WEBVTT 00:00:16.719 --> 00:00:20.699 Hello and welcome to Networking Unleashed, Building 00:00:20.699 --> 00:00:23.879 Profitable Connections. Welcome back to the show, 00:00:23.899 --> 00:00:26.960 folks. I'm your host, Michael Foreman, and you're 00:00:26.960 --> 00:00:29.579 listening to the podcast where networking is 00:00:29.579 --> 00:00:32.420 more than just awkward handshakes and bad coffee. 00:00:32.619 --> 00:00:35.979 It's an art and a talent. But here's the twist. 00:00:36.219 --> 00:00:39.219 It's an art and talent you can actually learn. 00:00:39.679 --> 00:00:42.520 Yes, even if you're the person hiding in the 00:00:42.520 --> 00:00:45.500 corner at every event, pretending to check emails. 00:00:46.189 --> 00:00:48.829 Now working isn't just a nice skill to have. 00:00:49.350 --> 00:00:52.149 It's a game changer. And when you get good at 00:00:52.149 --> 00:00:54.570 it, you'll wonder why you didn't start sooner. 00:00:54.969 --> 00:00:58.829 More connections, more opportunities, more profits. 00:00:59.289 --> 00:01:03.270 It's like unlocking a cheat code for life. Or 00:01:03.270 --> 00:01:07.569 the just let me stay at home type. We've got 00:01:07.569 --> 00:01:10.150 something for you. So stick around. Let's turn 00:01:10.150 --> 00:01:13.409 those awkward small talk moments into big wins. 00:01:14.439 --> 00:01:19.079 Now, I have a guest today. He's got quite a lengthy 00:01:19.079 --> 00:01:22.140 background, which I will let him fill it in for 00:01:22.140 --> 00:01:26.180 you. But Adam Chronister, correct me if I got 00:01:26.180 --> 00:01:29.299 that wrong. You got it right. That wasn't bad. 00:01:29.400 --> 00:01:32.879 First time out. Adam is a prominent figure in 00:01:32.879 --> 00:01:36.120 the digital marketing industry, recognized for 00:01:36.120 --> 00:01:40.120 his entrepreneurial skills and expertise. Now, 00:01:40.180 --> 00:01:43.519 he has... a rather lengthy background. I'm going 00:01:43.519 --> 00:01:46.859 to let him introduce himself and have him tell 00:01:46.859 --> 00:01:49.620 you a little bit about his background. So Adam, 00:01:49.719 --> 00:01:52.239 hello, welcome to the podcast. And why don't 00:01:52.239 --> 00:01:54.340 you tell me about yourself? Yeah, thanks for 00:01:54.340 --> 00:01:56.879 having me on. I'm looking forward to our conversation. 00:01:57.140 --> 00:02:00.180 As mentioned, I own and operate a digital marketing 00:02:00.180 --> 00:02:03.060 agency based in the West Coast, so we're here 00:02:03.060 --> 00:02:06.099 in Spokane, Washington, and have been doing that 00:02:06.099 --> 00:02:10.629 since 2009. We help clients and basically across 00:02:10.629 --> 00:02:14.069 the board from small SMBs, small businesses, 00:02:14.110 --> 00:02:17.409 all the way to large enterprise and have a heavy 00:02:17.409 --> 00:02:20.090 focus on search marketing. So anything that you 00:02:20.090 --> 00:02:22.610 would go to a search engine to look for, whether 00:02:22.610 --> 00:02:24.090 you're looking to show up in the advertising 00:02:24.090 --> 00:02:26.930 placement spots or in the organic results, or 00:02:26.930 --> 00:02:29.069 even looking for that foundational architecture 00:02:29.069 --> 00:02:31.310 on your website design and development, that's 00:02:31.310 --> 00:02:33.669 really where we shine. And yeah, certainly looking 00:02:33.669 --> 00:02:35.849 forward to our conversation today and seeing 00:02:35.849 --> 00:02:39.770 where that leads. Good. I'm happy as well. So 00:02:39.770 --> 00:02:43.090 let's just jump right into it. How has digital 00:02:43.090 --> 00:02:46.509 marketing changed the landscape of professional 00:02:46.509 --> 00:02:51.129 networking? Take this podcast as an example, 00:02:51.229 --> 00:02:54.729 right? There used to be a time where it was hard 00:02:54.729 --> 00:02:57.389 to network without actually being in a physical 00:02:57.389 --> 00:02:59.949 room with other people, right? And that barrier 00:02:59.949 --> 00:03:02.629 has been significantly diminished with technology. 00:03:03.680 --> 00:03:06.000 Now, I don't think digital formats are necessarily 00:03:06.000 --> 00:03:09.539 a replacement for meeting people at conferences, 00:03:09.599 --> 00:03:11.599 at networking events, and all of those kind of 00:03:11.599 --> 00:03:14.800 things. But it definitely can be a good supplement 00:03:14.800 --> 00:03:18.620 and open up the door. I know, for instance, I've 00:03:18.620 --> 00:03:21.060 had a lot of relationships that have been maybe 00:03:21.060 --> 00:03:25.139 started in person and then transgressed to online 00:03:25.139 --> 00:03:30.060 arenas, right? Or even some vice versa. If anything, 00:03:30.319 --> 00:03:33.379 the internet and this digital era that we're 00:03:33.379 --> 00:03:37.039 living in, from social media to podcasts to all 00:03:37.039 --> 00:03:39.219 of those different mediums, really help us bridge 00:03:39.219 --> 00:03:42.180 the gap. It's a fun and interesting time to be 00:03:42.180 --> 00:03:46.419 alive because we're no longer limited by distance, 00:03:46.699 --> 00:03:51.340 it seems. No, not at all. And you brought up 00:03:51.340 --> 00:03:54.879 this podcast because in the last week, I've had 00:03:54.879 --> 00:03:58.319 a guest from England, from Germany, and Australia. 