The Power of Networking & How To Do It

[00:00:00] Calan Breckon: Today’s episode is sponsored by SparkLoop. SparkLoop is the number one newsletter growth platform. I’m in the SparkLoop Partner program and within the first week I saw my email list grow by over 12,000%. That’s insane. Their newsletter growth strategies and options are the most affordable rates I have ever seen on the market. I’m no longer paying between 5 and $10 per acquired email through online ads. Now I pay as little as $1 for warm emails that stay on my list and engaged for over 30 days. Everything is customizable in SparkLoop and they will set you up with a team member to help you through the process. Head on over to calanbreckon.com/SparkLoop for more details or just click the link in the show notes. Now let’s get into today’s episode.

Welcome to the Business Gay podcast where we talk about all things business, marketing and entrepreneurship. I’m your host, Calan Breckon, and on today’s episode, I have founder and CEO of IntroStars, Mike Adams. After 28 years of experience in tech, sales and marketing, including time at Zoom, Apple and hp, Mike has become the king of networking and calls himself a super connector. He’s also a startup investor, mentor, founder, and his mission in life is to connect a million people via his platform, introstars.com to inspire a whole new generation of super connectors. I’m excited to chat with Mike on how you can become a super connector. So let’s jump in.

Hey, Mike, welcome to the podcast. I’m really excited to have you. How are you doing today?

[00:01:39] Mike Adams: Thanks so much, Calan. Great to be there. I’m very honored to be one of your VIP guests on this incredible podcast. You’ve had some really interesting people over the last years. You’ve done it. So, yeah, I’m excited to be there.

[00:01:50] Calan Breckon: Nice. So I know you are joining us from the uk, Is that correct?

[00:01:54] Mike Adams: Yeah, I’m in London. Yeah, right. Everyone ends up in London at some point in their life.

[00:01:59] Calan Breckon: Funny, fun fact, actually. I lived in London in 2007 and 2008. So yes, I. Everybody did end up in London at some point. I love the city. I hope to get back there someday. I’ve been multiple, multiple times. But I do love London, so. All right.

[00:02:15] Mike Adams: I think it’s so good there. There’s like such an international community, whether it’s for business or pleasure. You know, loads of tourists, loads of business people, every industry, loads of networking events. It’s just so vibrant. I just love that energy that’s why I’m really happy to be there for more than 20 years now.

[00:02:30] Calan Breckon: Yeah, I definitely miss those vibes in London, for sure. I love being back in Canada, but there’s parts of London that I’m like, ugh. I just wish I was there to, like, just, you know, pop around the corner and go to a pub or something. It’s not the same. It’s not the same in North America.

So you are kind of a king when it comes to networking. I’m really curious, have you always been outgoing or was this a skill that you had to learn?

[00:02:55] Mike Adams: You know, as a kid, I was super shy. I was a shy skid in front of a computer all day. I was programming video games on my Commodore 64 back in the 80s, and I never imagined in my wildest dreams I would be in a room full of strangers talking to all these people. I wanted to live my whole life in front of a computer. I wouldn’t have to talk to humans.

[00:03:15] Speaker D: Right.

[00:03:15] Mike Adams: So life brought me in a very different direction. So many things happened When I was 15, I started theater. In my 20s, I work in tech and I had to present new product launches to big crowds of people. And I was super shy and nervous about it. But, you know, I was forced to go come out of my shell over and over and over again. And about 10, 15 years ago, I started going to business network events in London. Like, someone took me to a network event with them and I just had so much fun. I enjoyed so much talking to people, meeting new people, you know, learning about their business. And one thing led to another, and after one event went to another one, another one. And literally after two and a half years, I went to a thousand events and people started calling me the king of networking in London. So again, all this happened nearly organically. And yeah, it’s a very different life path than I would have imagined as a kid. So, yeah, definitely did not start out as a outgoing, you know, extrovert kid. I was the complete opposite. But yeah, life brought me there and I’m super happy. I’m loving it. And nowadays I just love networking. I go to events as much as I can. Every day, if I can. The more the merrier. And I always have fun every day.

