Yes, the two most important forms of capital are:
"ideas that generate wealth" + "relationships that create opportunities".
https://t.co/UU5sDWg4E4
However, let's first settle somethings:
- Wealth isn't necessarily money. Money is just a type of currency. A relationship is a more reliable currency.
E.g. if 3 people need a car. One can work and save and buy the car with hard-earned money. Another may get the car as a gift from a friend he/she has helped in the past. The third person may get an introduction to the car dealer and pay half the price because of the introduction.
They all bought cars. One with money, the other used relationships. However while money can only make one purchase before it is expended, a relationship can be relied upon several times in one lifetime.
However, let's face it. It can be difficult to build reliable and strong relationships, especially if you are an average young person just starting your career or business.
How would you even meet that CEO or top business person who will recommend you?
You most probably can't even get into the business premise. If you do, there's the gate- keeper Personal Assistant to contend with.
PAs can be such as a hassle.
Hence, you have to be very strategic in buying dependable associations.
But every building relationships starts with one singular realisation - you have what someone else needs.
Why does this matter? Even as you're starting your career or business, you have certain advantages - a degree,a nice concept, some skill, a great memory, sense of style etc
How do you get into quality associations?
To me, Four things:
- Volunteering Help
- Reputation Integrity
- Excellence of Labour
- Loyalty
There are probably more..
1. Volunteering Help - offer your services and skill, free of charge at some point in life.
Give for free what you would have made money from.
Now don't pick something that will overly stretch you. You don't want to die while volunteering.
Pick something that comes naturally to you, and that you have a low cost of entry.
Volunteering help is probably the cheapest ways to buy relationships. And it has such ripple effects
It is cheap because noone turns down free help. It can get you access to almost anywhere.
E.g. you help a company that you respect to do free graphic designs for their products or analytics of their marketing campaign.
you have used that free service to buy access to all the network that every person in that company has.
The day, you ask the CEO to introduce you to his friend who wants to launch a new product, the CEO will feel in your debt and will make the introduction because he also thinks you're selfless.
The idea of volunteering is simple:
you get someone else to speak favourably of you in your absence.
That is how to buy relationships without money.
2. Reputational Integrity:
Reputational Integrity is the most powerful currency in the world of commerce.
Reputational integrity is keeping your word + not cutting corners to deliver on your promise.
In the short term, you will give up certain gains, but you will gain them in the long run.
Everyone who interacts with you, should be able to vouch to your integrity.
If no one can vouch for you, then you are burning the chances of developing quality associations.
Once you buy integrity with one person, you have integrity with all that person's network.
The relationship journey is not about money, it is about buying relationships.
Basically, because you are dependable, people will speak of you to others to get things done, and hence you're acquiring more quality relationships.
You want to be that person that doesn't disappoint.
If you're the staff that never disappoints, the day your CEO needs to make a major deal, and the head of department can't make it, you are the one the H.O.D will recommend.
3. Excellence of Labour -
Strive to be in the top 5% in your field.
Your name must come up when the list is being compiled of those skilled in your field. So improve your skills. Take initiative
Also, don't hide your excellent works. Publicise it. It is your credential.
4. Loyalty: There is no better way to maintain a relationship with anyone than by your loyalty to the values they care they most about.
Other things will get you into the relationship, loyalty will keep the health of the relationship.
Loyalty also involves caring genuinely about what they care about, and thinking of how to offer help to achieve it.
If you combine reputational integrity with excellence of labour, people will go out of their way to recommend you to their network.
Remember that excellent mechanic that always delivers on time never lacks clients.
Remember, Excellence of labour is not enough.
People will rather go with half skill and full integrity than full skill and no integrity.
Your greatest currency under heaven is your reputation of integrity.
Under-promise and over-deliver, everytime.
The only way that your business or careers grows is people speaking good about it on your behalf and in your absence.
Your network grows when people speak for you where you cannot speak for yourself.
When you hear "I've heard a lot of great things about you", then you're on track.
Your greatest validation are those you have served. What do people say about your career and business?
So when you are excellent at your skill, and reliable, volunteering offers you a chance to showcase that skill to those that will pay for it or those who will introduce you to those that will pay for it.
Also note:
- every sustainable relationship grows organically. It doesn't appear overnight. It takes work, time and consistency.
Most associations go through 5 stages:
Acquaintance - connection - mutuality of purpose - relationship - maintenance.
So keep working at it. Look at it as a process
- Sometimes you have to start with less- fancy roles. Don't look down on where you start from. Never despise your days of little beginnings.
Also, stop seeking big breaks. Many stall their lives waiting for a big break.
Instead, be diligent in the small tasks and you will organically come into the big break.
Life, like capital, compounds.
You can't handle the big break if you don't learn the discipline of managing the small growths.
Also, you can't make powerful associations, if you're not managing your present relationships well.
Now, those are thoughts on how you can start as a nobody that knows noone and become a force that has quality relationships that you can depend on, overtime.
Fin.
