Latest / Networking Unleashed: Building Profitable Connections / Networking Unleashed: An Interview with Lachandra Baker and Michael A Forman, Professional Speaker

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Networking Unleashed: An Interview with Lachandra Baker and Michael A Forman, Professional Speaker · Networking Unleashed: Building Profitable Connections

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  Welcome to Networking Unleashed, Building Profitable
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  Connections, the podcast where relationships
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  create opportunity and authentic leadership builds
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  lasting success. I'm your host, Michael Foreman.
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  You've probably heard the saying, your network
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  is your net worth. But what if your real net
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  worth isn't measured by how many people, it's
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  measured by how deeply people trust you. Today's
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  guest and I explore authentic leadership, living
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  your truth, and why the right relationships come
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  from becoming the right person. If you're ready
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  to build a network that's grounded in purpose
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  instead of appearances, this episode is for you.
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  And I just want to say, well, Sandra, that I
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  go across the country speaking about this exact
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  topic. So I'd like to introduce LaShondra to
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  my podcast. I think it's going to be a great
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  podcast. And why don't you give us a kind of
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  a cliff notes of how you got where you are today?
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  Yes, absolutely. So thank you so much for having
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  me, Michael. So I spend 35 years working in different
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  corporate environments. 20 plus of those in Fortune
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  15 companies. And so I understood how to navigate
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  highly complex, highly matrixed organizations
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  by connecting with the right people. So it's
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  always, sometimes it's a game of telephone when
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  you're trying to figure out who does what. And
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  so I've made it literally my life's purpose to
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  understand the who, the what, and the how, and
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  to get it done as quickly and effectively as
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  possible so that everybody wins. Good, perfect.
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  Okay, I've got a bunch of questions for you.
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  And let's see what you're really worth here,
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  okay? Okay. Okay, we hear the phrase, your network
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  is your net worth all the time. Yes. Do you think
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  we've misunderstood what that really means? I
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  do. Thank you for asking that question, Michael,
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  because I think it's, you said earlier in the
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  introduction, you think, oh, if I have... 50
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  ,000 people than I have in my network. No, if
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  you had five people who were just really connected
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  and they understood you, they understood what
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  you did, that's more valuable than the 50 ,000.
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  So I think the numbers that we have is not as
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  important as the depth of the relationships and
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  like you said, how much they trust you. There's
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  a piece of it that I think is so much around
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  how you build your brand and your reputation
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  and how you hold to that and what people can
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  expect every time they reach out to you or connect
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  with you or partner with you. Those things are
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  actually what are the value of your network.
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  So when people know that they can reach out to
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  you, they know they're getting the right thing
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  at the right time. They know you're dedicated
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  and committed. And so they want to continuously,
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  repeatedly work for you and with you. And they
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  also speak your names in rooms that you're not
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  in. Absolutely. There's a mantra within networking.
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  It's if they know you, if they like you and they
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  trust you, they'll do business with you. And
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  it's very simple for everybody to know you that
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  your 50 ,000 people can know you because your
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  face, but like you, that kind of narrows it down
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  just a little bit, but then trust because you
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  would never do business with somebody that you
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  don't trust. Absolutely. Absolutely. And I'm
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  sure a lot of your listeners get the same thing
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  I get. When you're on LinkedIn, you get bombarded
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  by just random people and, hey, I want to help
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  you do this. Join me and do this. I'm like, I
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  don't even know you. You haven't asked me one
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  question about myself, about my business. You're
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  just trying to hit as many people as possible
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  to try to get one to bite. And I'm like, that's
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  not how I do business. And so I'm sure that's
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  effective to some people in some ways, but that
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  would never work on me. Absolutely. Me either.
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  So that works. Okay. You talk about authentic
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  leadership. How does authenticity influence the
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  kinds of people we're able to attract into our
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  lives and businesses? Yeah, absolutely. So I
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  think so many times, especially when you're getting
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  into corporate leadership, like I spent so much
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  time doing, is people tell you, oh, you have
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  to act this certain way or be this certain way
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  to get results. And so what that actually does
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  is telling you that the way you are is not. acceptable
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  or not valuable so you're working so hard trying
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  to be this other person that you miss out on
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  all the what i call the zone of genius right
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  so you can't be as productive as innovative and
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  creative as you'd like to be because you're too
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  busy trying to be this other person in this box
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  so what i think about authentic leadership is
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  that it unleashes all of the true value that
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  you bring to the organization, to your team,
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  to yourself. And so it's important for you to
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  be able to be authentically who you are, how
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  you think, how you critically make decisions,
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  how you bring your creativity to the work. And
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  that's important on so many levels. So when you
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  are actually authentic, you get much more done.
