The Power of Your Network: Building Relationships That Build Your Business

Ralph00:00:00

You're pouring your heart into your business, aren't you? Your craft, that's impeccable, Your service, well, that's just top notch. And your clients love you.But sometimes it feels like you're on an island, isolated, disconnected. You see others getting opportunities. You see others with referrals just flowing in, powerful partnerships forming.And you find yourself wondering, how do they do it? Am I missing some secret handshake? Do I have to go to those awkward networking events, shake a hundred hands and pretend to be someone I'm not?Just to get ahead in this. That feeling of isolation, that struggle to find new clients or open new doors, it's a heavy weight, isn't it?Can cap your growth and make you feel like you're constantly starting from scratch, alone in this wilderness. But what if building your network wasn't about being fake or transactional? What if it was about authentic connection?I'm talking about genuine relationships and leading with generosity. What if it was your most powerful yet overlooked asset for building a thriving business and truly fulfilling your life?Well, today we're going to unlock the true power of your network. We're going to talk about how to build relationships that genuinely build your business without that headache, without ever feeling salesy.Almost used the word sleazy there because, hey, as I mentioned a couple episodes ago, sometimes that salesy approach feels like that. Well, stay with me today because this is all about real connection and really building relationships.

Podcast Announcer00:01:35

Running a business isn't easy. It's long hours, tough calls and relentless pressure. No shortcuts, no handouts. Just grit, grind and the will to keep going when most would quit.Welcome to Grit and Growth Business, the show for entrepreneurs who know success is built the hard way. Hosted by Ralph Estep Jr. A seasoned business coach, accountant and fellow fighter in the trenches.Each episode brings you real talk, proven strategies, and the unfiltered truth about what it really takes to build something that lasts. Because if you've got persistence, perseverance, and determination, this is the place for you. This is grit and growth business.

Ralph00:02:22

Hey there and welcome back to Grit and Growth Business. I'm Ralph Estep Jr. And if you missed last week, we got deeply personal. I shared my own journey with you.I talked about the mistakes, I talked about the lessons. And I share with you my three core pillars that transform my business from a constant source of stress to sustainable growth.And if you missed episode 11, I'd encourage you to go back and check it out and listen. You can see that@gritandgrowthbusiness.com. hey, you'll find all 11 of our episodes there. And guess what?You can also access our action sheets by following that link as well.Well, this week we're going to build on those 11 foundations, and we're moving into a topic that is often misunderstood for a lot of people, myself included, sometimes dreaded. But in the end, it's absolutely essential for every small business owner, especially those who value authenticity above all else.And today, what I'm talking about is the power of the network. Yes, building relationships that build your business. I know that word networking for many of us conjures up some negative opinions, doesn't it?You start to feel like these images of stale coffee, that awkward small talk, collecting a million business cards you'll never even look at again, and constantly trying to pitch your service to strangers who are just trying to pitch theirs back to you. Feels like a game of ping pong sometimes, doesn't it? To me, it always felt transactional, fake, even. Really fake, to be honest.And if you're like me, someone who values authenticity and I value genuine connection, that whole scene can make you feel like you want to just run for the hills. And I remember early in my career I felt that deeply, that networking nonsense. I was really good at accounting work. I loved helping my clients.But the idea of networking felt like this necessary evil. It was something I had to force myself to do.Yes, I'd go to the events and it felt incredibly uncomfortable to me and I left feeling drained and like I hadn't have really accomplished anything. But I just wasted three or four hours or sometimes even a half a day.But I really believe deep down that if I just kept my head down, I continue to do excellent work and just waited for those referrals to come in. My business would grow. And for a while it did. But it was like curtain on a spick and just barely dripping. But I also felt incredibly isolated.If you want me to be honest with you, I missed opportunities. I struggled to find good advice when I faced a tough decision.Hey, if you're a small business owner like me, you know, some days it feels like there's a tough decision one after another. And I look back at it now. I was constantly chasing new leads through those cold calls. Yeah, those were brutal.Or some generic marketing, which was exhausting and it was expensive.And that pain of isolation, of feeling like I was doing it all alone, or of seeing others seemingly ever least connect and thrive while I struggled, that pain was immense. It was deep. And looking back at it now, I realize it limited my growth and frankly, it was a lonely place to be.Many times I felt like I was pushing this huge boulder uphill all by myself. But then all of a sudden, something shifted. I remember talking to a mentor, somebody, this was somebody I really