[00:04:23] Calan Breckon: Nice. So what you’re saying is that you can learn how to go and become more skilled at networking and getting comfortable and get into those rooms.

[00:04:33] Mike Adams: You can actually learn it. You know what, I started doing a networking masterclass where I teach other people how to network. And there is definitely a technique to it. There’s a mindset to it. There’s specific ways you can engage people to make it more fun and less salesy or less businessy and recreate that kind of aura of positive attraction. We attract friendly people who want to talk to you. So yeah, there’s definitely a skill to it. Some people have it very naturally, some people don’t, but everyone can learn it for sure. And obviously you have to do it. The more you do it, the more comfortable you are.

[00:05:05] Speaker D: Right?

[00:05:06] Mike Adams: So you have to come out of your shell even if you’re not comfortable doing it. Push yourself out of your comfort zone, go to a few events and slowly, one after another, you’re going to start to have fun and start to see what works and how you can attract great conversations.

[00:05:19] Calan Breckon: Okay, we’re going to dive into that bit a little bit later in the conversation because that is a very important piece. But first I want to ask why is it so important that entrepreneurs learn how to socialize and network at, you know, these events?

[00:05:33] Mike Adams: The most important thing in your life is to know when people talk about you, when you’re not in the room, what do they say about you, right? And you really want to build your personal brand and your reputation as a great person to do business with. Lots of people talking about you. And to do that, you do need to put yourself out there. So I think there’s two elements to it. One is your personal brand on LinkedIn, where you talk about what you’re doing, you talk about how you help people, how, how great person you are. And second, all is the networking part. We need to build a network of people around you, who know you, who are, we know what you stand for and obviously build long term relationships and going to lots of networking events. Building that network is useful in every walk of life, whether you’re looking for a new job, whether you’re looking for a business partner, looking for investors, looking to launch your own startup, looking to change, get a promotion in your current job, your current company, or get a better job somewhere else, or just meet interesting people, maybe make friends, maybe make, you know, even your love partner. You know, all of this has to do with other people. So the more you go out there and go networking and meet people, the more opportunities you create for yourself. And also you, you get to enjoy life because you see, by meeting all these people, you see so many different ways of, you know, other life paths, how people ended up in so many different interesting life choices, life careers which you never imagined. And so I think it’s just, it puts you in a very good mood and just creates a very optimistic mindset if you go to lots of networking events. So I cannot recommend it highly enough. I think everyone should go networking at some point for sure.

[00:07:10] Calan Breckon: So you just mentioned before introverts. I am a big introvert. What’s your advice for introverts knowing that you went from being introverted to kind of coming out of your shell? Because as an introvert, this can be very daunting, you know, to go to these networking events. When I first started going to networking events, I was extremely nervous. I had to hype myself up. I had to, like, plan ahead. I had to get mentally ready to spend all of this, what I call social energy. So what advice do you have for introverts who are like, okay, I know that this is important, but it’s still scary or I just don’t know how to, like, do it.

[00:07:53] Mike Adams: I think for introverts or new at networking, my best advice to them would be to go with a friend of theirs who’s an extrovert. And so that extrovert friends, like your wingman or winning wing buddy can help you be a bit more comfortable walking into a room full of strangers. And that person, being an extrovert and more used to networking can really introduce to people they meet. So they go and talk to someone, say, hey, I want you to my friend Calan. Hey, come and talk to them. They’re really great for this reason. So that definitely helps a lot for beginners or people are a bit shy to go with someone else who can help them, you know, make those first steps. So that’s number one, number two, and that’s for everyone. Whether you’re an introvert or not is your mindset if you go. If your mindset to go to, a natural caveat is you must meet people because you must meet potential clients and sell them a product or service or you must make a business deal. You must do this, you must do that. If you put all these targets in your head, you’re going to be really shy and nervous and scared and you’re going to fail because you’re going to be in that mindset where you go there with such a specific goal that you’re nervous to achieve that goal. So instead of that, the mindset you should use is to only have fun. You’re only there to have fun, have friendly conversations. You don’t expect anything out of it. You don’t expect to meet business partners or customers or prospects or investors. You just expect to meet friendly people and have A laugh and a friendly conversation. If you go with that mindset, you will always be successful because you didn’t set yourself up with these super high targets that you must meet customers, you must close a deal, you must do this, you must do that. No, keep it completely open. Leave it serendipitous. You know, serendipity. Let serendipity do its thing and enjoy the moment. And I think with that mindset, even an introvert person will enjoy it and actually will have fun and enjoy friendly conversations.