00:03:58.909 --> 00:04:03.530 And Israel. So I covered all over the world, 00:04:03.590 --> 00:04:07.370 yet I'm doing it all from here. So it really 00:04:07.370 --> 00:04:10.150 brought everybody together. And it's really a 00:04:10.150 --> 00:04:13.009 good feeling when I can do that. Yeah, I imagine. 00:04:13.129 --> 00:04:17.610 In what ways do you see AI enhancing or disrupting 00:04:17.610 --> 00:04:22.009 traditional networking strategies? It's hard 00:04:22.009 --> 00:04:27.460 to tell. I guess I have and haven't. obviously 00:04:27.460 --> 00:04:29.860 utilized AI quite a bit. We utilize it quite 00:04:29.860 --> 00:04:32.100 a bit in our business just to optimize what we 00:04:32.100 --> 00:04:37.259 do. Where I think it helps is mostly in communication. 00:04:37.600 --> 00:04:40.300 I think it can streamline communication, but 00:04:40.300 --> 00:04:44.920 maybe it also, if done improperly or used improperly, 00:04:44.920 --> 00:04:49.740 might start to degrade maybe someone's creativity 00:04:49.740 --> 00:04:52.540 towards how they reach out to people. So I don't 00:04:52.540 --> 00:04:54.040 know. I think it really depends on where you're 00:04:54.040 --> 00:04:59.029 at in your usage of AI. In some cases, it allows 00:04:59.029 --> 00:05:02.870 me to more quickly articulate a message, maybe 00:05:02.870 --> 00:05:05.810 more in depth than I might have the time to do. 00:05:05.990 --> 00:05:08.509 So in that case, it could be a benefit. But in 00:05:08.509 --> 00:05:10.970 other times, maybe it can become a crutch or 00:05:10.970 --> 00:05:13.750 an over -reliance, in which case, maybe a phone 00:05:13.750 --> 00:05:16.689 call versus an email might be a better scenario, 00:05:16.870 --> 00:05:18.990 right? And so I think it's hard to tell to see 00:05:18.990 --> 00:05:21.750 exactly where it... fits into the realm of networking, 00:05:22.009 --> 00:05:23.790 whether it's going to be a negative or positive, 00:05:24.009 --> 00:05:26.670 but I definitely see its impact in other arenas 00:05:26.670 --> 00:05:29.870 that might bleed over into that realm. You're 00:05:29.870 --> 00:05:33.870 absolutely right. I happen to be a big proponent 00:05:33.870 --> 00:05:37.850 of the face -to -face networking. And even though 00:05:37.850 --> 00:05:41.490 we are face -to -face through Zoom, I prefer 00:05:41.490 --> 00:05:45.939 the face -to -face. in -person networking because 00:05:45.939 --> 00:05:50.139 I get to feel the vibe of the person, the vibe 00:05:50.139 --> 00:05:53.439 of the room, and you pick up so much more when 00:05:53.439 --> 00:05:57.060 you're in it rather than just a Zoom call. But 00:05:57.060 --> 00:06:00.879 I see what you're talking about. As an entrepreneur, 00:06:01.240 --> 00:06:04.660 what's your approach to building valuable network 00:06:04.660 --> 00:06:09.829 from scratch? A lot of it. does involve getting 00:06:09.829 --> 00:06:13.470 out there, right? I can attribute a lot of my 00:06:13.470 --> 00:06:15.990 success and the network that I've built just 00:06:15.990 --> 00:06:19.089 by going out to different events and conferences, 00:06:19.209 --> 00:06:22.550 and not just be being a participant, but trying 00:06:22.550 --> 00:06:24.930 to figure out ways to get involved. I remember, 00:06:25.149 --> 00:06:30.110 man, early on in my career, I had done the work 00:06:30.110 --> 00:06:32.329 of creating a roundup post. And I don't know 00:06:32.329 --> 00:06:34.189 how many people are familiar with this strategy 00:06:34.189 --> 00:06:37.310 or what a roundup post is, but basically it's 00:06:37.310 --> 00:06:41.269 a blog post where you go and you interview or 00:06:41.269 --> 00:06:44.589 pull different people inside your industry. They're 00:06:44.589 --> 00:06:46.829 not as popular as they used to be. Now, podcasts 00:06:46.829 --> 00:06:49.430 have actually filled that gap. But what I found 00:06:49.430 --> 00:06:54.259 that this strategy did is It allowed me to add 00:06:54.259 --> 00:06:57.839 value to other people who I admired. It then 00:06:57.839 --> 00:07:00.819 also presented me as someone that could contribute 00:07:00.819 --> 00:07:03.160 value to them because I'm essentially giving 00:07:03.160 --> 00:07:07.980 them a voice. And that particular exercise actually 00:07:07.980 --> 00:07:11.100 