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  You're much more effective. effective, and much
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  more efficient. And so it's important for people
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  to create processes and abilities so people,
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  you can live your authentic life. So as a leader
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  or supervisor or manager, your job is to remove
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  the barriers from people so that they can do
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  that authentic leadership. Yeah, that's so profoundly
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  put. I go across and I teach everybody about
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  authenticity. And first of all, authenticity,
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  that word is being thrown around. It's, oh my
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  God, I'm not ready. But being yourself. And I
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  never heard it quite put that way where it's
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  perfect. You have to be yourself and you have
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  to allow yourself to go out and think outside
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  the box. And you really can't do that when you're
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  trying to be somebody else. Exactly. That's exactly
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  right. I have to tell you, that was perfectly
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  put. Thank you, Michael. It really was. Thank
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  you so much. Okay. Many people network while
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  trying to impress others. After all, that's what
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  networking is. What changes when someone is comfortable
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  enough to simply be themselves? First of all,
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  I love that question so much. It gives you a
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  chance to just listen. Because to me, anytime
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  you're thinking about networking or partnering
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  with somebody, you're listening for something
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  that's a connection point for the two of you,
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  right? Whether it's something that you have in
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  common, maybe even interests and hobbies, because
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  I like to talk about the person. I don't just
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  say, who are you in terms of what you do? I'm
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  like, who are you in terms of who you are? One
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  of my favorite sayings is we are human beings,
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  not human doings. And so just being has value,
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  but the doing also adds to that. And so when
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  I'm asking people questions, I really want to
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  understand who they are. So when I make that
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  connection point, I'm like, okay, that's good.
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  Now we can connect on that level. And I'm continuing
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  to be able to be a really good listener because
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  that's the way you're going to be a great partner
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  or a great business. say, I can meet your needs,
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  you got to understand what those needs are. And
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  if you don't perfect yourself as being a good
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  listener, you'll never understand those needs.
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  And so to me, that's what's so important is when
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  you're comfortable in who you are, you can just
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  listen and then be able to actually interact
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  with that person in a way that really is meaningful
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  to them. Absolutely. Let me ask you a question.
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  What would you do if you go up to somebody and
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  say, okay, what do you do? And they give you
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  that canned 30 second elevator speech. So the
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  first thing is, I don't even ask them the question,
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  what do you do? I say, tell me who you are. And
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  they want to immediately start with, I work in
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  this job and I do this. And I said, not what
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  you do. Tell me who you are. And so I always
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  make that distinction to ask the very specific
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  questions so that they understand what I'm trying
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  to get at. Because that has opened up so many
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  more doors for me networking, Michael, than asking,
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  oh, what do you do? Because I don't want the
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  canned answer. I want the authentic, what it
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  is from the heart. What drives you every day?
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  What wakes you up? Now, what's that purpose that
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  you're living that makes a difference? And that's
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  what I want to know about. Very good. Very good.
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  Because what I teach is when I ask you that question
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  and they give me a 30 second elevator speech,
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  I said, OK, let's perfect your 30 seconds and
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  we perfect it. Say, OK, now throw that out and
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  bring it down to 10 seconds. That usually throws
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  them for a loop. We get it down to 10 seconds.
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  I said, that's great. Now throw it out. Because
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  I want to know the feeling that you give to the
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  other person about what you do. And that tells
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  so much more than what you do. So I introduce
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  all the different things. But that's really what
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  I'm after is the feeling that I'm a public professional
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  speaker. I'm an executive business coach. And
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  what do I do? I turn conversations into clients.
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  Without leaving money on the table. That's what
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  I do. Yes. And then I'll tell you, oh, I'm a
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  business coach. Sure. Fine. But that's what I
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  love. Okay. Yes. Many people network while trying
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  to impress others. What changes? Oh, I just asked
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  you that question. That's silly, isn't it? That's
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  okay. Let's go to number four. Okay. So living
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  your truth sounds inspiring, but it can also
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  be uncomfortable. Have there ever been moments
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  when staying true to your values cost you an
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  opportunity, yet ultimately led to something
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  better? Oh, absolutely. I love this question.
