reach vs. frequency (too much reach without frequency → flash in the pan, too much frequency and not enough reach → spam.)

Get out there and make some luck today! What luck creation techniques work best for you?