opened up a lot of opportunities. So I remember 00:07:11.100 --> 00:07:14.259 a circumstance where... I was at a conference, 00:07:14.399 --> 00:07:16.860 somebody that I had looked up to for a long time, 00:07:17.019 --> 00:07:19.920 introduced myself, and they're like, oh, okay, 00:07:20.000 --> 00:07:21.879 I recognize your name. You're the Roundup guy, 00:07:22.120 --> 00:07:24.000 right? And he was referring to the Roundup post, 00:07:24.120 --> 00:07:27.060 which many months ago, prior to that meeting, 00:07:27.399 --> 00:07:30.519 he was featured in, right? And so that's one 00:07:30.519 --> 00:07:34.639 example. Now things have evolved. And so whether 00:07:34.639 --> 00:07:36.620 it's things like this, where you start a podcast 00:07:36.620 --> 00:07:39.980 and you have guests that maybe otherwise wouldn't 00:07:39.980 --> 00:07:41.680 probably give you the time of day, now you can 00:07:41.680 --> 00:07:44.600 start having actual conversations. I have friends 00:07:44.600 --> 00:07:47.360 that are starting to publish user -generated 00:07:47.360 --> 00:07:50.339 eBooks. So essentially I was just featured in 00:07:50.339 --> 00:07:52.480 one of these books. And that's another great 00:07:52.480 --> 00:07:55.000 way to network outside of just the face -to -face. 00:07:55.180 --> 00:07:58.060 But I would encourage people to not leave things 00:07:58.060 --> 00:08:00.660 just in the digital realm if you can, right? 00:08:00.879 --> 00:08:04.560 I think digital, podcast, virtual events, Zoom 00:08:04.560 --> 00:08:07.500 meetings, emails, social media interactions, 00:08:07.699 --> 00:08:10.360 all of those are great supplements, but hopefully 00:08:10.360 --> 00:08:13.079 that's an extension to real life relationships, 00:08:13.439 --> 00:08:15.500 right? I have relationships with people that 00:08:15.500 --> 00:08:18.800 I see maybe once a quarter or even once a year, 00:08:18.899 --> 00:08:21.939 but we're able to keep that foundation going 00:08:21.939 --> 00:08:24.019 through all these other digital mediums, which 00:08:24.019 --> 00:08:26.259 is great because it feels like the gap isn't 00:08:26.259 --> 00:08:30.540 so far. That's so true, because if you see that 00:08:30.540 --> 00:08:33.700 person once a year, but just stay in touch with 00:08:33.700 --> 00:08:36.480 them through LinkedIn, Instagram, whatever, it's 00:08:36.480 --> 00:08:38.720 like you're right there. And then it makes that 00:08:38.720 --> 00:08:42.139 one time a year that much more special because 00:08:42.139 --> 00:08:45.440 you've actually had that relationship with them 00:08:45.440 --> 00:08:48.059 all throughout the year. So you're again, you're 00:08:48.059 --> 00:08:52.139 right on point. OK, how has your network contributed 00:08:52.139 --> 00:08:56.840 to identifying? promising investment opportunities? 00:08:58.179 --> 00:09:01.399 I think the biggest arena for me, as far as how 00:09:01.399 --> 00:09:04.720 networks have fit into what I do on an investment 00:09:04.720 --> 00:09:07.500 perspective, has probably come through my relationship 00:09:07.500 --> 00:09:10.399 with my real estate broker. And this has been 00:09:10.399 --> 00:09:12.379 a long -term relationship. So for those that 00:09:12.379 --> 00:09:16.899 don't know, I have, and my family have some buy 00:09:16.899 --> 00:09:19.320 and hold properties. So both my wife and I manage 00:09:19.320 --> 00:09:21.940 those together. But that relationship started 00:09:21.940 --> 00:09:25.480 out as an early relationship with a broker here 00:09:25.480 --> 00:09:28.480 in town when we were buying our first property. 00:09:28.679 --> 00:09:31.379 And that was our live -in property. And eventually 00:09:31.379 --> 00:09:34.360 we took the leap of starting to buy investment 00:09:34.360 --> 00:09:37.870 properties and continued this relationship. Since 00:09:37.870 --> 00:09:40.330 then, we've bought and sold numerous properties, 00:09:40.470 --> 00:09:45.070 both in our hometown and here one recently overseas. 00:09:45.549 --> 00:09:48.769 But having that long -term relationship has been 00:09:48.769 --> 00:09:52.529 valuable because it's really a win -win because 00:09:52.529 --> 00:09:56.549 this particular real estate broker, he's benefiting 00:09:56.549 --> 00:09:59.490 because he knows every two, three years, I'm 00:09:59.490 --> 00:10:01.029 going to be knocking on his door probably for 00:10:01.029 --> 00:10:04.269 an investment. So he's always got me on his radar 00:10:04.269 --> 00:10:07.149 and I got him on his radar. or on my radar. And 00:10:07.149 --> 00:10:08.750 those kinds of relationships I think are invaluable. 