Brandon Boynton is a current student at IUPUI and serial entrepreneur. This post is one in a series about the lessons he’s learned as a startup founder.

By Brandon Boynton, CEO, Vemity

2. Always make others feel important.

When dealing with other people, whether employees, partners, friends, acquaintances or what have you, treat them with respect and listen. When you are passionate about your product and your business, it’s very easy to commandeer a conversation. You work tirelessly on your business, and you want to share it with the world — but unfortunately for you, most people aren’t nearly as interested as you want them to be.

Listen to others. Offer your elevator pitch, tell them what you do and then shut up. If they are genuinely interested, they might ask questions, and that’s fantastic. But make sure you ask questions about them, too. Find out what they are passionate about. Ask them about their work. Ask them questions and make them feel important.

Trying to impress others is a poor way to network. By making others feel important and respected, they will subsequently be much more willing to work with you, buy your product or mentor you.

Next: Passion.

Lesson 1: Your age doesn’t matter as much as you think it does.