Welcome to Networking Unleashed, Building Profitable
Connections, the show where connection turns
into momentum. I'm Michael Foreman, and today's
episode is for every solopreneur who's tired
of feeling like networking only works if you're
everywhere, talking nonstop, and working the
room like a politician. My guest proves something
powerful. Real relationships don't come from
being the loudest voice. They come from three
things done well. Service, personal attention,
and reputation. We're talking about how to build
strong professional ties without living at events.
How small personal touches open big doors. What
it really means to be known for showing up the
right way, not the noisy way. So if you want
results from your network without turning into
someone you're not, You're in the right place.
And listen, I would love to introduce Alan to
the podcast. He's got an incredible background.
And so, Alan, welcome to the podcast. And why
don't you tell me a little bit about yourself
and how you got here? Thank you, Michael. It's
a pleasure to speak with you and to be in front
of your audience. Yeah, I'm Alan. I'm thousands
of miles away. I'm actually from Asia and the
Philippines. And I got started into solopreneurship.
Basically, I'm a big believer in education. For
us, our biggest export is actually our talent,
our manpower. And we get these opportunities
through education, through our ability to speak
English, through our skills. And I believe that
with knowledge comes independence, power, and
upside potential. I started off really as, I
studied accountancy. I'm a CPA by training. But
I graduated around the time when Robert Kiyosaki
had this book like Christiane Pourlan. It made
me think of how I would like to pursue my career.
So I was on the path of being an accountant.
I started the franchise business at an early
age. Got overwhelmed doing both things. I eventually
worked in a bank while running the franchise
business. Got me a bit overwhelmed. And I got
confused because employment didn't work for me.
Entrepreneurship, the easy kind, the franchise
kind, didn't work for me. So I felt like I was
becoming an educated bum. Both avenues aren't
working for me. And that's when I explored, that
was around the time, early 2010s, where the internet
business was starting to boom. And that's when
I dipped my toes into it. So I started off as
an affiliate marketer using emails to sell products.
And emails seemed to be a good fit for me because
as an accountant, even among accountants, I'm
somebody who works silently in a corner. And
email is my way to talk to a lot of people without
being with them, so to speak. That's right. That's
when I was able to sell my first affiliate product,
a digital product, an e -book. And made my first
$8 commission. That was January 2013. An $8 commission.
I couldn't forget that. And that told me that,
hey, you can make money educating others. You
can make money just by being yourself. And you
can do so while at home. And that started my
journey into selling digital products over the
years. And now I help people start this one person
digital product business sharing their expertise.
Good. All right. Thank you for that background.
I mean, that's really an incredible background
showing where you came from just as a single
little entity and how you flourished into what
you are today. So on that note, I am going to
ask you a few questions. Many people think networking
means showing up everywhere and talking the loudest.
Why is that idea so misleading? especially for
solopreneurs? I believe, especially with solopreneurs,
we're not big brands. A lot of it rests on our
shoulders. But the advantage that we have is
we can create that genuine connection. And for
me, it's not about being loudest or even being
near. One of the ways that I network is really
by being of service. For example, I'm part of
a Facebook group. And one of these Facebook groups
mentioned that, hey, I love you guys to network.
So leave in the comments what you do and people
will see you and reach out to you. But that group
has over 400 comments, I think over 600 comments.
So nobody's going to go through everything. So
what I did was I took a screenshot of all the
comments. I plugged them in AI and asked it to
categorize folks in parenting, folks in planting,
folks in gardening, so on and so forth. And I
shared it in the group as well. And I did it
for myself, for me to find people I would like
to connect with. But hey, since I have this,
I shared it in the group as well. And people
started commenting, hey, please add me to the
list. Then folks that I wanted to connect with.
I added them. They added me back because they
saw me as somebody who added value in the community
without me being noisy. It was just being of
service. And those are the opportunities that
I think are in line with who I am, being of service
rather than being loud. And that is, I think,
people can talk a lot, right? Anybody can claim
something. But if you can show up with action,
with service first, that would make people, that
would make you stand out. And those are some
of the ways that I think action can speak louder
when you don't want to be loud, to be noise.