00:10:09.070 --> 00:10:11.870 To give you another example too, just as a reference, 00:10:12.169 --> 00:10:15.250 I'm going to be actually on his podcast. So he 00:10:15.250 --> 00:10:18.789 does a real estate podcast here locally. And 00:10:18.789 --> 00:10:21.529 so here coming in a month, we'll have a time 00:10:21.529 --> 00:10:24.450 to sit down and chat. So yeah, even somebody 00:10:24.450 --> 00:10:26.250 like that in your personal life, whether it's 00:10:26.250 --> 00:10:29.529 another business owner that you come across or 00:10:29.529 --> 00:10:31.309 something like that, it's always good to figure 00:10:31.309 --> 00:10:35.019 out how can you add value to other people? Look 00:10:35.019 --> 00:10:37.720 to give more than you take and then usually it 00:10:37.720 --> 00:10:39.460 will come back to you. That's kind of my philosophy. 00:10:40.379 --> 00:10:43.360 That's a perfect philosophy because that's one 00:10:43.360 --> 00:10:48.000 of the things that I teach is you look to give 00:10:48.000 --> 00:10:50.820 and not receive. And I think it was Zig Ziglar 00:10:50.820 --> 00:10:53.580 that said, as long as you keep on giving, you're 00:10:53.580 --> 00:10:56.200 going to receive and what goes around does come 00:10:56.200 --> 00:10:59.460 around. So that's very good and in step. But 00:10:59.460 --> 00:11:04.360 speaking with the mutual beneficial. parties, 00:11:04.360 --> 00:11:08.500 how would you leverage connections across different 00:11:08.500 --> 00:11:14.320 industries for that mutual benefit? As far as 00:11:14.320 --> 00:11:17.500 how I would leverage that across different industries, 00:11:17.759 --> 00:11:20.960 I guess it depends. I know one of the things 00:11:20.960 --> 00:11:25.279 that I've been interested in and still pursuant 00:11:25.279 --> 00:11:29.159 is going out and attending conferences that are 00:11:29.159 --> 00:11:33.029 not directly related to my industry. As a default 00:11:33.029 --> 00:11:36.129 of what I do, I end up speaking and or attending 00:11:36.129 --> 00:11:38.610 a lot of digital marketing conferences, which 00:11:38.610 --> 00:11:42.129 is great. I consider it instrumental into what 00:11:42.129 --> 00:11:45.809 I do. But one of my goals for this year and next 00:11:45.809 --> 00:11:49.070 is to start to attend conferences in things I'm 00:11:49.070 --> 00:11:51.889 interested in, but maybe not directly related 00:11:51.889 --> 00:11:54.929 to my industry. So for instance, I dabble in 00:11:54.929 --> 00:11:58.389 cryptocurrencies in addition to other investments. 00:11:59.210 --> 00:12:02.009 And I would love to attend a cryptocurrency conference 00:12:02.009 --> 00:12:06.350 just to figure out and learn from those other 00:12:06.350 --> 00:12:09.029 arenas. So I think just being curious and figuring 00:12:09.029 --> 00:12:12.129 out what is available to get out and network. 00:12:12.330 --> 00:12:15.389 I had another opportunity here locally where 00:12:15.389 --> 00:12:19.250 there's a small business group that meets together 00:12:19.250 --> 00:12:21.669 with numerous people across different industries. 00:12:21.950 --> 00:12:24.049 And so we had a networking dinner and it was 00:12:24.049 --> 00:12:26.250 great to meet people that are... in completely 00:12:26.250 --> 00:12:28.669 different industries than myself and just learn 00:12:28.669 --> 00:12:30.870 what it's like to be in their shoes day to day. 00:12:32.129 --> 00:12:34.850 That's really great, by the way. What's your 00:12:34.850 --> 00:12:39.169 take on balancing online and offline networking 00:12:39.169 --> 00:12:43.649 in today's digital age? To my earlier point, 00:12:43.769 --> 00:12:47.409 just like not being overly reliant on one or 00:12:47.409 --> 00:12:49.970 the other or too heavy in one or the other, I 00:12:49.970 --> 00:12:52.509 think is key. I see a lot of people that are 00:12:52.509 --> 00:12:56.190 very comfortable. online. They're comfortable 00:12:56.190 --> 00:12:59.570 getting in front of a camera, but in person, 00:12:59.690 --> 00:13:04.110 they can become really shy. And so I think figuring 00:13:04.110 --> 00:13:06.190 out a good way to bridge the gap between that 00:13:06.190 --> 00:13:10.029 digital world and in person is an invaluable 00:13:10.029 --> 00:13:13.309 tool, right? So yeah, I think just getting out 00:13:13.309 --> 00:13:15.649 there and attending different events, getting 00:13:15.649 --> 00:13:18.490 a little bit outside of your comfort zone, those 00:13:18.490 --> 00:13:21.309 kind of things can open your horizons quite a 00:13:21.309 --> 00:13:24.519 bit. I know, not exactly related to networking, 00:13:24.740 --> 00:13:27.220 but one of the things that my spouse and I and 00:13:27.220 --> 00:13:29.840 our family love doing is traveling. Particularly, 00:13:29.960 --> 00:13:33.179 we love traveling overseas. And the reason I 00:13:33.179 --> 00:13:36.620 like it so much is it gets me out of my comfort 