How to Build a Powerful Network of Successful People

Do you want to know how to get into rooms with people who are several levels above you? Jayson Gaignard is the reason about 50 of my favorite entrepreneur friends are in my life. He’s the founder of Mastermind Talks, an invite-only community for entrepreneurs, and the author of Community Made, which breaks down exactly how to build those key relationships yourself. In this episode, Jayson shares how to find your people, invest in them, and ask for help. We get into how to host your own event when you can’t get an invite, the three ways to get access to people above your level, and why “How can I help?” is the wrong question to ask. If you want to build relationships with people you admire, this is the episode to watch. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:23 How Jayson connected Nathan to 50 entrepreneur friends 02:15 Why Jayson wasn't always a super connector 02:57 The loneliness that led to Mastermind Dinners 04:14 Never beg for a seat when you can build your own table 05:29 Why the host gets the most status in the room 06:14 Lower-lift ways to bring people together 06:49 How Summit Series started with a ski trip 08:57 Start with the easiest yes 09:28 The anchor tenant strategy 10:27 Nathan's author mastermind with James Clear 11:06 Partnering to host the room 12:35 Organizing a team to play above your level 13:21 Will Guidara's gratitude for being invited 14:51 Buying access and the speed of relationships 15:43 Money, moxie, and service 15:58 Andrew Wilkinson's $57,000 lunch with Bill Ackman 17:58 Moxie and the power of cold emails 19:30 The man who stood up Mark Zuckerberg 20:45 Nathan chickens out of meeting his heroes 22:55 Eight seconds of courage 24:02 Leaving energy vs. lingering energy 24:47 Nathan's 45-second intro to Chris Brogan 25:44 How a quick hello led to a call with Steven Bartlett 27:06 Why you shouldn't put people on a pedestal 27:53 Abundance vs. scarcity when meeting people 29:47 Service and Ryan Holiday's apprenticeship 31:20 Why Benjamin Graham told Warren Buffett he was overpriced 31:58 Why "How can I help?" is the wrong question 32:18 How Jayson built a relationship with Shep Gordon 33:12 How to offer help that's actually specific 36:00 The relationships that weigh you down 38:55 Why all relationships go dormant naturally 39:45 Why entrepreneurs and creators feel isolated 41:17 Craft + Commerce as an annual pilgrimage 42:35 Conferences vs. masterminds vs. communities 46:00 Conversations that normally take years 48:00 Do great work and your network will find you 49:55 How great work raises your hit rate 51:54 Why you're not ready for Diary of a CEO 53:35 Putting in the reps on camera 54:28 Ramit Sethi's advice on media training 56:39 Increasing your surface area of luck 59:38 Jayson's friends-only email updates 1:02:06 The email that saved MMT in 2020 1:04:59 Who to include on your update list 1:05:50 Nathan's missing annual review 1:07:22 The 90-minute quarterly update 1:08:17 A fan base vs. a community 1:09:59 Curating like the bouncer at the club 1:10:36 Kit's triads and MMT's MM3s 1:15:00 People come for content, stay for community 1:15:47 The ask, give, praise model 1:18:26 How praise reinforces the value of the network 1:21:02 Praise cards mailed 90 days later 1:24:18 Why the book is called Community Made 1:27:06 Final thoughts If you enjoyed this episode, please like and subscribe, share it with your friends, and leave a review. I read every single one. Learn more about the podcast: https://nathanbarry.com/show Follow Nathan: Instagram:   / nathanbarry   LinkedIn:   / nathanbarry   X:   / nathanbarry   YouTube:    / @thenathanbarryshow   Website: https://nathanbarry.com Kit: https://kit.com/?utm_campaign=2966155... Follow Jayson: Instagram:   / jaysongaignard   X: https://x.com/jaysongaignard LinkedIn:   / jaysongaignard   Website: https://www.jaysongaignard.com Featured in this episode: Kit: https://www.kit.com MMT: https://mmt.community Community Made: https://communitymade.com Highlights: 02:22 Jayson had two people at his bachelor party 24:02 Leaving energy vs. lingering energy 49:55 Why great work changes your hit rate on everything 1:02:06 The friends-only email that saved MMT 1:21:02 The praise cards Jayson mails out 90 days later