Actually, within the networking world, there's
a certain thing that you have to follow. I've
learned over 35 years of sales, what you don't,
you and I based my whole business around that.
And I'll tell you that once you walk into that
networking event or meeting or something else
like that. You go in with what's called a servant's
heart. You go in looking to give, not receive.
And if you look to give, it takes all that pressure
off your shoulders. And I can enjoy myself. I
can have a good time. And I can help somebody
to boot. So that's a great way. That's great
philosophy. I believe in that wholeheartedly.
And you're right on track. You teach that service
comes first, which is a big thing. What does
service actually look like in a professional
relationship when it's done correctly? Just like
with sales, just with parenting, with relationships,
it's really understanding what you can give to
the other side or what they want in particular.
Because perhaps we can give so much. For example,
if somebody... I remember this one, I had this
guest in my community and he's very well off,
right? But I understand that he's really, so
what we do typically when we have guests is you'd
send them a simple gift, right? As a token of
appreciation. But this person is based in the
US, so it's pretty far. But I also know that
he's a big advocate of dog shelters. So there's
this one dog shelter that he is, he always supports,
he volunteers at. So as a thank you, we surprised
him by showing him a donation that we made on
his behalf for the dog shelter that he loves.
And I know he's very well off. He doesn't really
need anything. But when his face lit up, that
created a moment for them. And for me, that is
something that I would always be, I'm very worried
of. What would this person need? So for example,
to get noticed, sometimes... I know, Michael,
you do also have courses you teach, right? And
as educators, we love it when we get feedback
from our students. And I know that as well of
my mentors. And if I want to connect with them,
one of the things I would love to do is just
voluntarily give them a testimonial or write
a case study that they could use. And typically,
mentors have systems to get people to submit
those feedback. So for them to get something
voluntarily, They would love to give you attention.
So it's understanding what the other party would
need and being able to serve that. And it's not
even a one -to -one exchange. The ask could be
a year down the road. We really never know because
we're not giving these with the intention of
having a date, but really just giving it as part
of our process. Looking at it more as farming,
as planting, rather than as hunting. That's always
the best way to go is to be a farmer, not a hunter.
But one thing I've recently began teaching my
clients or my students, or I run a networking
group, weekly networking group, and everybody's
a problem solver. What problem do you have that
I can solve? That's great, but that's only the
first half. of what you should be looking at.
You should be looking at where are they going,
right? So if you solve that problem, then what?
Then where are they going? And that's where you
want to meet them. You don't want to just solve
their problem and say, oh, they want to say,
thank you very much. But you want to see where
they're going and meet them there, and you'll
get a lot more out of it. Okay. Okay. So personalization.
Sounds simple, yet most people skip it. What
small personal touch makes the biggest difference
in building trust? That's wonderful. That's a
great question. I've been, Michael, I've been
looking at my purchases, right? Like my own behavior
and people around me. And I noticed a bit of
a pattern. It's like when people discover, say,
like an influencer or a guru or a mentor. they
tend to do some background research, right? And
I noticed this about myself as well. And the
first rabbit hole that I get into are videos.
It seems like there's some, with all the AI,
with information, everything is gettable. But
when we see people, we hear them, just like with
you and your podcast, people hear your cadence,
what you stand for, how you deliver things. Those
matter. Like the same content delivered. by two
different people, it will attract different types
of folks as well. For me, knowing that, I try
to include videos. For example, when somebody
joins my, becomes a client of mine. Before, when
the internet wasn't as fast as it was now, I
would give them a phone call just to welcome
them personally. Now I would use tools like Bonjoro
or even just use a Zoom call. I would film a
Zoom clip, just send them a link to it just to
welcome them. personally. So I think those small
touches matter. From where I am, Christmas is
super big. So I would also invest in small gifts
for them just to let them know that, hey, I cherish
what you do. And I think that's also the advantage
now with the time of AI where things are commoditized.