respect.And he pulled me aside one time and he said, ralph, he said, listen, dude, you're doing it all wrong. Networking isn't about what you can get. What he said next, it absolutely changed my whole perspective on business. He said, it's about what you give.I thought about that for a moment. I said, wait a second. It's not about what you get, it's about what you give. And I thought, this is a revolutionary idea.It was simple, but it was revolutionary. And I came to realize that true network, I'm talking about true effective networking, wasn't about work in the room.Many of us think it's about work in the room. How many people can I see? How many hands can I shake? How many business cards can I give out? How many people can I tell about my business?When I changed that paradigm, I had that mindset shift. I realized it was all about building genuine relationships. Those are built one person at a time. I also realized it was about giving value first.And I had to give that value without immediate expectation of something in return. Hey, that's a cultural difference that most people think about when they talk about marketing. I realized it was about being a resource.There was a lot for me to think about then. This mentor kind of rocked my world, to be honest with you. But slowly, as I shifted that mindset, everything started to change.That isolation I talked about before began to fade. Opportunities started to appear from unexpected places. So right now I want to talk about what I call the cost of neglecting your network.Some common anxieties and pain points that come from doing those same things that I was doing. Neglecting your network, or really misunderstanding what true networking really is.I think so many times, especially small business people, they think of networking and they just think about it all wrong. And then I want to talk about what these fears cost you in real terms in that daily grind and in your long term dreams. Well, let's talk about it.These are the things that I really feel we need to talk about today. The value or the things that you lose by not networking.The number one thing, and I mentioned this a couple times already, isolation and limited opportunities. As I mentioned earlier, you might feel like you're on an island. You're doing everything yourself. You kind of feel like Tom Hanks in Castaway.You're watching opportunities. You See those Facebook photos of your friends or maybe your colleagues out there playing golf and doing all kinds of networking things.You're missing those referrals. You're missing those valuable insights. It feels like they're just passing you by.The pain here is a constant, exhausting struggle to find new clients. I suffered that myself. Maybe you're listening right now and you're like, ralph, that's. That's where I'm at right now.Or maybe it's a feeling of being stuck in a rut and that sheer exhaustion of always having to generate leads from scratch. Talked about that many times on this show. You're working harder, but you're not working smarter.And as I was preparing for today's show, I thought of a client of mine named Sarah. Now, she's a fantastic web designer, and she was. Her work was top notch. I'm talking about beautiful work.But she was one of these people that rarely left her office. Honestly, for the first couple years, I don't think I ever met her face to face. It was always a zoom meeting or a telephone call.And Sarah was one of those folks that relied solely on online ads. She was doing the social media thing. She was pushing that like gangbusters.And as time went on to get more and more referrals, they were getting more and more expensive, and they were getting less effective as the days went on. And Sarah, when she looked back at it, she was missing out on those warm introductions that could have filled her pipeline effortlessly.She wouldn't had to put in all those hours in social media. But when she really examined it, she wasn't making those connections because she wasn't building those bridges.So that's the first thing you got to watch out for. And that's isolation and limited opportunities. Let's look at the second one. And that's reliance on expensive and exhausting cold outreach.I've talked about this a few minutes ago. See when your network isn't strong. When I first started my accounting practice, my network wasn't strong at all. I said, you know, I'm gonna.I'm gonna hunker down. I'm gonna do the work. I'm really good at what I do. I've got some cl. Love me.But when your network isn't strong, you're forced to constantly chase new leads through those cold calls. Me, Reach out and talk to somebody. It was. There was no network.There was nobody I could reach out to and say, hey, why don't you tell people about my business? Maybe you're right.There now maybe you're sending those generic emails, email forms, just keep on pumping out emails, but you're not getting anything back from it.Or maybe like a lot of people, you're just spending a lot of money on expensive untargeted advertising, basically just like throwing money at the wall and hoping and some of it would stick. And that's a painful place to be. And I know for me it was draining and it often yield incredibly low results.And I felt incredibly impersonal to me, even desperate, like I was just sending out these emails. I was hoping that somebody would call me.A constant state of feeling like I was on a hamster wheel of lead generation instead of building those steady, predictable flow of warm, qualified prospects who already trust me because of that referral, somebody that you know. I learned this in business a long time