[00:09:44] Calan Breckon: Okay, those are two really important pieces, especially the first one about finding a buddy to go with. I know that being able to have that person to say and communicating with that person, not just going with them, but communicating, hey, this is actually a situation that does make me a bit nervous and letting the other person know, because nobody’s mind reader letting that buddy know be like, hey, would you be my buddy for this? And, like, help introduce me to people? Because this does make me really nervous. This isn’t, like, a really easy setting for me. Even just saying that your friends or people you’re acquainted with want to help and support you. And so they were most likely going to be more than happy to take you around, introduce you to people, get you comfortable in situations to warm you up. And then that second piece, that is like chef’s kiss, because that is the only way I have ever gone to, like, quote, unquote, networking events. When I started my business and I knew I moved to Toronto from Dubai, I had no friends, I had no network. I had nothing. Then it was a pandemic. That’s a whole other story. But then when I started going out, I didn’t know any of these people. I didn’t have business backgrounds, business degrees, all these networks to lean on. And so I went with the intention of being like, hey, let’s just meet some really cool people and have fun. And that is the only way that I will do it, because it just totally changes the environment in the atmosphere. And I’ve gotten business, like, many times from going to these events just by being who I am and being kind and being more interested in the person as a human being than what they can provide to me in, like, resources or business. And I will speak to the fact that as a person in the LGBTQ community, I feel that we network very differently than our heterosexual counterparts. When I’ve gone to kind of bigger conferences where it’s mostly like a straight crowd, that’s there, the energy and the vibe is so different than the energy and the vibe at the queer community. Because I feel like we do business in the community the same way we do community is that we know we need to support each other on fundamental levels because we, like, we just have to. And we carry that into business. And so I do find that most of us do tend to approach business in more of a family, familiar, kind of friendship vibe way, knowing that one day something might come of it and not expecting that to be upfront. How’s your experience been with that? Like having the friendly approach?

[00:12:15] Speaker D: Yeah.

[00:12:16] Mike Adams: I think the best thing you can do when you start a conversation with someone at a networking event or anywhere else is to open up with your vulnerabilities. Instead of saying, I’m the best. I’m amazing. I’m amazing at this or that, start with the opposite. Say, you know what? I’m actually a bit nervous. I’m a bit shy. I don’t do many networking events. I don’t know if you’re nervous as well. Can we help each other out? Be a bit more comfortable together and kind of open up with your vulnerability.

Really opens so many outdoors, because people love that. They actually want to help you. And you also create trust because you’re not trying to sell yourself. You’re not trying to say you’re the best. You’re actually saying, no, actually, I’ve got issues. I need help. Like, help me. Like, you know, and opening up with that in a normal business context, obviously, is great because it creates that trust. But especially in the LGBT community, we all have gone through issues and obstacles, and we all had some, you know, some life issues we had to overcome. And I think by opening with that again, you put yourself even more in that comfortable, safe space where we all want to help each other.

[00:13:21] Speaker D: Right.

[00:13:21] Mike Adams: And I think that’s. That’s great advice for. For anyone who goes out networking is to, you know, don’t be shy to show your vulnerabilities. And again, going back to those introverts who are shy, go to their first event, open up by saying that, go and talk to them. You know what? I’m actually super shy. I’m an introvert. But let’s have a conversation, you know, and that’s great. I think it’s wonderful to open up about that and show your vulnerabilities. People love that. I think it’s fantastic to show your vulnerabilities and also ask for help. Say, you know what? I’m actually looking for help on this topic or that topic, or I’d love an introduction to this person. Can you help me And I think that that’s, that’s a great way to do it.