Those relationships are things that we can double
down. And those are experiences. I think right
now with AI getting bigger, and networking there's
also an increased value in terms of relationships
and experience and those are the fundamentals
of life really and i think i like to double down
on things that don't change right with the world
that ever changing and i'm happy to say that
i've had my side even before pandemic that has
stuck with me through different different waves
of changes right and Funny enough, a couple of
days ago, I just had coffee with some of my longest
-term clients. And those are the things that
they mentioned. The big reliability, the honesty,
and it's funny enough, it's not being noisy,
but being remembered still. So that's the type
of business that they want, and that's the type
of business that I run. That's incredible. I
use the pandemic. You brought up the pandemic.
I use the pandemic as a line in the sand. Before
the pandemic, networkers, it used to be transactional.
And they used to say, okay, you have a widget.
I have $3. I'll give you that. You give me that.
Everything is fine. It's done. But ever since
the pandemic, networking has really been relational.
And it's more geared towards relationships. So
I would go to a networking event, networking
meeting or something. I was in a mortgage business,
and I used to do networking and come back with
a shoebox filled with business cards and say,
look how good I did. When in reality, I didn't
do well at all. But now I say, okay, when you
go, get 15 cards, max. right because there's
a whole series that you have to when you go up
you talk to them know them like them trust them
they'll do if they know you like you trust you
they'll do business with you so you have to go
through all that and everything but if you have
only 15 cards it means that you spoke with them
that you actually had a discussion with them
and i have a whole system for follow -up and
everything and what you write on the back of
their business card but it's a whole thing but
it's so relationship oriented that now that you
almost have to be that way for you to get ahead.
And one of the things that we value, so I call
my community effortless earners because we want
to, our main philosophy is the business should
support life rather than the other way around.
And one of the things that I like to focus on
are not really volume of transactions, but LTV,
lifetime value. But LTV can have a negative connotation
where it's like squeezing every penny out of
a person, right? But for me, I like LTV because
it challenges me to be better because people
only stay with you, repurchase and renew if they
got value from what they bought from you before.
So it challenged me to over -deliver. on their
first purchase, on their first experience with
me. And I feel that's more challenging than booking
somebody on a $7 low ticket offer on Facebook.
It's one thing to do that. It's another to make
them stay. And that forces me to level up, to
improve my quality, really look at them as people,
right? Because it's easy to look at transactions
as numbers, humans as numbers. But if your KPI
is making them stay. You look at them, okay,
what are they going through and how can I help
them out? Maybe it's in terms of deals, in terms
of terms, in terms of long -term discounts. It
makes me care more for people I'm with. And by
extension, that not just broadens my network,
but it deepens it as well. You have to realize
that even though we're on Zoom and you're in
the Philippines and I'm here, you know, you're
still a person behind the camera. So if I treat
you like a person, like I'm talking to you right
next to me, and I create that relationship, you'll
remember that relationship a whole lot more.
Okay, so you talk about being a poster boy. What
does that really mean in the context of reputation
and visibility? Being a poster boy in particular,
I'll circle back to what I said earlier about
being the best student for the mentor. So I have
this one student. His name is Jonathan. And he
would always do all his tasks well. And I would
interview him as a testimonial. Then we had this
small circle, right? And when I spoke with other
courses he enrolled in, I know the mentors, right?
He would always be the star student in all those
programs as well. And he would always be the
case study. That's why everyone notices him too,
because they know that this guy, this person
is serious. It's not just he buys a lot of stuff
from them, but he implements them. He makes them
look good. And I was thinking, hey, of course,
I'm a student of somebody else too. If I can
make them, I can be of service to them, maybe
as a case study, right? I'll be able to get into
their radar. Maybe build a relationship with
them. And who knows, we can help each other out.
That actually happened as well when I was on
a group coaching call and my mentor was looking
at using AI to create content. So this was last
year. And I shared him, hey, I did a workshop.