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  Probably the most of anything you've asked me
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  so far. That's one of my favorite pieces because
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  I think when you are your authentic self, you
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  attract the power. The clients, the partners,
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  those people who want to do business with you.
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  I'm a very specific kind of brand. I tell people
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  all the time, I'm a storyteller. I'm a very public,
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  very loud, very dynamic storyteller. If you want
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  somebody who's quiet and reserved, that's not
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  going to be me. So anything about my branding
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  does not look like that at all. So when I'm living
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  my truth, I come out and I'm funny. I'm a little
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  quirky, but I always come rooted in real data
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  and lived experience. And so if people are looking
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  for that, kind of interaction then that's what
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  they get with me every single time like every
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  single time which is around the brand. If you're
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  building a brand, they need to have that experience
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  every time they do with you or anybody working
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  on your team. And so that is what's super important
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  to me is that I live exactly what I say I am
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  and people get that. And they keep coming back
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  and I get referrals all the time. And that is
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  the biggest honor for me is to have repeat business
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  and referrals from those I've done business with.
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  And that to me is the ultimate pinnacle of doing
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  business and being a good business person. Absolutely.
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  And you told me that you put humor into everything,
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  as do I, because it's usually self -deprecating,
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  right? Because I'm not going to make fun of somebody
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  else. And when you turn it on yourself, they
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  start laughing and they're not sure why they're
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  laughing, but they're laughing at you as I join
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  the party because everybody else is laughing
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  at me also. Exactly. You make the room more fun
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  and people become more interested and pay attention
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  a little bit more. So yeah, that's exactly what
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  I do also. Very good. Yes. And it delivers humanity.
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  First of all, we want to everybody know, hey,
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  I'm human. I'm not robot. So if I mess up some
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  words or something, one of my favorite things,
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  if you as a public speaker, you probably know
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  I was saying something and a whole bunch of spit
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  just flew right out of my mouth. And I'm like,
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  front row, if you didn't expect the second shower
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  today, I'm so glad I was able to meet that need
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  for you. So it's like you just say stuff like
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  that because you want to. It's human to do that.
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  So you just humanize it all. And it makes people
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  feel a lot more comfortable. Absolutely. I have
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  to tell you, there was one time I was on stage
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  and it was just about a stage that was about
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  a foot and a half high and then the room. And
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  as I'm speaking and talking, that stage collapsed.
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  Right. And I went down about a foot and a half.
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  I was still standing about a foot and a half
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  and everybody was like, I said, I'm feeling mighty
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  low. I owned the situation. I got out of it.
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  And I went on with the show. And that was really
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  it. And afterwards, the event planners came up
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  to me and said that was perfect. They apologized
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  and everything, but it was perfect. That's wonderful.
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  Love that. Do you believe people are attracted
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  more to confidence, competence, or authenticity?
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  Which one creates the deepest trust over time?
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  That's such a great question, Michael. And I
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  honestly think it might be. Based on the situation,
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  I was having this conversation actually just
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  last week about confidence and walking in your
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  confidence. And you could be confidently wrong
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  in a lot of cases, right? You can walk in and
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  you can present yourself as knowing what you're
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  talking about and you sound good, but you're
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  literally making stuff up. So I think that's
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  a challenge. But people look at that as maybe,
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  oh, do they really know what you're talking about?
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  You need to do a little bit of investigation,
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  right? And then the confidence. competence piece
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  to me is you can be competent what you're doing
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  but you're a little timid to share it so there's
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  a piece of this like oh i don't know if i can
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  really trust this person because they're i know
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  this is true but i'm not sure and they're not
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  looking at you and they're looking down you're
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  like so that doesn't really show it to me authenticity
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  brings both of those together. If you're confident
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  in knowing, hey, I really know this, or hey,
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  I don't know this at all. I need to research
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  this. I think that's a beautiful thing. And when
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  you show up in that authentic way saying, this
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  is what I do really when I'm really competent
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  in this, but then this is what I know I do really
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  when I'm confident in it. So that authenticity
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  to me brings both of them together in a marriage
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  that is exactly what people need to build the
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  most trust. Yes, absolutely. And you hit it when
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  you said you can be confident not knowing what
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  you're talking about, but you can be confident.
