The essence of who I am as a person and what I do for a living lies in relationship building.
Lately, I have realized the enormous potential of playing the long game in relationships. There is a simple question I now ask for every new person I meet: would I want them at my funeral?
Thinking this way modified my behavior, and provided a straightforward, albeit robust framework for decision making when it comes to networking. Go deep with few people rather than connecting with plenty of folks with little sagacity.
"The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them."
— Ernest Hemingway
You don’t need formal training to be responsive, meet deadlines, and to show up on time. Pick the right people you want to go deep with and offer them value without expecting anything in return.
Be relentless. Add so much value that they don’t have another choice but to want you in their lives.
Stop spending time on social media doing small interactions with thousands of people. Go deep. Win.
ps — thanks to Jess Lee for the funeral metaphor.
Hold the elevator for someone, genuinely be happy for a friend you love, and even raise millions of dollars for your entrepreneurial quest. Express your joy.
In startup land, we build multi-billion-dollar empires in less than a decade. In startup land, self-reliance is paramount.
I love shopping offline and local. That said, traditional retailers that don’t innovate will die pretty fast. Long live $SHOP and $AMZN.