I gave you a copy. Were you able to see it? Then
he said, okay, I messed up. I got your message,
didn't see it. Would you mind sharing it now?
So I shared it in front of the group call. like
with other business owners. And ultimately, I
got invited to do a formal training in his community
and got me exposure. So it's really just being,
it's an extension of being of service, but in
a very particular avenue. So whenever we enroll,
I'll drop in the bucket, for example, of a course.
But if somebody volunteers a case study, gives
you a good review, that automatically shoots
you up in their radar. And that's where it's
easier when you reach out, it's easier to get
a response. It's so true and funny. You said
you wrote an article about it. I write an article
three times a week for two different publications.
And it's all about networking, all about AI introduced
into networking. And by doing so, somebody in
Las Vegas noticed me. And I'm working with them.
So it really, it just depends on how you do it.
Do it, you know, you don't have to go over and
above yourself. You don't have to speak loudly.
Just do your work. Do it calmly. And you'll be
noticed. If you do your work well enough, then
people will take notice. That's right. Okay.
If someone or for someone who dislikes big events
or crowded rooms, what's a smarter way to build
real professional relationships? And this, I'm
sure, is more towards introverts rather than
extroverts. You know what? That's a great question.
As we speak now, I'll actually be doing my first
test of Brazilian jiu -jitsu tomorrow night.
And one of my big decisions there was, okay,
it's one thing to attend a seminar, but with
jujitsu, I'm really going to grapple with a stranger.
And that was a consideration for me because,
ooh, that's too much for me. But it's funny because
for me with introverts, for me, I could only
share from my experience that one of the things
that I do is I look out for summits. So virtual
summits where, yes, it's an event, but... It's
virtual. It's still private, still a one -on
-one call. People will get contact there. But
the magic is, of course, we could build lists
there. People can watch our session during a
virtual summit and sign up to our list. But to
take it a step further, one thing I don't think
a lot of people do is, hey, you can reach out
to fellow summit speakers, right? Because it
doesn't end there. You already have something
in common. You can reach out to them. You can
ask the host to introduce you guys. So that's
one way to instantly network because in some
ways there's a kinship already because you both
spoke at the summit. You're also vetted by the
host. And for an introvert, that's easier in
the sense that I don't have to prove myself because
we're on an event playing field. The host already
vetted us. So it gives you an in. Secondly, One
thing that you can do as well, if you also have
extra funds for advertising, if somebody you
spoke at the summit, that summit typically has
a lot of fresh new leads. You can reach out to
the host and maybe ask them if, hey, can I buy
a solo ad? Can I pay you and you promote my newsletter
or my lead magnet or whatever? And that's also
another way. Of course, there's transaction blog.
You can swap. Solo ads, that would be fine as
well. But that's another way to get eyes to what
you do through an endorsement, which is an indirect
form of networking. It's not the traditional,
we're all here all at the same time. But you
have to understand that, hey, people are just
arriving in this person's list. They're fresh.
They're excited. This might be a good time to
put my name in front of them. And typically,
summits... would accept sponsorship because during
summits, they are actually selling sponsorship
packages. So if you offer, hey, can I pay you
X amount for you to promote my email list, then
that's an introvert's paradise. A way to network
with an in and a way to network without having
to talk to a lot of people through an endorsement.
Absolutely. As a matter of fact, I put on business
shows, business expos, and I'm having one in
March. And what you're talking about with the
sponsorships, I'm getting all these requests
of exactly what you're talking about. And mine
is an in -person expo. That's really not part
of it. But I see exactly what you're talking
about because I'm getting all the questions about
it now. And I'm like, okay, it doesn't pertain
to my expo, but I'm going to keep all this in
the back of my head because it may come out later
on. Okay. Where do solopreneurs waste the most
energy in networking and what should they focus
on instead? That's a wonderful question. I would
say looking at our, I was just checking our activities
and the leads that they generated. The best return
for our time, I would say, are doing guest presentations
for paid communities. You can get Maybe not the
volume, but the quality that you get are much
higher. They stay in your list longer and they
tend to buy more. So if you get that opportunity,
right? And that you don't necessarily get to
pay to play. Those are things that you build
through network. Because when I got those opportunities,
it's through knowing the mentor for a long time.