[00:13:58] Calan Breckon: Yeah. So this episode already has been jam packed full of great advice, but I know you have a ton more inside, so I just want to get like, if you had to give two more like top tier pieces of advice, whether that’s like an opening phrase or whether that’s just general advice, what are your kind of top two things that you usually, you know, tell people when you first start this, when you go to.

[00:14:24] Mike Adams: Any kind of business networking event, inevitably you’re going to get the same question 50 times. 50 times, which is what do you do? You know, and so when you. Exactly, that question is going to come. No matter what, you know you’re going to get that question right. And so make sure to answer your provider. That question is not a random answer. You have to think about answer before you go to the event. It’s already in your head. And that answer should be very, very short. Not, not 60 minutes, not talking about your whole life, very short, but also a bit cheeky or a bit intriguing or a bit funny or make it a bit more interesting than saying, hey, I’m a doctor, hey, I’m a lawyer, hey, I’m a, you know, I’m a tax consultant. You know, try to make it a bit more interesting. Say, you know, I help people overcome the biggest fear, which is taxes. You know, there’s something a bit more, say it in a bit more crazy, creative way just to stimulate a bit of emotion from the other person, right? And so the answer to that question, again, what do you do? That answer should be, think about a good way to answer that in a funny, short, succinct way. And I insist on short. So that the second piece of advice was related. Keep your answers short. So many times you go to a network event and you meet someone for the first time, say, hey, what are you working on? What’s in? And then they start talking with 5, 15, 20 minutes about their whole life journey. It’s like, no, you don’t want that. You want to keep it super short because you want to talk to 20 other people at that event. So, so make the effort to keep your, your own answers super short. And if the other person is interested, they will ask you more questions. And then of course, you can follow up. But always keep your answers very, very short. And the other person will love you for it. They will appreciate the fact you keep your answers short because they want to speak to more people. You want to speak to more people. They get it. We’re on the same side here. So those are two pieces of advice. Keep your answers short to everything. And then when you introduce yourself, people say, what do you do? Answer in a really exciting, short, intriguing, cheeky way and maybe change it up. So if 10 people ask that question, what do you do? Come up with a different answer every time and maybe make it related to the other person. So try to figure out what they do first. And when you ask what you do, make it relatable to what they’re doing. So if they’re a doctor, you say, well, actually, I help doctors achieve, blah, blah, blah. If they say they’re an accountant, say, well, actually I work with lots of accountants doing blah, blah, blah.

[00:16:49] Speaker D: Right.

[00:16:49] Mike Adams: So kind of make it related to what the other person is doing because then, of course, they want to talk more with you.

[00:16:54] Speaker D: Right.

[00:16:56] Calan Breckon: That is impeccable advice because there is nothing worse than being at a networking event and introducing to somebody and they just go on and on and on. And you’re like, oh, my gosh, I did not ask for your life story. And there’s like 10 other people here that I want to talk to, so. And then try to politely be like, well, this is really nice. I also think giving people, like, a polite out and giving a breath in the conversation and, like, kind of giving that energy of, like, it’s okay if we end this conversation, we don’t have to, like, continue on forever. That’s a piece that people definitely miss sometimes where they’re like, oh, now I’m stuck in this conversation. It’s like, you can give those polite outs of like, well, it was a pleasure to meet you, or, oh, you know, what do. Okay, do you have, like, a polite out that you like to use? Like a polite way that you exit a conversation?

[00:17:49] Mike Adams: Yeah, I always, I mean, I use a few, but what I do like is like, who’s the coolest person you’ve met tonight? Can you introduce me to them?

Oh, that’s good.