ago. This mentor shared with me the best way. And I'm going to drop a secret bomb right here.The best way to build your business is not advertising. It's all about referrals. So that's this big one. That's reliance on expensive and exhausting cold outreach.Well, here's another problem if you don't really invest in your network and that's lack of mentorship, support and learning. And I, I learned this the hard way too, because you have to ask yourself this really difficult question and that's this.Who do you bounce ideas off when you're facing a tough decision? Hey, if you're on an island all by yourself, I mean, I. Back to that movie Castaway. If you haven't seen, I encourage you to check it out.I just rewatched it the other day and realized it had been out for so many years. But here's Tom Hanks on this island all by himself and his only connection. I want to give it away too much, but what was a volleyball named Wilson?But maybe you feel the same way in your business. You know, who do you bounce ideas off of when you're facing a tough decision?If it's just you on that island alone, who can give you honest feedback on a new idea or this new product line or this new service you're thinking about launching, who can help you navigate a difficult client situation or share hard won lessons from their own journey? See, the pain here is feeling utterly alone in your struggles. And for me, it was making avoidable mistakes that cost me money and it cost me time.And I missed out on crucial learning opportunities that could have really, when I look back at it now, they could have really accelerated my growth for years. If you're listening right now and you're feeling the same way. Your growth becomes limited to your own singular experience.And that's a lonely path to be on. Let's look at the next thing and this one. If I had to list these in order, I probably would have relisted these.I probably would have put this one first. But that stagnant reputation and limited reach, I felt myself right in this very situation.Your business might be fantastic, your product could be revolutionary, but your network is small and your reputation isn't spreading beyond your immediate circle of clients. And that's a problem because you're not known as the go to expert in your field. And the pain of this is your potential impact is capped.It's just captors. There's no one to share the revolutions that you're doing, the fantastic business that you have.And unfortunately you're not reaching the people who truly need you. And you're also missing out on powerful new opportunities to pass you by because.But no one knows you exist or even trust you enough through a connection. See, it's all about connections. It's all about finding those people who can connect with you for that referral network.But you got to have the network in place to do it. Let's look at another problem and that's missed collaboration and strategic partnerships.If you're not investing in your network, you might be missing out on powerful collaborations with complementary businesses. People who serve the exact same ideal client but maybe offer different, non competing services.The pain here is you're leaving immense money on the table. You're missing opportunities to expand your offering and you're not leveraging the power of synergy.There is so much power when you bring synergy together. Think about this one. Imagine a wedding planner who never took the time to connect with photographers or florists or caterers.The synergy of that, those direct connections, those wedding planners, they're limiting their own potential and they're also limiting their clients experiences dramatically. I know there's a lot to digest there, but if any of these resonate with you, I want to tell you right now, you're not alone.These are universal challenges for growing businesses. But there is good news on the horizon here.As I found out when I really started to change my paradigm, these are challenges that can be transformed into powerful strengths with a gritty strategic approach to networking. Are you ready for that? Well, let's get into the power of authentic networking and the actionable steps to get you there.I. I think I've sold you on the point. That networking is so very important, but it's got to be done the right way.It's not one of those things that go hand out a bunch of business cards and talk about malarkey for that's a Joe Biden term, but talk about malarkey for hour upon hour. And I want to start off with this basic truth. The power of authentic networking isn't about becoming someone you're not.I want to say that again because it is so important that you understand that the power of authentic networking isn't about becoming someone that you're not. See, a lot of people think you've got to change yourself. I got to be somebody I'm not. I'm an introvert and I've got to be an extrovert.It's not about that.It's about embracing your true self, actually leading with generosity and working to build genuine relationships that naturally lead to mutual benefit. See, in the end, it's about being a resource. It's about being a connector. It's about being that trusted advisor. Just as we talked about with sales.When you view networking as service, that discomfort just melts away and it becomes an act of helping, not pushing. And it's an investment in your long term success and peace of mind. I don't know about you, but that sounds good, doesn't it?So now I want to give you some concrete, actionable steps that you can take this very week to start building a powerful and authentic network. Here's the first thing I want to