00:13:36.620 --> 00:13:40.919 zone. I realize that there's a whole world and 00:13:40.919 --> 00:13:44.360 culture that works without me in it. And that... 00:13:44.620 --> 00:13:47.259 just opens my horizon. And so I've had a lot 00:13:47.259 --> 00:13:49.960 of opportunities just to meet people just that 00:13:49.960 --> 00:13:52.440 way, just by getting out of my comfort zone and 00:13:52.440 --> 00:13:55.379 being curious and going to places and locations 00:13:55.379 --> 00:13:59.059 where I otherwise might naturally go. Sure. Sure. 00:13:59.179 --> 00:14:02.679 That's great. That's great. Okay. So let's move 00:14:02.679 --> 00:14:06.700 along with the metrics side of things. How do 00:14:06.700 --> 00:14:10.799 you measure success or ROI for your networking 00:14:10.799 --> 00:14:15.019 efforts? There's a lot of different ways to measure 00:14:15.019 --> 00:14:17.960 success when it comes to networking. I think 00:14:17.960 --> 00:14:20.779 just having a catalog of people you can go to, 00:14:20.919 --> 00:14:23.519 right? That's not always monetarily. I would 00:14:23.519 --> 00:14:26.659 say a lot of it's actually not monetarily. It's 00:14:26.659 --> 00:14:29.480 who can, if I have a question about an industry 00:14:29.480 --> 00:14:32.580 that I'm unfamiliar with, right? Do I have somebody 00:14:32.580 --> 00:14:35.379 in my network I can speak to? If I have a question 00:14:35.379 --> 00:14:37.360 about taxes and accounting, do I have a good 00:14:37.360 --> 00:14:39.740 person I can reach out to? If I have a question 00:14:39.740 --> 00:14:42.899 about a weird noise that my car is making, do 00:14:42.899 --> 00:14:45.059 I have somebody that I can speak to that I'm 00:14:45.059 --> 00:14:46.820 not just bugging them, but they're genuinely 00:14:46.820 --> 00:14:49.320 going to say, oh, yeah, here's what that probably 00:14:49.320 --> 00:14:52.019 is. Here's who I recommend sending it to or what 00:14:52.019 --> 00:14:54.799 I recommend doing. So I think just the responsiveness 00:14:54.799 --> 00:14:59.320 in your networking portfolio and having people 00:14:59.320 --> 00:15:02.740 you can rely on, not as an obligation, but really 00:15:02.740 --> 00:15:06.889 as a relationship. I think that is how I would 00:15:06.889 --> 00:15:09.750 measure a lot of those kind of things. That goes 00:15:09.750 --> 00:15:13.509 along with the giving, not getting. If you give 00:15:13.509 --> 00:15:16.230 yourself, you're basically, you want to become 00:15:16.230 --> 00:15:20.070 a referral partner for everybody. I am known 00:15:20.070 --> 00:15:23.929 in my area as putting two people together. Oh, 00:15:23.970 --> 00:15:26.950 I really need my heating went. Wait, I've got 00:15:26.950 --> 00:15:30.690 a perfect heating guy for you. And I do things 00:15:30.690 --> 00:15:34.100 like that all the time. And I never look. for 00:15:34.100 --> 00:15:40.059 anything back i never do but ultimately my name 00:15:40.059 --> 00:15:43.080 gets referred out also sure so it's a kind of 00:15:43.080 --> 00:15:44.720 give and take but that's a good way of doing 00:15:44.720 --> 00:15:48.779 it can you share any ai tools or platforms that's 00:15:48.779 --> 00:15:53.080 revolutionized your networking approach one of 00:15:53.080 --> 00:15:55.080 the things that we're utilizing right now is 00:15:55.080 --> 00:15:58.659 a tool called make .com which is a it's an automation 00:15:58.659 --> 00:16:03.279 platform and basically with a tool like that 00:16:03.629 --> 00:16:05.610 Much like Zapier and other tools that have come 00:16:05.610 --> 00:16:08.429 before it, the sky is the limit. You're basically 00:16:08.429 --> 00:16:11.669 limited only by your imagination and the third 00:16:11.669 --> 00:16:14.450 -party tools you can plug in and play to automate 00:16:14.450 --> 00:16:16.830 systems. So one of the things we're developing 00:16:16.830 --> 00:16:20.730 right now is an intricate cold outreach system 00:16:20.730 --> 00:16:23.549 so that we can reach people in different verticals 00:16:23.549 --> 00:16:25.570 that we want to get in front of via email and 00:16:25.570 --> 00:16:28.509 via social media. So that's something that we're 00:16:28.509 --> 00:16:30.370 starting to explore and experiment with right 00:16:30.370 --> 00:16:33.690 now, just to become more connected in different 00:16:33.690 --> 00:16:36.509 arenas. So yeah, I recommend people take a look 00:16:36.509 --> 00:16:39.230 at tools like that, start to look at ways to 00:16:39.230 --> 00:16:42.610 introduce automation and AI into their business. 