So that’s a gold one. Another very simple. And so you know what, I’m loving this conversation, but no, let’s connect on LinkedIn and continue this conversation next week. Is that okay?

[00:18:09] Speaker D: Right?

[00:18:10] Mike Adams: Or something like that.

[00:18:11] Calan Breckon: That’s a, That’s a good one. I. I tend to use that one a lot, just like, intuitively because it’s like, hey, you know, let’s connect on LinkedIn. And then that gives a break in the conversation where it’s been the back and forth, and it kind of breaks the conversation in that point. So then you can be like, cool, I’m going to go, you know, chat.

[00:18:28] Calan Breckon: To this person or I needed to.

[00:18:29] Calan Breckon: Catch up with this person. But I have you on LinkedIn now so we can catch up later on this. That’s a good one.

[00:18:34] Mike Adams: Another one is no, just tell them, you know, I’m loving this conversation, but I’d love to meet many other people tonight. Is that okay? Let’s connect on LinkedIn and let’s go and mingle with other people. That’d be great.

[00:18:43] Speaker D: Right?

[00:18:43] Mike Adams: And usually they’re not offended because they want to mingle with more people too. Right. So it’s kind of a win win outdoors. It’s a win win. Exactly.

[00:18:50] Calan Breckon: Yeah, exactly.

[00:18:51] Calan Breckon: Okay, so my next question, it might be a little bit of a divisive, divisive question and it’s kind of a two parter. So, you know, this isn’t the way people love to think about these things and it’s not the way I necessarily think about it, but it’s definitely a way a lot of people, people think about it. But how can somebody monetize their network is first part, and then the second part is how does someone get over maybe feeling icky about the thought of monetizing their network? Because you know, people shouldn’t want to just like people should just want to help other people, but a lot of people, a lot of people don’t. And so there is this kind of energy around it sometimes where it’s like, you know, navigating that, you know, you have to network and it’s good for business and that’s part of the deal. But you don’t want to feel icky about it. So two, so two pieces. How do you monetize the network? But how do you not feel icky about that whole experience?

[00:19:54] Mike Adams: Yeah, I mean I’ve heard so many people say, oh, I’ve introduced those people to each other and a few weeks later they closed a hundred thousand dollar deal and I got a thank you note. You know, it’s like, ugh, you know, is that fair?

[00:20:06] Speaker D: Right.

[00:20:07] Mike Adams: And so that happens a lot. I mean my, I think the best way to look at it is when you, when you want to help other people, you generally want to help them. You actually want to introduce people to each other. You want to create value for them, you want to help others, you’re a good person, you want to put, you know, tokens in your karma box by, you know, being a good person and it will come back to you. And all that stuff is 100 true. On the other hand, if you help two people close a hundred thousand dollar deal, you should get rewarded, you should get paid a referral commission. Not because you’re entitled whatever, but just because it’s fair compensation for everyone involved. If you create value for others, they should create value for you. So I think it’s just a fair way to do it. So how do you do it so it’s not icky, right? Well, when you meet people at networking events, I meet people all the time. I always ask them very openly, who could I introduce to you to make you more successful? What introduction could I make for you?

[00:21:02] Speaker D: Right?

[00:21:02] Mike Adams: And when I say that I don’t want anything in return, I just want to generate, tell, ask them, is there anyone I could introduce them? And then they start telling me, yeah, I’m looking for a business partner, an investor, whatever. I said, sure, that’s great. And I simply ask them, do you have actually a referral program? Do you pay people for referrals or not? Is that a thing? And many people say, yeah, sure, we’re happy to pay you 10% and close the deal. Most people wouldn’t even like, you know, have any ickiness about it. Then it’s normal. It’s just like normal business is the way it’s done, right? And if that’s the case, then again, there’s no issue there. On the other hand, if say no, we’ve never done it, but it’s not a problem, sure, we’re happy to do that. That’s the typical reaction I get.