recommend that you do. Number one thing, you've got to identify your network niche.Who do you really need to connect with? See, it's not you don't need to connect with everybody. It's one of the reasons I don't really like the local chamber of commerce.They push these here in my, in my local area. Well, you got to join this chamber of commerce. You know, we've got such and such number of members and we have these mixers.But are those really the people that I need to connect with? And listen, I tried that. The problem is all of us try this. We, we try to connect with everyone.But the first thing I'm going to tell you is don't try to connect with everyone. That's overwhelming and it's ineffective and you're going to feel used. At the end of the day, this is time to get specific.Start asking these questions. Who are your ideal clients? It's got to start there. Who are your ideal clients?And as you start to think about that, start thinking about who are your potential referral partners? I'm talking about businesses that serve your ideal client but don't compete with you.This is not the time to go find those people that are competing with you. It's a good way to get a punch in the nose or a bad reputation in the business community.But I'm talking about potential referral partners in businesses that serve your ideal client. Sort of like that wedding photographer we talked about with that wedding planner or that caterer or that florist.Kind of all go together, but they're not competing with each other. Ask yourself this, are there mentors or advisors you admire and that you want to learn from?See, a lot of people overlook that, but there's a networking opportunity there. I do that in the podcasting realm. I meet with people in.They don't really do podcasts like mine, but I meet with them because they're mentors and they're advisors, and I want to learn from them. I admire them. I admire what they do. Ask yourself for to find those same people in your businesses.You know, are there complimentary businesses for potential collaboration? And this is where we put the action together. You choose one type of person to focus on connecting with this week. I'll give you an example.Let's say you're a home organizer. You start thinking about, okay, who can I connect with? Well, the obvious connection is you might focus on Realtors or professional movers.Those are people who may be selling houses. They need somebody to. To work with that can help people organize it.You know, the worst things for a realtor, they walk into a house and the place is a disaster zone. So if you're a home organizer, that would be a great connection.Or maybe professional movers, somebody's moving into their new place or trying to organize their existing spot down. That'd be a great connection for you. And see, when I look back, my mistake early was trying to meet everybody. I. I tried to say, you know what?I'm going to go to every single social event I could find, every chamber of commerce. I joined the local ones, I joined the county ones. I joined the paid Once.I went to all those events, and let me just be honest with you, it was exhausting. Yes, I handled out a lot of business cards. I talked to a lot of people. In the end, I felt like all I did was give away myself.I gave away a lot of free intellectual property. People just wanted to pick my brain.I remember one particular time I had gone to this event and this guy said, you know, I'd really like to talk to you. I think we could partner up. We could do some business together. I remember he scheduled an appointment with me.He came in, sat down in front of me, opens up this book, and he just starts asking me tax question after tax question after tax question. And I looked across the desk and I said to him, what is your plan for today? Are we going to talk about how we can collaborate in business?He goes, no, I just figured I could come in here and you could solve all my tax problems. Well, that right there was exhausting.I finally said to him, listen, if you want me to to tell you how to do tax work, we're going to turn the clock on. We're going to make this a billable consultation. With that, he says, that's it. I'm done. Got up and stormed out of the office.And he wrote a nasty gram to the people at the Chamber, talking about how I was this mean guy that was going to charge other Chamber members for information. So, obviously, trying to meet everybody was exhausting, and it didn't work.But when I narrowed my focus, when I started thinking about in my own practice, who are those people that I want to connect with? For me, it was financial planners, it was attorneys. Those people served my ideal client.When I started to focus on those people, my networking became incredibly effective because our goals aligned. And, hey, in the end, it felt natural and it wasn't forced.So that's really the first thing you got to do is identify your network niche and ask yourself, who do you really need to connect with? Don't try to connect with everybody. Well, let's move on to the second thing, and that's this. Lead with generosity.Yeah, you might think, where is Ralph going with this one? Make it real simple. Give value first, and don't expect anything in return. This is what I'm going to call the golden rule of authentic networking.Give, give, give, then ask. Remember, three gives, and then you can ask for something.See, when you first connect with someone, your first thought should be, not, how can I sell them? Your first thought should be, how can I help them? What value can I offer right now?Without expecting anything in return, ask yourself, can