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Plus, we’ll include practical “pro tips” on relationship-building and reminders on upcoming networking opportunities, speakers, and workshops with every Intros newsletter.
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Elon Musk Hosted SNL This Weekend and…
It was amazing? Weird? A little too “realistic” when it came to jokes about living in a simulation, or about experiencing painful death en route to colonizing Mars?
It was certainly one of the most popular SNL episodes of all time. It was also the first SNL streamed in real-time internationally, for free, on YouTube.
Did You Watch SNL This Past Weekend? If not, here’s a few helpful links.
- Musk’s opening monologue (featuring his mom)
- Doctor Musk consoles angsty teenagers in Gen Z Hospital
- Making small talk at a networking event after the pandemic ends
- Financial expert Lloyd Ostertag (played by Musk) explaining cryptocurrency
- Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Wario in a courtroom (with a cameo from Musk’s wife)
If you did watch SNL, what did you think of this weekend’s show?
Elon Musk Admitted That Smoking Weed On The Joe Rogan Experience probably wasn’t the smartest business decision he’s ever made. Being on SNL is much better for business. Musk’s appearance will likely generate tens of millions of dollars in sales for Elon’s various companies, including Tesla.
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In Other News…
Are Offices Making A Comeback? The debate roars on about working from home (WFM) vs office culture. JPMorgan Chase is reopening their U.S. offices at 50% occupancy starting May 17th, according to the New York Times, while other companies are making WFM the standard. Are you being called back into the office, or asking your employees to stay at home? Reply and let us know!
Smile! You’re About To Start Seeing People In-Person Again. According to the Wall Street Journal, many adults used their quarantines to get braces and other orthodontia. Adults are racing to finish their dental work before getting back to offices, networking events, and more regular social lives.
No More Office Politics? Project management platform Basecamp has recently banned societal and political discussions at work. Upon the polarizing announcement, one-third of the company’s workforce decided to take a generous severance package, including senior staff, because they found the new direction of the company untenable. Basecamp is the most recent company to enact these policies following Coinbase, which enacted a similar policy before their recent IPO. Do you think we should talk about social and political issues at work? Why or why not?
The Global Semiconductor Shortage Is A Big Problem. As manufacturers and investors ask why more microprocessors (used in our smartphones, appliances, and hundreds of other electronics) can’t be made to keep up with demand, the reality is sinking in that semiconductor supply chains take years to execute and require billions of dollars in investment. As reported by Bloomberg, “China has called chip independence a top national priority in its latest five-year plan, while U.S. President Joe Biden has vowed to build a secure American supply chain by reviving domestic manufacturing. Even the European Union is mulling measures to make its own chips.” Continue reading here.
Biden Considering $4,000 Per Month in Paid Family Leave. There’s a new $1.8T spending plan for children, students, and families, which would include up to $4,000 per month in paid family leave. Right now, there is no federal mandate for employers to offer paid leave if you have a child or need to stay home because you’re sick, making the U.S. one of the few countries in the world without such protections for employees.
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Super-Connector Secrets
Instead of Trying To Meet Specific, Perhaps Famous Individuals…Ask Yourself, “What *Types* Of People Do I Need To Meet?”
Think of yourself as a business.
Most companies have an Advisory Board or Board of Directors, usually consisting of individuals who are subject matter experts in a variety of related fields or functions to the core business.
What types of people do you need to learn from and interact with at the highest level in order to move yourself closer to your goals, double down on your strengths, and fill in your weaknesses?
For example, if you want to become a “thought leader”, perhaps you’ll need to know someone who is an expert in public speaking. This can be a keynote speaker charging the fee you’d like to charge one day, the head of a major speakers’ association, or a reputable speaking coach (or all of them!).
You may also want to know a NYT bestselling author, someone who is known for their personal branding knowledge (which can even be a marketing executive of some famous corporate brand), and someone who knows how to build an audience of engaged followers.
Too often, we concern ourselves with meeting the likes of Tim Ferriss, Gary Vaynerchuk, or Richard Branson because these people are famous and therefore have lots of resources and relationships to offer.
Before setting your sights on Sir Richard, for example, decide if you truly need to meet a billionaire with investments in a rocket company and a private island in order to meet your business goals.
If the answer is still “yes”, there might be other individuals that hit the same criteria in your target relationship, and as so long as you can offer value to those people in return, you’ve now widened the pool of individuals you can attempt to build relationships with.
Separate yourself from specific individuals you’d like to meet, and instead brainstorm what types of subject matter expertise and “connectors” you need to build relationships with in order to gain the access, resources, and opportunities that would help you accelerate your business and personal growth.
How intentional you are with networking will lead to building deep, meaningful relationships with the individuals that will most advance your career.
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Community Spotlight:
Last week, Kaylin Marcotte pitched her company JIGGY on Shark Tank and walked away with $500,000 from Mark Cuban, plus matching charitable donations to support amazing female artists from around the world.
Founded only in November 2019, Kaylin shared on Shark Tank that she’d sold $1.6 million worth of Jiggy Puzzles in only nine months leading up to the taping of the Shark Tank episode, with no investors, no debt, and no full-time employees.
A percentage of every sale goes to up-and-coming female creatives, your puzzle is storable in elegant glass jars, and when you’re finished with your puzzle, you can use Jiggy’s glue and framing system to preserve your work as art you’d be proud to hang on your living room walls.
Plus, in our overstressed world, Kaylin found that puzzling would be more fun than meditation, and could be a healthier way to unwind than alcohol or binge-eating Ben and Jerry’s.
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Upcoming Events
On Thursday, June 3 we’re hosting Austin Belcak for a networking mixer and engaging fireside chat. Austin is a LinkedIn influencer with over 400,000 followers as well as the founder of CultivatedCulture.com, one of the leading sites for professionals looking to earn their dream jobs without applying online, without a network, and without fancy credentials.
Get an early bird ticket here!
You Should Also Sign Up For:
- Lunch + A Lead (Guaranteed!) THIS THURSDAY, May 13 from 12-1:30pm EST
- Tomorrow’s “Greatest Places to Work” with Eric Termuende (on Thursday, June 10 from 6-8pm EST)
- TEDx Speaker & American Ninja Warrior Alex Weber on “Peak Performance” (on Thursday, June 24 from 5-7pm EST)
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What Do You Think?
In closing, we’d love your feedback.
Our goal is to make a newsletter as valuable and engaging for Network Under 40 as theSkimm or Morning Brew has become for Millennials interested in Wall Street, Silicon Valley, and politics.
Reply and let us know what you liked and how we can make Intros even better in the future.
This week’s Intros was written by Natalie Parker and Jared Kleinert
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