That's why I got invited to speak. So if you...
It's funny, we can tie all these together. So
if you're part of a course, then you use the
poster boy approach to get noticed, right? And
they will be, you will be in their radar once
they do like guest speakers, you'll be part of
that lineup, right? That's one opportunity that
I don't think a lot of people are taking advantage
of. Looking at just merely the networking events,
it's great to attend those. I think follow -ups.
It's an important next thing, you know, because
it's not just enough that you meet them, right?
Because there's that attrition, right? Among
all these people I met, maybe, what, 10, 5, 10
% would actually follow up. That's instant attention
for you, right? That's a high number. It's a
high number. Yeah, it's a high number. Because
most people thought... Most networking events,
the people who follow up on those events is about
2%. 2 % of the people do it properly. Yes. So
when you said 10 or 15, I'm like, no, that's
way high. Gotcha. Gotcha. So that even presents
an even bigger opportunity. That's wonderful.
And I think, yeah, it's not really the volume
as well. It's really the follow -up right after.
And that's where it will lead to opportunities.
And one more thing, it's really looking at the
timeline as well. If you're rushing things, like
people can feel that. If you're in here, if you
really look at the other person as a valuable
person rather than just a transaction, it's hard
to put into words, but what you say, the way
you say, the cadence when you say it, it's different,
right? It's just changing the horizon of the
relationship. It's not what you have to sell
or do or something else, but it's how you act,
how you dress, how you speak, how you, it's all
your body language. Everything is part of the
situation. You can have two people selling the
same thing. One person is relaxed and calm and
talking to you. And another person is a little.
nervous, but he's talking at you. And he's going
to say the next thing that he's trying to think
of instead of listening to you and responding
to what you're saying. Yeah. So it's very different,
but it's the same. Okay. What does meaningful
follow -up look like when you want to stand out
without sounding pushy or rehearsed? So it can
be in a few ways. So in terms of, for example,
sales, For me, I don't like, well, at least the
way we do it is I don't instruct my community
to use words like to circle back or following
up on this. So this in context of a sale, I would
rather have, hey, here's a deadline. And of course,
this stems from the belief that your service,
your offer will genuinely help the other person.
So I would like. Since there's a deadline, when
I follow up, it's really more of, I'm looking
out for you. Hey, this is going to end soon.
I don't want you to miss it. It ends in two days.
Shall we move forward? Do you have any questions?
That way, one, it comes from a position of power
as well. Because when you say, I'm circling back,
I'm following up. It's like you need something
from them and it can distort the balance of value.
For me, I don't want to feel that like I'm chasing
them because also that for me, it also turns
off the buyer. So I would love to come from strength
and confidence because they will feel that energy,
that we have confidence in our offer and thereby
they will have confidence that we can deliver
that. That's one meaningful way to follow up
in terms of a sales conversation. Now, in terms
of networking, for me, the way I do it, it's
not super systematic, but I would like to check
in at random times from them. I'm a big fan of
Zoom coffee chats, the same way I do in real
life. One of my criteria for having clients is
I would only like to work with clients that I
would love to hang out, have a coffee with. That
extends to online as well. So I'd like to hang
out with folks like I could have a Zoom conversation
with. So those are ways that I tend to help out.
I tend to have meaningful follow -ups and just
keeping them in mind. So there are some Facebook
groups where, hey, I need this person, a host
or a trainer, then I would just tag them there.
Once I tag them, I'll take a screenshot. I'll
send it to the person I tagged. And hey, I'm
not sure if you're part of this group, but I
tagged you here. Yada, yada, yada. So those are
things that I wouldn't even say they are follow
-ups, but it's really keeping them in mind and
being of service as well. And this is when I
would do this even if I was part of a business
networking group before. Even when I left that
group, I kept them in mind. I knew what their
business was. I still did that. That shows them
that it's not transactional and they could feel
that they're not transactional with me as well.