00:16:44.009 --> 00:16:46.730 Okay, let's take that. Let's look to the future 00:16:46.730 --> 00:16:49.870 just a little bit. How do you envision the future 00:16:49.870 --> 00:16:53.809 of networking in the next five to 10 years, considering 00:16:53.809 --> 00:16:59.620 advancements in AI? digital technologies yeah 00:16:59.620 --> 00:17:02.679 i think one of the areas and it's still developed 00:17:02.679 --> 00:17:06.000 i think it's still still uncharted territory 00:17:06.000 --> 00:17:09.579 is probably with vr and augmented reality right 00:17:09.579 --> 00:17:13.819 i know apple tried their hand at the vr and augmented 00:17:13.819 --> 00:17:15.980 reality space with their headset which i think 00:17:15.980 --> 00:17:17.759 flopped i don't know if it's the price point 00:17:17.759 --> 00:17:21.279 or what but companies like meta are still very 00:17:21.279 --> 00:17:24.500 much in that arena I think the verdict's still 00:17:24.500 --> 00:17:27.619 out to see how comfortable the masses are going 00:17:27.619 --> 00:17:29.839 to be with that technology. But I can imagine 00:17:29.839 --> 00:17:32.720 a scenario where a system like that, or maybe 00:17:32.720 --> 00:17:35.039 one that's even more scaled down as technology 00:17:35.039 --> 00:17:39.160 grows, becomes more and more of a vertical for 00:17:39.160 --> 00:17:43.059 connection. So instead of a, you know, a 2D screen 00:17:43.059 --> 00:17:46.220 and a Zoom call, we might be in an immersive 00:17:46.220 --> 00:17:50.079 VR experience where it feels like we're right 00:17:50.079 --> 00:17:52.309 there with the person. whether it's a spatial 00:17:52.309 --> 00:17:57.250 audio or 3D renderings of the individual. On 00:17:57.250 --> 00:18:00.430 the flip side, on the more dystopian side, I 00:18:00.430 --> 00:18:03.349 also see scenarios where there's going to be 00:18:03.349 --> 00:18:05.529 segments of people that might rely or utilize 00:18:05.529 --> 00:18:08.869 virtual avatars to the point where you might 00:18:08.869 --> 00:18:11.849 be talking to somebody. thinking it's one person 00:18:11.849 --> 00:18:14.369 or thinking they look one way, but it's someone 00:18:14.369 --> 00:18:16.470 completely different. So there's some of those 00:18:16.470 --> 00:18:19.309 kinds of things that are more yet to be uncharted 00:18:19.309 --> 00:18:22.789 as far as what that does to traditional style 00:18:22.789 --> 00:18:25.210 networking, but definitely something to keep 00:18:25.210 --> 00:18:28.490 an eye on. Okay. I'll be sure to keep an eye 00:18:28.490 --> 00:18:32.349 on it too. What are the key elements of a strong 00:18:32.349 --> 00:18:38.069 network for entrepreneurs seeking investors and 00:18:38.069 --> 00:18:43.819 what mistakes? should they avoid? I think for 00:18:43.819 --> 00:18:48.559 entrepreneurs looking to get in the way of anyone 00:18:48.559 --> 00:18:51.599 of accolade, whether it's in an investment community 00:18:51.599 --> 00:18:54.140 or anything like that, I think you always have 00:18:54.140 --> 00:18:56.740 to be asking yourself, what value do you provide? 00:18:57.099 --> 00:19:01.460 Typically, the more busy someone is, it's harder 00:19:01.460 --> 00:19:04.000 to get their time. And so really, you have to 00:19:04.000 --> 00:19:07.660 put yourself in their shoes. If you want to a 00:19:07.660 --> 00:19:10.559 half an hour or an hour of someone's time who 00:19:10.559 --> 00:19:13.579 is a busy individual, maybe has already seen 00:19:13.579 --> 00:19:17.759 a lot of success. You have to ask yourself, putting 00:19:17.759 --> 00:19:19.740 yourself in their shoes, like what's in it for 00:19:19.740 --> 00:19:21.720 them? Sometimes that can be as simple as, hey, 00:19:21.839 --> 00:19:23.920 I'd love to buy you lunch. Other times it might 00:19:23.920 --> 00:19:27.440 mean starting to develop a platform, a podcast 00:19:27.440 --> 00:19:31.400 or an ebook or an interview type outfit in which 00:19:31.400 --> 00:19:35.160 they feel like they benefit from that. So I think 00:19:35.160 --> 00:19:38.559 that's the key is like, How do you add value 00:19:38.559 --> 00:19:41.599 to them so that, you know, they're even willing 00:19:41.599 --> 00:19:45.279 to sit down and talk to you, right? That's right. 00:19:45.380 --> 00:19:49.119 That's right. That's good to remember. But for 00:19:49.119 --> 00:19:53.079 early stage startups, what's the most effective 00:19:53.079 --> 00:19:57.059 way to connect with the right people for funding 00:19:57.059 --> 00:20:01.460 and partnerships? For early stage startups, I 00:20:01.460 --> 00:20:06.019 would say. Figure out where the networking hubs 00:20:06.019 --> 00:20:09.099 are in your community. I know, for instance, 00:20:09.259 --> 00:20:11.880 here in Spokane, between Spokane and Coeur d 00:20:11.880 --> 00:20:15.480 'Alene, Idaho, which are fairly close, 30 minutes 00:20:15.480 --> 00:20:18.220 to an hour between those two areas, depending 00:20:18.220 --> 00:20:21.720 on where you're from, there are at least a small 00:20:21.720 --> 00:20:26.059 handful of communities that meet for things like 00:20:26.059 --> 00:20:31.160 hackathons or pitch events and just about every... 