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  But then that chisels away your authenticity.
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  Yes. So it chisels it away a little bit. So you're
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  right. Authenticity brings about all three together.
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  And so that's a very good answer. Thank you.
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  In today's AI driven world where polished content
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  is everywhere. Do you think authenticity has
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  become one of the rarest and most valuable leadership
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  qualities? I really do. I struggle with this
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  one so much because when I talk to a lot of my
• 14:32
  clients, they're like laying people off saying,
• 14:34
  we got to make room for AI. And I say, AI is
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  a - tool, y 'all. It's not to replace people.
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  It's to help them be more effective, more efficient,
• 14:43
  and to focus on the things that they do best,
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  right? There will never be a time we don't need
• 14:47
  human skills. There will never be a time that
• 14:50
  we don't need human skills. And so I appreciate
• 14:53
  what AI can do. To me, it's just like a Google
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  search, or if you're old enough to understand
• 14:57
  Encyclopedia Britannica, when you used to get
• 15:00
  those subscriptions, there are tools to help
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  you understand how to develop arguments, how
• 15:06
  to gain more knowledge. and to be able to do
• 15:07
  your job more effectively. And so for me, AI
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  is just the tool. And what we have to do is continue
• 15:14
  to help humans know how to utilize that tool
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  to the best of their ability so that their authenticity
• 15:20
  can shine, where they can take away some of those
• 15:22
  more mundane, menial tasks that take so much
• 15:25
  of their time and effort and burns people out,
• 15:27
  honestly. And now you can really focus on that
• 15:30
  value that you're bringing to not only the organization,
• 15:33
  but to the clients that you serve. I'm so glad
• 15:37
  that you said AI is a tool, right? Because it's
• 15:41
  just a quiver in your arrow and it's a tool.
• 15:43
  And you don't have to get rid of people. You
• 15:46
  can make the people who are there better and
• 15:49
  be more effective. So instead of hiring another
• 15:53
  person, the people there can do more with less.
• 15:58
  So I frown upon employers that are getting rid
• 16:03
  of people. To bring in AI tools because it is
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  a tool, as you said. Yes, that's exactly right.
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  Because I don't know any person in construction
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  that leaves a hammer on the table and says, OK,
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  that hammer is the tool that's going to do everything.
• 16:16
  No, it's not. That's right. That's right. That's
• 16:19
  a very, very good analogy. I'm going to write
• 16:22
  that down. As a matter of fact, a carpenter,
• 16:25
  a construction worker, it's a tool. It's like
• 16:28
  you can't lay it on the table and say, OK, go
• 16:30
  to work. Exactly. It's not going to do anything.
• 16:33
  You've got to be the one behind it. So very good.
• 16:36
  Okay. What's the difference between attracting
• 16:40
  a large network and attracting the right network?
• 16:44
  And how can someone tell when they're building
• 16:47
  relationships that truly fit their values? I
• 16:51
  love this question too. You come up with some
• 16:53
  really great questions, Michael. I'm loving this.
• 16:55
  I think about the influencer market that we're
• 16:59
  in right now, right? So you see so many people
• 17:00
  on social media that's like, I'm an influencer
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  and I have 100 ,000 followers, so you should
• 17:05
  just trust me. And I'm like, okay, that's cool,
• 17:07
  but how did you get those 100 ,000? And then
• 17:10
  what is the value that you're giving it in? But
• 17:12
  what is also the value they're giving back to
• 17:14
  you? Because if I had 100 ,000 followers, and
• 17:16
  I'm not mad at anybody who has 100 ,000 followers,
• 17:18
  there's no way you can make authentic relationships
• 17:20
  with 100 ,000. thousand people. There's zero
• 17:23
  way. Zero way. And most of it is just noise.