So that's how I put meaning into follow -ups
that puts you in a position of strength, not
weakness when you're following up. That's great.
And for you to remain in that position of strength.
instead of weakness, instead of looking for,
oh, please, I'm looking for your money. You're
in a position of power. So I understand that
completely. Okay. How does consistency beat charisma
when it comes to building a strong professional
circle? That's a wonderful question. I think
with, I remember this one friend, he mentioned
to me that, so this friend is a little more well
-off, right? And there's this one friend who,
his neighbor, who borrowed money from him. Him
knowing that this friend won't ever be able to
repay him, he still lent the money. He actually
gave the money to him. And his reasoning was,
yes, this guy may not ever pay me back, but he's
always there, whether in my ups or in my downs.
He's not just there because I'm doing well now.
He's always been there. So to your point about
consistency and charisma, it's really about,
that's why we are, I'm sure it's for yourself
as well, Michael, like we all keep our inner
circle to people that we truly trust in our lives,
because especially before we achieve anything
in life, they were there, right? And it's also
hard to find professional relationships, right,
as adults. So I think that consistency over the
years, and I would... Imagine when we attend
networking events and see the same people from
five years ago. There's that kinship that we
feel for them. That, hey, it's been a long while.
Although we're not family, we don't see each
other every day. How have you been? There's something
about seeing each other for years through time
that builds that bond. And of course, consistency
doesn't just mean showing up because if you can't
show up and you're annoying every year, they'd
rather not see you there. They hope you're not
consistent, but it's about being consistently
who you are and not changing whether you're big
time now or you're struggling. And I think that's
true, not just in business, but in life as well.
Being able to, it's seeing beyond. business but
seeing the person as who he is right and there's
an appreciation especially with business that
some people some business fold right and consistency
also shows discipline right it also shows hey
this person can survive this person went through
some difficulties and still here so there are
some messages that consistency communicate without
being loud about it it's not just they're always
here but being here also means every year there's
reasons not to be here so it shows character
and strength it does and being consistent is
so important and again i'm dealing with i'm coming
from a networking world and consistency if you're
consistent and people can rely on you being consistent
saying oh i i know alan's always going to be
there and i can always trust that I can always
ask Alan anything or ask him for a favor or something.
He'll always be there. But if you came up and
you were high there and you just have the charisma
of having the short term relationship, I would
take the consistency over that anytime. Anytime.
Yeah. What's one behavior that quietly builds
influence over time? even when no one is watching
that's great it ties back to what we said about
consistency i think it's about it ties back with
consistency in a way where if you don't see the
numbers but you're sticking to something it shows
that you have conviction to a cause right so
for example if you're putting out videos and
maybe you're not hitting the numbers that you're
getting, but you committed to do 100 videos first
before I stop doing something, right? And people
can see that. And one of those 100 videos would
hit, for example, and you look like an overnight
success. So what the sign and trait there is
just being added consistently because you have
a bigger vision. for what you do so for us it's
for example helping folks like build that business
around their lives so that's why if you notice
like behind of course for the audio listeners
behind me is a calendar for the whole year and
i already highlighted there like birthdays special
occasions right because i wanted to fill that
in first and my business will fit around that
right and i think Those are small convictions
that when applied to business, there's a reason,
for example, where I go quiet in my business
is because I value personal time. And I communicate
that through my audience. And it's not just another
piece of content. It's anchored in conviction.
So I think for a lot of folks, one of the things
that we do, I help clients out with is like world
building, like building. what are your convictions,
what do you believe in the world, then that's
also how you run your business, how you communicate
that. And that's something that when we see business
online, copy and paste tactics and strategies.
But we don't know how they anchor their truth,
their virtues, their values, because that shapes
how they run their business. If we just copy
them, you're not... You're just a version of
them. But if you study what really do I want,
how do I want to show up for my clients? For
example, we're speaking here, it's almost midnight
on my end. But for me, it's important that I
show up for this because one, I believe my message
should not be just contained in my locality.
