My co-host for the Remote Local Podcast, Johnny Robinson, recently told me he spent $50,000 on joining a peer group that was focused on e-learning businesses.
Fifty grand.
After I picked up my jaw and he explained some of the other advantages he'd gained in similar groups, I wasn't as surprised. In so many things in life, you get what you pay for.
But before we get to those ways to meet the right people that cost money, let's talk about some ways to meet people that mostly cost time.
Free Ways to Meet People
Johnny and I met on Twitter and I often talk about what a great place it is to learn and make friends. Cost: $0. Time cost: up to you.
Follow people who inspire you and when they retweet or share things, comment or follow the people who make intelligent (or funny) contributions to the discussion.
If you feel like you can actually learn something specific, don't be afraid to reach out. I always keep my DMs open.
That said, there's nothing worse than someone saying, "I'd just love a couple minutes of your time" who then doesn't follow up when given the opportunity.
So often when people ask me I respond by asking for a Loom or a voice message, partly because I work async much better than trying to find a meeting time that works for both of us, but partly as a basic test of seriousness.
A lot of times I get crickets from those people who asked for a couple minutes of my time who couldn't spend a couple minutes of their own time to ask what they wanted to ask.
FB Groups or Message Group Chats
A more focused and specific version of the wide-open spaces of Twitter is a Facebook group, and their smaller cousins, group chats on your messaging app of choice, be it WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, or whatever people are on these days.
Here people are going to be sharing news stories, links, questions, but tend to more active as advice can often get very personalized.
Not yet finding a group that suits your needs? Ask around on Twitter and Reddit. You'll find one. But just as I noted with Twitter, if you ask someone for a favor, don't drop the ball. Follow up!
Paid Ways to Meet People
EO and EO Accelerator
Johnny and his business partner Sergio qualified for EO Accelerator for their last business, Orange Window Cleaning.
Qualifications and admission requirements for the program are:
- Being the owner or founder of an operating business with gross yearly revenues between $250k-$1M
- Completing an application that verifies sales criteria
- Meeting with a local EO liaison
The Entrepreneurs' Organization, EO, sees this program as a feeder into their main program, which requires $1M of annual revenues to qualify.
This program only costs $1750 per participant and gave Johnny access to all sorts of resources and high level people, including someone who had recently completed a nine-figure exit.
EO, like local Chambers of Commerce, is optimized for in-person events, which answers the "local" part of a remote local business.
Dynamite Circle
You've heard me beat the drum for the DC before, a peer group focused on remote entrepreneurs that has events all around the world to complement a very busy digital forum where people share ideas and insights.
EO, Chambers of Commerce, the DC...all these groups cost money, but they will give you what you put in, and more. Take the time to offer mentorship or ask questions (or give answers) and you'll find opportunity and insight all around you.
A New Normal of Thinking
I shy away from "average of five people" quote only because I feel it's become so overused. And besides, how many people you know can rattle off the five most influential people in their lives when you ask them?
Exactly.
So, my point is whether it's five people or 25 people, you want people pushing you who are out of the mainstream.
Who are not obsessed with the latest TV show or TikTok challenge or who won the game last night.
These are people who are happy to talk about A/B testing for email campaigns.
Or will critique your Customer Acquisition Cost (and suggest ways to bring it down).
Or who've been living some place you've dreamed about living and can give you the scoop.
These people are obsessed with living the kind of life they want, not the life on offer to almost everyone else, which makes them able to see and think differently.
We don't need more normal, average thinking.
You need more abnormal, extraordinary thinking.
That's only possible around abnormal, extraordinary people.
You increase your chance to meet such people by finding curated paid and unpaid venues and platforms like what I've mentioned above.
Then it's up to you to take those opportunities and run with them.
Photo by LinkedIn Sales Solutions on Unsplash
This article was written by Neel from MaidThis Franchise, a remote-local franchise opportunity for people looking to escape the rate race and reach financial freedom. Learn more here.