you share a useful article you read that's relevant to their business? One of the most effective ways that I found to network is when I'm looking at news articles.I think about people in my network and say, oh, that would be a really good article to share with Tom or share with Joe. I want to give value first. I'm all about building that relationship.So Ask yourself, can you share a useful article that you read with something that's relevant to their business? Maybe you can make an introduction to someone that they should know. Hey, you know your friend Bob, maybe he's a painter.Well, maybe you've got this other friend who builds houses. Well, there's a great connection there. Make that introduction. Guess what you're doing. You're growing the network.Maybe offer a genuine compliment on their work you admire. Hey, that goes a million miles if you think about it.It's not about something for you to say, hey, you know, I notice you really do great painting work or you really do great website design.One of the other things I think you've really got to do, and I learned this deeply in the Dale Carnegie course and that is take a genuine interest in other people. One of the things you can do is listen to their challenges and offer relevant insight or a resource. Hey, offer help with nothing. Expect in return.Share some resources, make introductions for others, and even if there's no immediate obvious benefit for you, it's one of the things I learned from that mentor when he said to me, the things he said is, it's not about what you get, Ralph, it's what you give. So instead of asking for business, I started asking this.Let me just tell you right now, you should write this one down because this one will be impactful. And I just should tell you right now as I'm going through this, I will have a worksheet for today's show. It's what I call my action sheet.And you can get that by going to gritandgrowthbusiness.com action. Again, that's gritandgrowthbusiness.com action. But getting started, let me. This is one thing I usually write down.I started asking this question and this will score you hundreds of points with somebody. What's the biggest challenge you're facing right now in your business? It's not a yes or no question.This is a huge open ended question and it allows you to really connect with another business person. I'm gonna give it to you one more time because this one will change the dynamic of your networking and that's this.What's the biggest challenge you're facing right now in your business? Just sit back and listen. Don't interject, just listen. Active listen.And after you're done, listen, then if I could, I'd offer a resource or an introduction. I would say, you know what I got somebody can help you with that.Oh, I know just the person to connect you with or maybe I did that myself and it was all natural. Hey, now I'm selling my product, but I'm offering a solution. I'm offering a resource. What was I doing? I was building immense trust.I was building immediate trust. And once you build that, the business follows naturally. Hey, to be honest with you, a lot of times almost effortlessly.So that's really the second thing. Lead with generosity. Like I said, give, give, give. Then you ask, Connect with people. Build those relationships.Let's move on to my third thing that I think you need to do. You gotta be intentionally present. It's all about quality over quantity. Forget collecting a stack of business cards. You'll never look at it.Can so many people are focused on, oh, I went to the show and I got a hundred of business cards and guess where they end up in your pocket. And then they up in the trash. Or maybe you have a. I was looking the other day, I was cleaning out my, and I, I found this stack of business cards.Well, guess what? They were on my desk. They haven't been touched in years. But when you're with somebody, be intentionally present.When you're with someone, be fully present. Listen more than you talk. See, that's a lot of problems that small business people have. They just want to yap, yap, yap. Yep.Talk about this and talk about that. Listen to people, listen. Make it a goal to listen more than you talk. And as you're listening, use that question I mentioned a few minutes ago.Ask thoughtful, open ended questions. This is not the time like you're asking the yes and no questions like you're on the stand. Ask them what their struggles are.Ask them what's bothering them in their business. Ask them what their, what their triumphs have been. You know, ask them what they've been successful in doing. Show a genuine interest in their story.Show a genuine interest in their business. Show an interest in their challenges. You want to build that relationship with somebody.Take a genuine interest in what they're doing, their interest in their story. Understand how they got to where they got to. Because listen, when you take the time to do that, you will find some amazing things.One of my clients is a painter and when I started launching this podcast, he was one of the guys I sort of sent out the beta to. I said, hey, I would really like you to listen to these shows.Sent the first one to him and said, he said to me, Rafael was like, you're talking to me. Said, I remember when I first started my business, man, I felt like I was all alone on this Island.And he said, then, as time went on, I built these relationships. He said, but, man, I started with nothing. What was important for me to understand his story, it was important for me to understand his business.I wanted to understand his challenges.See, one meaningful coffee meeting where