Second, I also want to show for my community
that, hey, our... we are also citizens of the
world, right? That it is something that our message
can also be seen, not just locally, but worldwide.
And those are very important for me to show my
audience, even if, say, they don't necessarily
bring in the numbers, for example, just the fact
that I'm doing it is important for me, then numbers
would come afterwards. But somebody looking at
it outside may just look at it as a strategy.
And I feel that communicating that conviction,
the reason you're doing stuff, and if it's anchored
in a bigger truth, I think that would help with
how people perceive you, how you are seen as
a personal brand, and would add depth to your
decisions, whether you go with a trend or not.
People respect people with their original thought,
not just following a trend. I feel that's the
quiet thing that not a lot of people notice when
it comes to strategies where everyone copies
everyone else. So anchoring your business, your
strategy in your own decisions is very important.
Absolutely. Absolutely it is. Okay, so let's
bring this podcast full circle. And if a solopreneur
wants stronger partnerships this year, what single
habit? Should they start today? Wonderful. For
me, it's important to understand, especially
as solopreneurs, I'm thinking, of course, there's
limited time. There's limited energy, just like
anyone. But more so when you don't have somebody
to pass this to. I believe understanding, being
really clear on who you want to serve. It's really
important because once you understand who you
want to serve. then next is you'll know what
communities, what brands have these folks. So
I grew up in a traditional business where we
sell wholesale products, not retail. So the wholesale
thinking has been ingrained in me. So if, for
example, there are married women in their 40s,
then they follow, say, a certain brand. A brand
like Women's Journal, for example. Okay, so maybe
I can reach out to these folks, be of value to
them, or maybe pay for an ad to reach them, right?
That would be, I'll get them wholesale, right?
So that's one way I would look at it, right?
So find like 100 communities like this. If you
nail down 5%, get a partnership with five of
them, then five times if they have 500 people
in their community, right? So that's a lot of
people right away. And you don't have to go retail
necessarily. You don't have to go advertising
right away. So those are opportunities that I
would look at. And look, basically look wholesale.
And once you do that, keep doing it. Consistency.
And if you can, use AI, use GPT to even make
it faster. So that way you get more. get revenue
if you want to invest in advertising other platforms
whenever you generate money more opportunities
lined up for you so yeah try to look at it wholesale
and you'll be surprised with the results that
you get even at the low conversion rate That's
great. Alan, this was a wonderful podcast. I'm
so thankful that you took the time to come on.
If somebody wanted to get hold of you to either
hire you or pick your brain or anything, what's
the best way for them to get hold of you? Thank
you very much. I am also on LinkedIn, so you
can find me at Alan Ngoc. I also have a daily
newsletter where I share these insights that
we talked about. So it's digital solopreneur
.com slash Foreman. So easy to remember it. So
yeah, I send daily insights about this kind of
business and I respond to all the replies. So
if you get an email from me there, you want to
reach out to me, just reply to my newsletter
and I'll definitely see your message. It's great.
Thank you. That's what a smart connection sounds
like. Not louder, not busier, just better. When
you lead with service, people remember you. When
you add personal care, people trust you. When
your reputation speaks for you, doors open before
you knock. Take one idea from today and use it
in your next message, meeting, or follow -up.
Watch how different responses feel when you focus
shifts from being seen to being valuable. If
this episode helped you rethink how networking
really works, pass it along to another solopreneur
who's building something special. And make sure
you follow Networking Unleashed, building profitable
connections, so you never miss a conversation
that helps you grow real relationships. I'm Michael
Foreman. And remember, you don't need to be the
loudest voice in the room. to be the most remembered
one. Hit subscribe, hit follow, hit everything
you can. Follow me, follow Alan. Alan, I can't
thank you enough. Thank you for coming on to
my podcast. Thank you, Michael. It's been a pleasure.
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