• 17:26
  But if you, again, come back to having, I have
• 17:29
  10 people that have got my back, that understand
• 17:33
  me, that see the value that I bring, those 10
• 17:37
  are the multiplier factor that you need. And
• 17:40
  to me, that is the most important. How can you
• 17:42
  go deep as much as you can, not necessarily wide,
• 17:45
  but you can go wide and deep to a certain amount,
• 17:48
  but not everybody. And so really understanding
• 17:50
  first and foremost, what is it you're actually
• 17:53
  going after? ask the right questions first to
• 17:56
  understand the outcomes that you want. And then
• 17:58
  I always work backwards. Okay. If this is the
• 18:01
  outcome I want, what are the steps I need to
• 18:03
  do to get there? And so I try to trace that back
• 18:06
  to one, I say. And so that is the most important
• 18:08
  thing is first and foremost, decide what is the
• 18:11
  outcome you actually want with that network and
• 18:13
  then work your way backwards to think how is
• 18:16
  the most effective way I can get that done. That's
• 18:20
  a very good. That's a financial and a marketing
• 18:24
  tool that you always look at your end results.
• 18:27
  Okay. That's how I got here. That's what I want
• 18:30
  to do. How can I get there? And you dissect it
• 18:34
  right down to, okay, I have to get three clients
• 18:37
  this week, right down to that point. So that's,
• 18:40
  and I use that all the time. So you're hitting
• 18:44
  it right on the nail, right on the head. Thank
• 18:47
  you. Okay. When you've built your strongest partnerships.
• 18:51
  What mattered more in the beginning, shared goals
• 18:54
  or shared values? Oh, 100 % shared values. It's
• 18:59
  always to me, you got to appreciate and respect
• 19:03
  the people that you're working with. it brings
• 19:05
  so much more to the table. And I will tell you
• 19:08
  from examples of me working in those larger matrix
• 19:11
  companies, we worked with some folks that I feel
• 19:14
  like were some suspect and shady and I didn't
• 19:18
  like doing it, but I was beholden to a corporate
• 19:21
  paycheck. So I did what I had to do. But as a
• 19:23
  business owner, I get to make a different decision.
• 19:26
  And I say, these are the values and I wear them
• 19:28
  loud and proud on my sleeve, on my website, everywhere.
• 19:31
  So people know what they're getting into as soon
• 19:33
  as they. connect with me or see me anywhere on
• 19:36
  social media. And so that's the first thing.
• 19:38
  So I'm going to ask them, how do you treat your
• 19:40
  people? First and foremost, I'm human centered
• 19:42
  and I'll tell people that 100%. I'm not just
• 19:45
  about the financial aspect. How are you treating
• 19:47
  your people and how are you helping them with
• 19:49
  the financial aspect of their lives? And if we
• 19:51
  mesh there, then we can continue the conversation
• 19:54
  about what the mutual goals are that we have
• 19:56
  for each other and how we can help each other
• 19:58
  get there. Hey, all right. All right. I like
• 20:03
  that answer too. This is great. Okay. How do
• 20:07
  leaders create environments where people feel
• 20:10
  safe enough to be honest, vulnerable, or fully
• 20:13
  engaged instead of simply performing? Absolutely.
• 20:17
  First, they lead by example. I always tell my
• 20:20
  leaders, I said, the most important ways that
• 20:22
  you can show up as a leader is through vulnerability,
• 20:25
  humility, and authenticity. And if you know something,
• 20:28
  say you know it. If you don't know something,
• 20:30
  say, I don't know that, but I can find out. People
• 20:32
  love truth and they love humanity. So all of
• 20:36
  us, as we know, we're flawed as humans. So just
• 20:38
  saying, hey, I don't know, but. Together, we
• 20:41
  do know. And I think that's the biggest piece
• 20:43
  is always people want things done with them,
• 20:46
  not to them. So when you address it with your
• 20:49
  team and say, hey, we have this problem we need
• 20:51
  to solve. I have this much information, but I
• 20:54
  know each of you have information as well. How
• 20:56
  can we bring all the relevant information together
• 20:58
  to make a solution that we can all work toward
• 21:01
  together? That buy -in means so much to folks.
• 21:04
  They really say, oh, you value what I bring to
• 21:06
  the table. I'm not just a task doer. I'm actually
• 21:10
  a part of seeing the success of this organization.