you can truly connect and learn about each other is infinitely more valuable than 10 shallow networking event chats. I really, honestly hate those things.So if you thought, hey, Ralph is talking about how great networking events are, that's not what I'm talking about when I say networking. I'm talking about one on one. But then the second piece to that is when you follow up and listen, I'm going to encourage you right now.Follow up with people that you meet one on one. Make it personal. Take some notes. Hey.Oh, you mentioned when we were talking that your wife was struggling with something or your kid plays soccer, how they ended a year ago, or something along those lines. Make notes of those things. Make them relevant to the conversation. Obviously, hey, I want to talk about what was the weather today.But follow up, build that trust, Build that relationship. So many people resorting to this. Well, it's nice to meet you. Nice to meet who, who cares about. Nice to meet you.I remember I used to rush through those conversations trying to hit a quota of how many people I could meet. Oh, you know, I went to this network event, I would come home and I tell my wife, I met 30 people today, and they're all interested in my business.Man, I was so deluded. I had no idea what I was doing. Yeah, I. I shook 30 hands and I told all kinds of people information.But when I got back to the office, nobody was calling me. It was just this generic, oh, nice to meet you. Yeah, I'm accountant. What do you do? Oh, that's fantastic. No depth to that.But when I changed my paradigm, now I aim for depth. I. I'd rather have one truly memorable conversation than a dozen forgettable ones.And if we're going to be honest with each other, those deep conversations are the ones that really lead to real relationships. They lead to real referrals, and they lead to real support. So that's the third thing.You've got to be intentionally present and really focus on quality over quantity, man. You can use that in a lot of places. Might be good for your relationships as well. Let's move on to the fourth thing, and that's this.And I kind of alluded to this a couple minutes ago. You've got to create a simple relationship nurturing habit.When I got to the office, this morning across the front of my office here on the farm, I've got some plants out there, some, some beautiful flowering plants. And I'm not one that's great with plants. But guess what? Relationships are just like plants.When I pulled up this morning in my Kubota rtv, that's what I drive around the farm and I pulled up and I see these plants, they're kind of withering. It's been hot here in Delaware. Well, relationships are the same way. They're just like plants. They need consistent watering.So many people lose sight of that when they're building those business relationships. Yeah, they meet you, oh, I see you once a year at the networking event, but you don't talk to them anytime.Other than that, ask yourself, how do you stay in touch thoughtfully. Now I'm not saying about being annoying or high pressure now, hey, I met you at the network event. Are you going to buy from me?Are you going to buy from me? Are you going to schedule an appointment? That's not what I'm talking about. But I am talking about staying in touch thoughtfully.Maybe set up a simple system, maybe a recurring reminder in your calendar. You can use a simple CRM software or maybe even a dedicated spreadsheet and just schedule periodic check ins as we talked about earlier.Maybe you find a relevant article you saw that, you made you think of them and you just maybe printed out, hey, here's an idea. Instead of always emailing stuff, print out the article and make a little handwritten note.Just something personalized or I mean you can email them or call them, just hey, I was thinking about you and I saw this article or I met this person. It would be a great connection for you.I know in my own practice I've got a simple spreadsheet where I track the key contacts and when I last reach out to them.One of the things that I'm starting to do now in my practice is every month we're reaching out to our monthly clients and we're just saying, hey, we just wanted to check in and see how things are going. Wanting to know if there's any challenges you're facing and we're being consistent about it. It doesn't take a lot of effort but what we're learning.And listen, I've been in practice myself for over 25 years now, 30 years in the field of accounting. But this low effort way is a way to keep relationships warm. And let me just tell you right now, we've only been doing it for a month or so now.It's already paid dividends in referrals. I've had a lot of people say, hey, Ralph, I was thinking about it. My secretary called one lady the other day and this was an amazing story.She says, you know, some of my clients could really benefit from working with Ralph. Would it be okay if I, if I send him some referrals? Yes. What can we do to support that? You're going to find the same thing.You're going to find yourself walking into unexpected opportunities. And hey, if you're lucky, you might find some valuable support when you need it the most. So that's what I call number four on my list.And that's create a simple relationship nurturing habit Friend the power of your network is immense. It's not just about getting business. It's about building a support system. It's about building a powerful referral engine.It's about a vibrant learning community and a source of true professional friendships. It's about leveraging connection to amplify your grit and growth. Hey, that's what this