00:20:31.450 --> 00:20:34.210 metropolitan hub these days has some kind of 00:20:34.210 --> 00:20:38.190 community where they take entrepreneurs and startups 00:20:38.190 --> 00:20:41.910 and put them in front of people looking for investment 00:20:41.910 --> 00:20:45.809 right so figuring out kind of who those people 00:20:45.809 --> 00:20:49.789 or hubs or entities are in your local area i 00:20:49.789 --> 00:20:52.630 think could be instrumental and like i said they 00:20:52.630 --> 00:20:54.970 exist just about everywhere it's just a matter 00:20:54.970 --> 00:20:57.960 of figuring out where they are and getting involved. 00:20:58.339 --> 00:21:00.599 And they are, they're everywhere. They are. And 00:21:00.599 --> 00:21:03.240 even though you may not believe it because you're 00:21:03.240 --> 00:21:06.059 the one looking for the money, but they are everywhere 00:21:06.059 --> 00:21:09.019 and there's organizations and you just have to 00:21:09.019 --> 00:21:11.680 find them. That's really what the key is. Yeah. 00:21:11.799 --> 00:21:15.059 Last but not least, bringing this podcast full 00:21:15.059 --> 00:21:19.180 circle, can you share a personal story of how 00:21:19.180 --> 00:21:22.339 a networking connection changed the course of 00:21:22.339 --> 00:21:28.099 your career or business? Yeah, so I had attended, 00:21:28.380 --> 00:21:31.400 I had been attending search engine optimization 00:21:31.400 --> 00:21:35.779 conferences for a few years into kind of the 00:21:35.779 --> 00:21:40.819 infancy of our agency. And there was one particular 00:21:40.819 --> 00:21:44.420 event, it was a smaller mastermind style conference, 00:21:44.559 --> 00:21:47.259 meaning that I think there was maybe 30 or 40 00:21:47.259 --> 00:21:51.079 people. It was... Not overly expensive, but it 00:21:51.079 --> 00:21:53.420 wasn't cheap either, right? It definitely wasn't 00:21:53.420 --> 00:21:58.240 a free conference. But I had entered this conference 00:21:58.240 --> 00:22:01.859 as an attendee. And while there, it was one of 00:22:01.859 --> 00:22:03.619 these kind of events where the speakers, they 00:22:03.619 --> 00:22:05.740 didn't just fly in and fly out, right? They stick 00:22:05.740 --> 00:22:08.779 around to network and discuss with people. And 00:22:08.779 --> 00:22:12.079 at this particular event, they had a panel where 00:22:12.079 --> 00:22:16.740 I think I gave a short 15, 20 minute talk. wasn't 00:22:16.740 --> 00:22:18.619 overly planned. It was just there was an opening. 00:22:18.720 --> 00:22:22.220 And so I jumped in there. And after the event, 00:22:22.259 --> 00:22:24.539 I started speaking with one of the individuals 00:22:24.539 --> 00:22:27.140 who I'd been following for quite some time and 00:22:27.140 --> 00:22:29.579 saying, and I just went up to him as genuine 00:22:29.579 --> 00:22:31.559 as I possibly could and just said, Hey, man, 00:22:31.640 --> 00:22:34.940 I really, I really loved your talk. I rattled 00:22:34.940 --> 00:22:37.420 off a couple points that kind of stuck with me. 00:22:38.039 --> 00:22:40.440 and just told this individual how much I admired 00:22:40.440 --> 00:22:43.380 what they were doing. And to my surprise, this 00:22:43.380 --> 00:22:45.359 individual was like, yeah, I've been following 00:22:45.359 --> 00:22:47.240 what you've been doing for a while as well. And 00:22:47.240 --> 00:22:50.819 I'd really like to have you share some resources 00:22:50.819 --> 00:22:53.079 inside of this training community that I'm a 00:22:53.079 --> 00:22:56.079 part of. And that ended up opening up doors for 00:22:56.079 --> 00:23:00.440 me to be on stages in Vietnam and Estonia. And 00:23:00.440 --> 00:23:03.259 ironically, the story I told earlier about the 00:23:03.259 --> 00:23:05.569 guy that I had done in this roundup post. It 00:23:05.569 --> 00:23:08.990 was the same guy, right? And had I not gone through 00:23:08.990 --> 00:23:11.930 the effort of creating a platform where I could 00:23:11.930 --> 00:23:14.049 showcase other people's work and then introduce 00:23:14.049 --> 00:23:18.250 myself as a component of that and embedded myself 00:23:18.250 --> 00:23:21.150 in this community and started to get to know 00:23:21.150 --> 00:23:23.750 the players in this community, I don't think 00:23:23.750 --> 00:23:26.450 I ever would have had the ability to be on the 00:23:26.450 --> 00:23:28.529 stages that I've been. And I have other stories, 00:23:28.549 --> 00:23:30.789 probably we can save for another time, but numerous 00:23:30.789 --> 00:23:33.650 stories like that where just... Being able to 00:23:33.650 --> 00:23:37.430 invest a little bit of time and money to be in 00:23:37.430 --> 00:23:41.130 the right rooms has opened up doors to me that 00:23:41.130 --> 00:23:43.990 otherwise never would have been opened. You're 00:23:43.990 --> 00:23:47.589 willing to give it without thinking of the return. 