And if other people are completely against being a referral commission, then that’s fine. It’s like, okay, really? I think of it also there’s two types of introductions. Like one type of introduction is when you’re simply trying to help people meet other potential people they could do business with. So I typically introduce startup founders to each other or startup founders, business consultants, or two people in the same industry. You could chit chat about their industry. When I make those types of introductions, I never expect anything in return. I do it completely free on either on LinkedIn or by WhatsApp messages or an email.

And I never want to hear it back from it. It’s perfectly fine. Again, no, it’s tokens in my karma box, right? It’s all good. But that is another type of introduction which is very different, where you really introduce a person selling a product or service to a potential customer for that product or service, where there is an expectation that they’re going to close a large deal, maybe 20,000, $50,000 and for me, that is a different type of introduction that is not the same as your day to day introductions, helping a bunch of people, right? And so that second type of introduction where you’re talking about a large sum of money, where a vendor and a customer, that type of introduction I believe should be done under some kind of referral agreement where you agree upfront with the person, say, hey, I’m going to choose that customer. But if you guys close the deal, it’s only fair that you pay a percentage. Is that okay with you? And again, most people selling a product or service, looking for big clients are super happy to pay a referral commission. They’re happy because for them, they think, great, I’m going to get great customer thanks to you, I’m happy to reward you. So you’re going to bring me even more referrals, right? So again, everyone’s winning. Like no one’s taking advantage of each other. Everyone is a winner, right? Win, win, win. And so if you look through that mindset, it is not icky. There’s zero ickiness because it’s about creating value for everyone involved and rewarding people fairly for the time, effort and reputation they put on the line to help you to make that introduction. So again, long winded answer to your question, but that’s the way I look at it, right? There’s day to day introductions, you do just to help. There’s introductions where you expect a large deal, where it’s fair to get compensated. But even for those, your intention is always to help, right? The intention is not the money, the intention is to help because you truly they will actually be able to work together and they’re going to close this large deal. And if you only get paid on success, then your incentive is only to make good introductions. You don’t have any incentive to make a bad introduction just for the money. Like that never happens because if it’s a bad introduction, you damage your reputation and you’re not going to earn money because they’re not going to close a deal. So again, the intention is always helping. That doesn’t change. That’s always the same. It’s just about being rewarded fairly if something comes out of it.

[00:24:31] Calan Breckon: I love that.

[00:24:33] Calan Breckon: Oh yeah, that answer. I love that and I love that you went through that because I do know like that, you know, that is something that does come up for people. And you know, maybe it’s whether it’s their own individual value system or whether it’s their own intrinsic value of themselves of like, oh, why do I deserve this, it’s, you know, because this is the world we live in. We live in a capitalistic world for its pros and its cons. And this is a part of it. And you should be able to benefit from the parts of it that you help make better. And I fully believe that. Is this kind of in line with what you’re doing over at Intro Stars?

[00:25:08] Mike Adams: Exactly. So my startup, Intro Stars, is exactly about helping super connectors, networkers, introducers, to track every introduction they make to guarantee that if a deal ever comes out of it in the future, they will get rewarded fairly compensated fairly for the effort they’ve put in the introduction. So really, Intro Stars was built from my personal experience as a super networker, as the king of networking, and as a super connector, connecting people all the time. But the issue when with, without introstars, and I used to do this back in the day, is that it’s very hard to track every introduction you made. Now, sometimes you make an introduction and a deal only comes out six months later. By then, the person you’ve introduced completely forgot about you. They don’t even remember that you’re the one who made it happen.

[00:25:55] Speaker D: Right?

[00:25:56] Mike Adams: And so Intrastars really solves that problem by tracking every introduction. You know exactly when you made the introduction, who you introduced, and the person selling a product or service to receive the introduction, they get a reminder every week. They can track the introduction, where it is in the cycle, and once they close the deal, they can fairly compensate you. So thank you so much, Calan, for that introduction. We’re super happy to not pay you 5% of the deal or whatever it is. And it just again, creates that transparency and that fairness and that tracking to make everything clear for everyone involved and to make sure it’s always a win win, A win, win, win, really, for every party of an introduction. And so really, that’s the dream of Intro Stars. We launched in London with more than a thousand people already on the platform. We’re just about to launch in New York and many other cities in the US and of course Canada just after that. So I really want to help millions of people become super connectors, start to make more introductions, because truly, that will make the world a better place. You know, every time you introduce two people to each other, you create something new. You create a new opportunity. One plus one equals three. You create this new door which wasn’t there before. And bringing people together is the best thing you can do to make the world a better place.