• 21:13
  And so when leaders are able to create that kind
• 21:15
  of environment where it's two -way communication,
• 21:18
  two -way communication, and that everybody is
• 21:20
  involved in it, decision -making, that is so
• 21:23
  important. And that doesn't mean abdicating your
• 21:26
  responsibilities as a leader for leading the
• 21:29
  team. It's saying, I need input from all of you
• 21:32
  to make the best decisions that we can move forward
• 21:34
  together. That was very good. And I noticed that
• 21:39
  you constantly use the word leader instead of
• 21:42
  boss. Yes. Okay. Because there is such a difference
• 21:46
  between being a leader and being a boss. And
• 21:49
  part of my workshop that I do, It brings that
• 21:53
  into it, the difference between being a leader
• 21:56
  and a boss. And you always say you want to be
• 21:59
  a leader instead of a boss. A boss, you can go
• 22:03
  on the street and find a boss, right, to regurgitate
• 22:07
  your policies. But to be a leader, that's so
• 22:10
  different. You have to be part of that. But yeah,
• 22:13
  so before I give you the last question, if your
• 22:16
  network became a mirror of your character tomorrow,
• 22:20
  What would you be proud of that reflection? I
• 22:24
  would be so proud of how we think about not only
• 22:28
  ourselves, but each other. Whenever we make a
• 22:31
  decision, we're like, how is this going to impact
• 22:33
  the greater good, the greater world, our team?
• 22:35
  You start with yourself as a small circle and
• 22:38
  it's, okay, myself, then my team, then my company,
• 22:41
  then my world, right? So I always think about
• 22:43
  the ripple effect. If you throw a stone in the
• 22:45
  water, it starts small and it ripples out. And
• 22:48
  that's what I always think about in terms of
• 22:50
  how my... my network looks at me and reflects
• 22:53
  me and I reflect them is how do we start small
• 22:56
  and let that ripple effect multiplier just continues
• 22:59
  to go out so that everybody can win. It's not
• 23:02
  a win -lose situation. It's a win -win all the
• 23:04
  time. Very good. Very good. Okay. So let's bring
• 23:08
  this podcast full circle. If someone listening
• 23:12
  wanted to build a network that reflected the
• 23:15
  person that they aspire to become, not just the
• 23:19
  career they hope to have. What would you encourage
• 23:22
  them to start doing today? I would encourage
• 23:26
  them number one to start doing wherever you are.
• 23:28
  Are you in a company? Have you talked to your
• 23:31
  team? Have you talked to teams that are completely
• 23:34
  right adjacent to you? How have you built relationships?
• 23:36
  Not just about, hey, I need a transaction. I
• 23:39
  need you to do this thing for me. How have you
• 23:41
  built a relationship? And those kinds of things
• 23:44
  are super important. I come from a hospitality
• 23:46
  background and I say there's a difference between
• 23:48
  hospitality and customer service. Customer service
• 23:51
  is transactional. Hospitality is relational.
• 23:53
  We're building long -term relationships. So I'm
• 23:56
  always practicing hospitality. And I think everybody.
• 24:00
  has the ability to do that, you have to put your
• 24:03
  hand out first and say, hi, I'm Law Baker, and
• 24:05
  I want to get to know you and how you work and
• 24:08
  how you think. And I want to be able to see how
• 24:10
  can we partner together to us be successful together.
• 24:13
  And when you say that, that opens up a whole
• 24:16
  nother door for people to be able to like, oh,
• 24:19
  okay, let's talk a little bit. Let's share and
• 24:21
  let's build together. Because it's not about
• 24:24
  extraction. It's about how do you actually build
• 24:27
  each other and grow together now you said law
• 24:33
  baker you don't use lachandra i do but most of
• 24:37
  my people just because i'm just i'm so simple
• 24:39
  i'm just i'm just regular all the time michael
• 24:41
  so people just call me law most of the time OK,
• 24:44
  I want to make sure, because if I was calling
• 24:46
  you something wrong this whole time and you didn't
• 24:49
  say anything. OK, I just want to know you're
• 24:51
  not at all. Just people just once you get more
• 24:53
  familiar with me, it just calls me law. So you
• 24:55
  can call me law going forward, Michael, because
• 24:57
  we're familiar with each other now. Thank you
• 25:01
  very much. Thank you. Well, I want to thank you
• 25:04
  so much for coming on the podcast, because. This
• 25:07
  was extraordinary. We are so much on the same
• 25:10
  level thinking -wise that it's uncanny. But listen,
• 25:16
  if somebody wanted to get hold of you, either
• 25:18
  to be mentored by you, to be coached by you,
• 25:21
  or just to say hi, how would they do it? Absolutely.
• 25:25
  So my website is LBB edutainment because it's
• 25:29
  my initials LBB and edutainment because we're
• 25:32
  the juxtaposition of educating and entertaining
• 25:34
  like yourself. We bring that together. And then
• 25:37
  I'm all all socials at LBB edutainment so they
• 25:40
  can find me anywhere. Absolutely. This was so
• 25:44
  inspiring. OK, the biggest takeaway, the strongest
• 25:48
  relationships are built by trying to impress
• 25:51
  people. They're built by. being genuine enough
• 25:54
  to people to trust you. If you enjoyed this episode,
• 25:58
  follow, subscribe to Networking Unleashed, Building
• 26:01
  Profitable Connections for more conversations
• 26:04
  on networking, communication, leadership, and
• 26:07
  business growth. And if this episode made you
• 26:10
  think differently about relationships, make it
• 26:13
  with somebody who believes success begins with
• 26:16
  authenticity. If you're looking for a keynote
• 26:19
  speaker or executive communication coach to help
• 26:22
  your organization build stronger relationships,
• 26:25
  communicate with greater impact, and create meaningful
• 26:28
  business connections, visit michaelaforman .com.
• 26:32
  So until next time, remember, your network isn't
• 26:36
  built by collecting contacts. It's built by earning
• 26:39
  trust, living your values, and becoming someone
• 26:43
  people are proud to know. La, I will tell you
• 26:46
  again. This was a great podcast. Thank you so
• 26:50
  much for having me, Michael. Oh, I would like
• 26:56
  to welcome you to the Fusion Alliance Business
• 26:59
  Expo 2. That's right. We're having another networking
• 27:04
  expo. Now, this one is going to be even better
• 27:07
  than the first one in March. This one is October
• 27:10
  22nd, held at Iphone Restaurant and Event Center,
• 27:15
  6000 Medlock Bridge Parkway, Georgia. This is
• 27:20
  your chance. This is your chance to showcase
• 27:23
  your business, connect with the community, and
• 27:26
  gain unmatched exposure. This event is designed
• 27:30
  to highlight your thriving business and is a
• 27:33
  must -attend gathering for most local leaders
• 27:36
  and entrepreneurs. So now, what is there going
• 27:41
  to be? First of all, it's free admission to the
• 27:43
  public. So come one, come all. There's going
• 27:46
  to be a large audience to see your business.
• 27:49
  You're going to gain new customers, build your
• 27:52
  brand, and establish strategic partnerships.
• 27:55
  So whether you're looking to gain new customers,
• 27:59
  build your brand, or establish strategic partnerships,
• 28:03
  Business Expo 2 is the place to be. Don't miss
• 28:07
  your chance to be part of this exclusive annual
• 28:10
  showcase of Johns Creek's best businesses. Remember...
• 28:15
  It's October 22nd. Remember that. October 22nd
• 28:19
  between the hours of 11 a .m. and 4 p .m. The
• 28:23
  location, 6000 Medlock Bridge Parkway, Johns
• 28:27
  Creek. You can go to the website and it's www.
• 28:35
  FusionAlliance .info. F -U -S -I -O -N -A -L
• 28:39
  -L -I -A -N -C -E .info. You can get all of it
• 28:44
  there. You can be a vendor. You can be a sponsor.
• 28:46
  Or if you want, you can just come on and enjoy
• 28:49
  it. So come on down. Everyone else is going to
• 28:52
  be there. And just enjoy yourself. All right,
• 28:56
  folks. A huge thank you to our guests for sharing
• 28:59
  such incredible insights today. And of course,
• 29:03
  a big shout out to you, our amazing listeners,
• 29:06
  for tuning in and spending your time with us.
• 29:09
  If you're interested in my digital courses, being
• 29:12
  coached, or having me come and talk to your company,
• 29:15
  just go to Michael and fill out the request form.
• 29:19
  Remember, networking isn't about being perfect.
• 29:22
  It's about being present. So take what you've
• 29:25
  learned today, get out there, and make some meaningful
• 29:28
  connections. If you've enjoyed this episode,
• 29:31
  please don't forget to subscribe. Leave us a
• 29:34
  review and share it with someone who could use
• 29:37
  a little networking inspiration. Let's keep the
• 29:40
  conversation going. You can find me on Apple,
• 29:43
  Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, or my website, foreman
• 29:48
  .com slash podcasts.