00:23:48.009 --> 00:23:50.869 And so I think that's the mindset that you have 00:23:50.869 --> 00:23:53.349 to have when you're, at least when you're first 00:23:53.349 --> 00:23:57.130 starting out, even years in, I've been 10 years 00:23:57.130 --> 00:24:00.250 on and off stages and I still have that mindset. 00:24:00.859 --> 00:24:04.299 You still look to give. One of my favorite things 00:24:04.299 --> 00:24:09.660 to say to a potential client is, how can I make 00:24:09.660 --> 00:24:13.259 you more successful? How can I make you, how 00:24:13.259 --> 00:24:16.299 can I be a good referral source for you? And 00:24:16.299 --> 00:24:20.240 it usually starts out very well and we usually 00:24:20.240 --> 00:24:23.019 wind up doing business or whatever, but it's 00:24:23.019 --> 00:24:25.519 always a good thing to give rather than receive. 00:24:26.000 --> 00:24:30.200 Adam, I have to tell you, this was great. I feel 00:24:30.200 --> 00:24:32.819 I can talk to you for another two hours and still 00:24:32.819 --> 00:24:36.859 not get to the crux of what you are doing. But 00:24:36.859 --> 00:24:40.400 if somebody wanted to get hold of you, either 00:24:40.400 --> 00:24:44.039 to buy your services, be coached by you, or just 00:24:44.039 --> 00:24:47.180 to talk to you, how would they do it? First of 00:24:47.180 --> 00:24:49.140 all, I'll say I'm pretty easy to find. Simple 00:24:49.140 --> 00:24:51.339 search for my name, Adam Chronister, you'll find 00:24:51.339 --> 00:24:53.480 all kinds of information. But outside of that, 00:24:53.579 --> 00:24:55.339 I encourage people to take a look at the agency 00:24:55.339 --> 00:24:57.940 I run, which is called Enleaf. I'll spell that. 00:24:57.960 --> 00:25:00.400 It's a little tricky name. It's E -N -L -E -A 00:25:00.400 --> 00:25:03.420 -F. So enleaf .com or simply do a Google search 00:25:03.420 --> 00:25:06.180 for my name. I'm pretty active on all the social 00:25:06.180 --> 00:25:10.180 media platforms, Facebook, x .com, TikTok, you 00:25:10.180 --> 00:25:11.920 name it, I'm there. So yeah, I'd love to chat 00:25:11.920 --> 00:25:14.180 with anyone that has any interests or questions 00:25:14.180 --> 00:25:16.839 for me or simply wants to connect and talk shop. 00:25:18.740 --> 00:25:21.619 That's great. Adam, thank you so much for coming 00:25:21.619 --> 00:25:24.460 on the podcast. Oh, my pleasure. Thank you so 00:25:24.460 --> 00:25:28.720 much. Well, hold on, folks. 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So Quit Your Way 00:26:08.299 --> 00:26:11.839 to Success by Rodney Davis, available now on 00:26:11.839 --> 00:26:15.940 Amazon. And this is a non -profit called Revved 00:26:15.940 --> 00:26:19.480 Up Kids. This is something I believe in wholeheartedly. 00:26:20.220 --> 00:26:23.339 Revved Up Kids is on a mission to protect children 00:26:23.339 --> 00:26:27.220 and teens from sexual abuse, exploitation, and 00:26:27.220 --> 00:26:29.559 trafficking. They provide prevention training 00:26:29.559 --> 00:26:33.039 programs for children, teens, and adults. To 00:26:33.039 --> 00:26:37.000 learn more, go to revvedupkids .org. That's R 00:26:37.000 --> 00:26:44.259 -E -V -V -E -D -U -P -K -I -D -S dot org. All 00:26:44.259 --> 00:26:46.940 right, folks. A huge thank you to our guests 00:26:46.940 --> 00:26:50.259 for sharing such incredible insights today. And 00:26:50.259 --> 00:26:53.099 of course, a big shout out to you, our amazing 00:26:53.099 --> 00:26:56.099 listeners, for tuning in and spending your time 00:26:56.099 --> 00:26:59.200 with us. If you're interested in my digital courses, 00:26:59.480 --> 00:27:02.359 being coached, or having me come and talk to 00:27:02.359 --> 00:27:05.799 your company, just go to Michael and fill out 00:27:05.799 --> 00:27:09.380 the request form. Remember, networking isn't 00:27:09.380 --> 00:27:12.039 about being perfect. It's about being present. 00:27:12.519 --> 00:27:15.200 So take what you've learned today, get out there, 00:27:15.299 --> 00:27:18.329 and make some meaningful connections. If you've 00:27:18.329 --> 00:27:21.089 enjoyed this episode, please don't forget to 00:27:21.089 --> 00:27:24.289 subscribe. Leave us a review and share it with 00:27:24.289 --> 00:27:26.589 someone who could use a little networking inspiration. 00:27:27.349 --> 00:27:30.490 Let's keep the conversation going. You can find 00:27:30.490 --> 00:27:34.829 me on Apple, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, or my 00:27:34.829 --> 00:27:38.690 website, foreman .com slash podcasts.