[00:27:10] Speaker D: Right?

[00:27:10] Mike Adams: And I think especially in today’s world, where everyone is so polarized and everyone’s being separated by their ideals and their ideology. The best way to counteract that is to bring people together, connect them, create opportunities, be a super connector, be a matchmaker. You know, that that’s really the best thing people can do. And so if we can incentivize millions of people to become introducers and matchmakers, that will just make the world a better place and create value and business and prosperity for everyone involved. Right? So that’s what’s interesting.

[00:27:41] Calan Breckon: I love that. It’s definitely, like. There’s definitely cases where, you know, I. I’m happy to make introductions all the time. I do it all the time, just because it’s what I. I love to do that. But there’s definitely those, like, few that I’m just like, well, I saw, like, a deal happen. And, like, neither one of the people I was necessarily close with, but I knew each individual, and I was like, you know what? I feel like these two would, like, something would come of that, and if I could have gotten compensated for that, I definitely would have, you know, appreciated. Or there’s the ones that float in the background that you’re like, my life is too busy to do this, but if I really sat and thought about it, I’m like, oh, I could introduce these people, and, like, a deal would come from that. But I’ve got too much other stuff going on right now. So this kind of gives that incentive to. To maybe be more proactive in making those introductions and doing those things. So that’s fantastic. To wrap things up here, what’s the true power of a network?

[00:28:35] Mike Adams: True power of a network, as I mentioned before, is what people say about you when you’re not in the room. So it’s about having enough people in your network that people talk about you and say, you know, I’m looking for this amazing guy, Calan, this amazing guy Mike, for this project. And I heard about him. Someone introduced me to him. He’s such a great person. I want to bring him in, right? And especially in the LGBT community, it’s so important to help each other, to bring that. Create that community of people where we all know people in every possible walk of life, and we all always can bring the relevant people in the conversation, whether working on a business project and a personal project or creating a new team, launching a new startup. You know, if you know those people in your network, you always know who to bring in to help you achieve that dream, that vision, that project you’re trying to achieve. And so really Building your network is creating that network of opportunities around you for yourself and the other people as well, right?

[00:29:36] Calan Breckon: Amazing. Well, I love that. Where. Where can folks find out more about Intro Stars and yourself?

[00:29:43] Mike Adams: So my website is introstars.com so very easy to remember because introducers are stars.

[00:29:49] Speaker D: Right?

[00:29:49] Mike Adams: It’s a community of super connectors. I’m very active on LinkedIn, so I’ve got more than 30,000 followers on LinkedIn. So I try to post every single day words of advice on networking, on lead generation, on business connections, introductions, referrals. I try to do lots of videos. And we also have our own podcast which is called the Super Connectors where we interview other super connectors who love to connect people who also want to make the world a better place by creating all these connections. So feel free to check me out on LinkedIn, Mike Adams on LinkedIn and then introstars.com fantastic.

[00:30:27] Calan Breckon: I’ll make sure to have all those links in the show notes so that if you’re interested you can go and check those out. Mike, thank you so much. This has been a really, really fantastic conversation. I think people are going to get a lot out of this episode.

[00:30:38] Mike Adams: Great, I really enjoyed our conversation. Calan, great to speak to you.

[00:30:41] Calan Breckon: Thanks for tuning in today. Don’t forget to hit that subscribe button. And if you really enjoyed today’s episode, I would love a star rating from you. The Business Gay podcast is written, produced and edited by me, Calan Breckon. That’s it for today. Peace, love, rainbows.