The tech startup explosion has spawned a vibrant social scene, ripe with enough panels, fireside chats, and fast-pitch events to keep your dance card full most every night. These gatherings promise to connect, educate, and entertain you, the early-stage or future founder, and it can be tempting to hit the town to soak up the excitement of our booming industry. Business cards are exchanged, hands are shaken, cocktails are consumed . . . all in the name of “work.” What could be better?

Lots of things could be better. In fact, even sleeping would be more productive than attending a startup event.

The fact is that unless your customers are startups themselves (in which case you should network your face off at tech events), the people who can truly make an impact on your company–investors, potential partners, and future employees–are not out networking. Important, successful people are, by definition, in high demand. They don’t hit the town to seek out opportunity because opportunity comes to them. And even if you do manage to find them at an event, they’re unlikely to be impressed by your business until you’ve achieved proof of concept. Once you’ve created something of value, those very same people will be compelled to take meetings with you. Meetings that you can plan and prepare for, so that your first interaction with them is impactful and results-oriented.

When I was bootstrapping through Tradesy’s first two years, I never attended events. Instead, I stayed focused (obsessed, really) on improving our product and technology. I was glued to the computer for 17 hours a day. I barely noticed when I gained 20 pounds and developed killer back problems.

Your sole job as an early-stage founder is to put in the long hours of focused work that make your product great and your customers happy. Doing that right will consume all of your time and energy for a while. So in the rare moments when you’re not working, you simply don’t have the time to stand around sipping wine and chatting up other startup founders about today’s tech headlines. Instead, you should sleep. Eat something healthy. Meditate. Do anything that recharges your batteries and prepares you for another day in the trenches.

When I was bootstrapping through Tradesy’s first two years, I never attended events. Instead, I stayed focused (obsessed, really) on improving our product and technology. I was glued to the computer for 17 hours a day, with my eye so tightly on the ball that I barely noticed when I gained 20 pounds and developed some killer back problems. In that time, I taught myself how to design, code, market, and manage customer service, all via readily accessible, Google-able information online. I woke up every night between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. to live-tweet and get on Facebook with our European customers. I rented out my bedroom on Airbnb and slept on my couch to pay the rent.

It was grueling but ultimately rewarding. While our competitors were out networking, Tradesy was growing. Customers who loved the product helped us quickly turn profitable, which got Tradesy accepted into the Launchpad LA accelerator, which led to instant one-on-one connections with advisers and venture capitalists, who eventually funded the company to the tune of $3.5 million to date. Today, Team Tradesy is 17 people strong and touches millions of customers every month.

Of course, I didn’t do it alone, and neither can you. Every entrepreneur needs the support of mentors and advisers, who will help you strategize about your company’s growth and keep you from developing tunnel vision about your product. So how do you connect with these people if not at the next “Using Social Media to Grow Your Startup” panel? It’s easier than it seems, as long as you can respectfully entice them to meet with you in a way that’s targeted and efficient. I like to call my favorite method “The World’s Best Approach to Networking Without Even Having to Put on Pants.” It goes a little something like this: