Acknowledgements
This book would not have been possible without my own network of Promoters, Pit Crew, Teachers and Butt-kickers – the many friends, family, colleagues and clients who collaborated on developing my thinking, allowed me to question and delve into their networking behaviour and who ultimately encouraged me to keep going. A sincere thank you to each of you, I couldn't have written this book without you all.
A huge thank you to the extraordinary team and talent around me who helped extract this book from my head to paper. Thank you to my incredible editor, Kelly Irving. Your passion for this project and your compassion and smarts throughout those long days, late nights and many weekends – quite simply wow – I will be forever grateful. To the extraordinary team at Presentation Studio, and in particular Emma Bannister and Sarah Marriot, thank you for all your design genius and for turning my crappy sketches into something far superior. And of course to the team at Wiley for your dedication and support – Lucy Raymond, Chris Shorten, Jem Bates, Ingrid Bond and Theo Vassili – thank you.
To my incredible team who have supported me from the sidelines – Lisa Dunne thank you for keeping on top of everything, for looking after all our fabulous clients and always exploring ways to go one step beyond – it doesn't go unnoticed. To Lee Ussher, Melissa Browne and Scott Eathorne thank you for everything, for thinking big with me, for listening to my endless conversations, for strategising with me, for adding to my thinking and for keeping me true and on track.
A huge thank you to those that challenged me to write this book – my colleagues and fellow thought leaders that inspire me with every conversation to think more and to be more. Matt Church, I will be forever grateful for your guidance and mentorship from the beginning and it is now an honour to partner alongside you and the team at Thought Leaders. To Lynne Cazaly, Pete Cook, Dr Jason Fox, Dan Gregory, Gabrielle Dolan, Christina Guidotti thank you for being the individuals that you are, for all the conversations and the continuing encouragement. Thank you, Kieran Flanagan for working through the Nexus with me as we crafted the descriptions, for your weekly check-ins, for always finding a way to put my frustrations into perspective and for making me laugh too many times – don't stop! I am so grateful to you all for your support and friendship.
To Lisa Messenger – you are an inspiration to me and so many others. Thank you for your continuous support and your encouragement to think big and push to challenge the status quo always. You were there at the beginning of this journey as I transitioned from my corporate role and I am grateful for your support right here, right now. Thank you for taking the time to pen the foreword for this book – you epitomise all that exists when we network the right way.
And finally an enormous shout out to my own little tribe of amazingness. Jason, thank you for your ongoing support – always. Without you none of this would have been possible. Thank you for always believing and pushing me to follow my dreams and to become more, for creating the space for me to think and for keeping on top of everything while I bunkered down to write this book. To my gorgeous and amazing children – Flynn, Taya and Carter – you all continue to amaze me with all you are doing and all you are becoming. Keep dreaming big because the world quite simply is your oyster and you are all part of the change the world needs. Thank you for your patience and understanding, for the endless sneaky chocolate biscuits, and for surprising Mummy with her very own superpowered wonder woman. My life is more amazing having you all in it.
And to you, the reader. Thank you for taking the time to read this book; to be open to a new way of doing things. Curiosity creates opportunity and my wish for you is that this book opens up a whole new world of opportunity to take control of your own success.
Foreword by Lisa Messenger
Over a decade ago, I helped a budding entrepreneur and motivational speaker with his PR strategy. To me, that component of business was incredibly simple, second nature, the sort of stuff I could do in my sleep, but to him it was a juggernaut, a mystery, a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow he craved and undeniably needed for the systematic growth of his business and personal brand.
So there we were, a flat white for him and an iced mocha for me, sunshine on our backs, pens and paper everywhere. I talked him through the media landscape philosophically and practically; we discussed his approach, the concept of bespoke pitching, potential roadblocks, long-term strategy versus quick wins, and then I did something simple but oh so valuable: I introduced him to some of my own contacts.
A couple of months later, I saw a feature about him pop up in a national newspaper. Then again four months later, but this time he was being announced as a regular contributor to a national publication. He was later featured on some pretty heavy-hitting international websites and then came the publication of his book.
I have watched from the sidelines over the years as his business profile has grown, and each time I spot him in the media or see his name listed as an event speaker, a small smile of pride grows on my face. Top line, I'm thrilled for him and hope it gets bigger and grander, whatever his personal vision might be. But on a personal level of reflection for me, I'm grateful to have played a part in someone else's success, realising that when you connect the right people together through a positive exchange, their success is also yours. After all, I played a part in his little wins, which have grown into big ones, and it all started with a handful of mutual introductions.
There is enormous value in making connections with the right people at the right time and with the right message or request. It is something I have always been passionate about and have focused on at every stage of my business life, believing deeply in the values of generosity and reciprocity. The people we connect with can make or break our ideas and future success. And we can do the same for them.
Making headway in business (or life) can be darned hard work. There can be roadblocks at every turn, or just a few roadblocks you simply can't seem to overcome. And one of the biggest mistakes you can make is going it alone when other people can often be the key.
In a few short years, I'm very happy to say, Collective Hub has grown into a global movement: the print magazine is sold in almost 40 countries (and always expanding); our online community unites hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world; we run massive events, have global book deals and have even started our own education course. And you'd be right to wonder how we have achieved this.
The short answer is a lot of very hard work and a relentless pursuit of our goals. There is no denying that we kept going in a sea of ‘nos' when others would have turned back or fallen over from sheer exhaustion, and for that I'm crazily proud of myself and my team. But there are also some silent celebrators in our success. For, sprinkled along the way, there have been some very key and rather kind people who have catapulted our accomplishments in certain areas. To a few – I hope very much they know who they are – I will be forever grateful. One helped me find the right book agent for my US deal, another connected me with our international distributor, a third provided the connection to some very key players of US media, two were the conduits to my connection with big global thinkers such as Richard Branson, and another suggested the exact consultant needed at a pivotal financial time in the business's journey. Then there have been people who simply connected me with a like-minded individual or connected Collective Hub with a like-minded organisation, and magic happened as a result. While it was definitely up to me, up to us, to make something of those connections, the seeds of success were sown at the point of connection.
Connection is powerful, essential and far-yielding, and this book has the tools to help you realise that, develop your network and leverage its potential. Don't be so arrogant as to think you don't need others or too afraid to play a big game with global game changers. Be genuine and consistent in your approach, intentional rather than organic and always, always reciprocate. This is your moment … but perhaps the best place to start is to actually make it someone else's as well.
Lisa Messenger
Founder and editor-in-chief of Collective Hub