7. How many people should actually be in your professional network?

There is no magic number. Your network should be large enough to give you breadth and small enough that the important relationships still have depth. I like to think in layers. You may know hundreds or thousands of professionals, but a much smaller group should be people you understand well enough to call, consult or refer. The mistake is assuming every connection has to become a close relationship. It doesn't. Build a broad universe, then deliberately curate the people who deserve greater attention. A healthy network is not one giant circle. It is a series of relationships at different levels of relevance and trust.