There is a reason that the saying “Your Network is Your Net-Worth” exists.
It’s because their is so much fundamental truth to it. In today’s world (and tomorrow’s world as well), the people we surround ourselves with will dramatically determine the ultimate outcome of our endeavors, dreams and lives.
Nothing is more important or powerful than building and maintaining a network of relationships with our fellow peers – human beings who are either already on the same path as us or who have long since carved the path we wish to tread upon. Everything in life stems from this singular truth.
While there are numerous reasons to take this seriously, for the sake of this writing, I am going to focus only on 3 of them and why having a powerful private network will change your life forever.
1. WEATHER ANY FINANCIAL STORM
As I am writing this, Google has just announced 12,000 layoffs. I remember what that feels like. One of my first jobs out of high school was working in a warehouse, mostly doing manual labor. We worked 12 hour shifts, 6 days per week. And when the work dried up, we were simply laid off.
I was only 19 years old at the time and had only really just begun the process of building my powerful, world-class network. As such, there was little to nothing I could do when I was laid off. I had to either wait for the same company to hire me back or start from scratch, looking for a new job and dealing with all the anxiety that comes along with that.
Now, I have not worked for anyone other than myself in well over a decade. But if I were in the job circuit, I could get a job at nearly any place I want, with nothing more than a handful of phone calls made and emails sent. This is possible because my network (which I have built this way entirely by design) allows me to be no more than 1 degree of separation from any person I would ever want to talk to.
Let’s be honest. No matter what employers say about “equal opportunity” to all people, the fact is that human beings have historically and always will have a bias toward hiring people they know. It is much easier to get a job somewhere if you either already know the person who is hiring for the job or know someone who knows them.
When this is your reality, you suddenly stop worrying about things like recessions; because, you know that you will never really be out of a job. And you can weather any financial storm.
The same principle is true for founders. If you have the right relationships, you can raise capital – even during a bear market. In fact, bear markets are one of the best times to raise capital. And this is because only real players get a shot. Want to be a real player? Get yourself into a position where you know all the right people and watch how dramatically it changes your life.
2. LEARN FROM THE MISTAKES OF OTHERS
They say there is nothing new under the sun. And whoever “they” are, I suspect they are (mostly) right. Dumb people make mistakes and never learn from them. Smart people learn from their own mistakes. Truly brilliant people learn from the mistakes of others. You want to be in the latter group. Trust me.
Almost every week, one of my friends is trying something incredible and failing at whatever that thing is. Like all successful individuals, they fail more than they succeed. But they learn from those failures. And because I know so many successful people, I learn invaluable lessons from their mistakes and so-called failures.
I have never tried to start a consumer packaged goods company. I may one day, as it has always been an interest of mine. During the past 10 years, I have watched dozens of my close friends found and fail at CPG companies. If I ever decide to actually pull the trigger on starting a company like that, I will have already learned what not to do. My friends’ failures have given me that advantage of deep knowledge, which can only come from real world experience. And that provides me with an insane edge.
3. COLLAPSE TIME ITSELF
Out of the 3 reasons that a private network will change your life forever, this final reason is by far the most complex to understand. It also is the most important of all 3.
If you ever watched the classic Disney Film “Peter Pan”, then you already have been given this lesson – most likely without even knowing it. Time is the one truly scarce thing in life that we all share in.
“I suppose it's like the ticking crocodile, isn't it? Time is chasing after all of us.” - J.M. Barrie
As the brilliant author put it, time is indeed chasing after all of us. And none of us, not a single one, will ever escape it. However, it is possible, with the right network of powerful relationships to effectively bend time to our will and manipulate our own interactions with it.
I call this: “Collapsing Time Itself”.
Due to the sheer depth and width of my network of powerful relationships, I can get things done far more quickly than the average person could ever even conceive. If I want to raise capital for a new business venture (for example), I already have people I can call. I don’t need to start from scratch.
If I want to get something I am doing covered in the media or by some large publications, I just call the Editor in Chief and get it done. And because I have a track record of bringing these unbelievably influential people compelling, interesting stories, they are always eager to take my call.
If I want to get a sponsor for an event I am producing, I just call the CEO of that company. I never, ever bother with things like online submission forms. The rules simply don’t apply to me anymore. I run through metaphoric brick walls every day – walls that would stop most people. To me, they aren’t even really there. I barely perceive them anymore.
And this power bleeds into every aspect of my life, including things that have absolutely nothing to do with my professional life. If I want to go to a concert, I just call a friend who is either the promoter for the concert itself, or perhaps a friend who manages the artist performing, or perhaps the owner of the record label that the artist performs under. I don’t buy tickets online like everyone else. I almost always go backstage, at any concert that I go to. My decade-plus long career at the heart of the music industry is what makes this possible.
No matter what I am trying to do, I can do it at lighting speed. Things that take the average person a month to complete typically take me hours – if that. As a result, I experience time completely differently than most people. I collapse it and bend it to my will.
WHAT TO DO NOW
If you are reading this, you need to stop contemplating and go take action.
You need to either take the time to build your own network of powerful relationships (just like I did – over a period of more than a decade) or join one that is already built for you. If you keep doing the same thing you have been doing, you will keep getting the same results you have always been getting. And we both know that you are not satisfied with those results, or you wouldn’t be reading this in the first place.
The Human Gathering is not the only private network in the world that exists.
There are many others out there. Find the one that is right for you. Our private network is not a fit for everyone. Most people who apply will not get in. We are extremely selective about who we invite into our world.
Before I end this, I want to share one final secret with you…
The type of person we are looking for to join The Human Gathering would not at all be deterred by my last statement. If anything, they would take it as a challenge. That is my personality. And it is one of the biggest reasons I have such a powerful network at my fingertips.
No matter what you do, you must have a powerful network. You will never get to where you want to go if you do not. So take care of this now, however you can. And good luck.