show is always about.You've got the grit to build, but now you got to apply that grit to building powerful, authentic relationships.And if this journey that I've been on resonated with you today, if you find yourself nodding along, maybe you're recognizing your own struggles in my past.If you're tired of doing alone, if you're tired of trying to figure out all these pieces by yourself, then I want to invite you to take a deeper step.Yeah, this podcast is designed to give you the strategies, but sometimes, if we're being honest with each other, yeah, you can deal with the strategies, but you really need is personalized guidance.You need to work with somebody who's been there, who understands your unique challenges and who can help you apply these gritty principles directly to your business too. You want to accelerate the results. You want to cut through the noise and avoid the pitfalls that honestly, I've stumbled through.Imagine if you having a trusted advisor in your corner. You know that you pick your you're in a heavyweight match and in between each round you go to a trusted advisor in your corner.Somebody to help you strategize your networking, to help you refine your message, and hey, maybe more important to hold you accountable to building those crucial relationships. I don't know if you know this or not, but that's what I offer through my coaching services.If you're ready for that kind of one on one support, if you're ready to stop guessing. So many people I meet, so many Small business people, they're just guessing.I just met with a client the other day, says Rob, I wish I had met you 10 years ago. He says, I've been just guessing and I've been making the mistakes all along the road.But if you're ready to stop guessing and start building with a clear, proven path, I want to invite you to explore my coaching services. Now, this isn't what a lot of people think about coaching. A lot of people think, well, Ralph's going to tell me what I need to do.It's not what it is all at all. It's about us working together. We're going to be working side by side. I'm going to help you unlock your next level of grit and growth.Now that is interesting to you. You can learn more and book a no pressure. Hey, this is a free discovery call. Let's see if coaching is the right fit for you by visiting this website.It's our main website. It's gritandgrowthbusiness.com coaching again. That's gritandgrowthbusiness.comcoaching.let's talk about how we can build your legacy and build it together. Hey, you don't have to do this alone. I've been doing this for 30 years. Let me come alongside you and help you take your business to the next level.Again, you don't have to do this alone. I encourage you. Go to gritandgrowthbusiness.com coaching and listen for everybody.To help you build your own networking efforts and to apply these core strategies, I've created a simple action plan sheet for this episode and it's called this. It's called the power of your network Building relationships that build your business. Hey, that's what we want to do.We want to build relationships and we want to build your business. Now this is a free downloadable sheet that will guide you through identifying your network niche.As we talked about today, talk about leading with generosity, being intentionally present and creating a relationship nurturing habit. This is a practical tool to help you integrate these lessons into your own unique path. And you can download it right now by going to our website.That's@gritandgrowthbusiness.com action. Again, that's gritandgrowthbusiness.com action. I want to encourage you download the action plan sheet and start building your powerful network today.And don't do it the way I did. Do it the right way. Listen, don't let the fear of awkward small talk keep you from the immense power of genuine connections. Your network.And a lot of people don't understand the value of this, but your network is in fact, your net worth. It's not just in dollars, so much bigger than that. It's in support. It's an opportunity. It's in shared journeys. You've got this.I have confidence in you and I'm right here walking alongside you every step of the way. So thank you for joining me on Grit and Growth Business.My mission here every week is to empower small business owners just like you to build thriving, profitable businesses. And I'm committed to bringing you honest conversations and practical strategies every week to help you build your business the right way.Now, next week, are you ready for this? We're going to move into important topic and this is one that a lot of people have requested that I talk about. And here's my title for next week.It's called mastering your time. The entrepreneur's most valuable asset. Yes, that's right. Mastering your time. And I'm gonna tell you how that's your most valuable asset.But bigger than that, I'm gonna show you how to make it more impactful. I'm gonna explore with you how to reclaim your schedule.We're gonna talk about how to boost your productivity and stop feeling enslaved by that to do list. So I'm gonna encourage you right now, visit gritandgrowthbusiness.com make sure you follow the show so you don't miss any more empowering episodes.And don't forget, like I said, to download our action plan sheet again. That's@gritandgrowthbusiness.com action. And as I always say, intentions are great. We got to start there. We got to start with building intentions.But in the end, it's all about the action. So I want to encourage you, put this relationship building into action today. God bless you, and I'll see you again next week. Now get to work.