#93: DO Expand Your Friend Group & DON'T Talk Too Fast

Good morning, and welcome back!

Gonna keep this short and sweet for the occasion:

To all the veterans out there, thank you for your service, your sacrifice, your courage. We are truly grateful.

Let’s get after it.

The Highlights This Week 📈 

Fattening The Wallet 💰️ 

• Making Cents of Expanding Your Friend Group for Financial Success

• Hustle Hub: Discipline + Inspiration + Confidence = $$$

Elevating Your Brand 🤝 

• Did You Know That Networking Is Important? 3 New Topics For This Week’s Convos

Boosting Your Productivity 📊 

• Cool Communicator: 3 Things To Avoid While Conversing

• A Food For Thought on Just Doing IT

Making Cents 💰️ 

How Expanding Your Circle of Friends Can Improve Your Financial Success

SHORT AND SWEET: Making new friends comes with many benefits, but one you likely haven’t considered is the potential financial boon. Or maybe you have considered it. We DO talk about networking a lot here…

EXAMPLE: I am 31, and my older brother is 41. He has a friend who works in finance and trades currencies, crypto, stock indexes, and gold. I spontaneously decided to reach out to him, and now we talk on a weekly basis. He has 5x’d my knowledge in the last 6 months, and all it took was a text saying, “Hey man, I’m looking to learn more about your expertise…would you mind if I asked you a few questions so I can learn from you?”

Q&A Time:

How exactly can meeting new people improve my financial success?

• Think of it this way: the more unique perspectives you have around you, the more access you have to ideas and opportunities you might otherwise miss. New friends often mean exposure to different industries, side hustles, or even investment tips that can improve your earning potential. These voices can help you make smarter financial moves just by sharing what’s worked for them.

Who should I be connecting with to up my financial game?

• Aim for people who have strengths in areas that complement your goals. If you’re into real estate, find people with knowledge in that field; if you’re keen on entrepreneurship, connect with business owners or startup enthusiasts. The key is to be intentional—seek out those with financial savvy, ambition, and skills you respect. Mentors, entrepreneurs, investors, or just really resourceful peers are all great adds to your circle.

How can I avoid feeling like I’m using people for financial gain?

• Focus on creating value in each relationship, and remember that friendships should be a two-way street. Offer to help whenever possible, whether it’s sharing advice, lending an ear, or connecting them with someone in your network. Approach each new connection with a genuine interest in learning from them—not just about finances but about their unique perspectives. Authentic relationships come from respect and reciprocity, not from what you can gain.

If you expand your friend group with someone who can benefit your financial success, don’t forget to thank them periodically. Don’t take this for granted because someone taking time out of their day to help you should always be thanked.

With enthusiasm, too:

O.T.F. 
O.F.T - One Final Thought

Actionable advice: ask members of your family or current friend group if they know people in the fields that interest you. Those people want to help you. And if they do, keep them close - you never know what those new relationships may bring as time goes on.

Hustle Hub 📈 

• YOUR SUCCESS: Get Disciplined - If you wanna become wealthy, NEVER buy these things.

• THEIR SUCCESS: Get Inspired - She turned her last hundred bucks into a multimillion-dollar business.

• YOUR SUCCESS: Get Confident - Ever feel like your ideas are a little too outside-the-box? If so, this one’s for you.

Did You Know? 🕺 

• Self-Interest: Have you heard about “exercise snacking?”
  

• Human Interest: Did you see that study comparing hybrid workers to in-office employees?
  

• Artificial Interest: Did you know that food companies can use AI to determine ingredient quality?

Cool Communicator 🎯 

Good Communication, Good Leadership

A recent article from INC. featured an old quote from Warren Buffett that goes:

If you didn’t know by now, we fully agree with this statement. In fact, it’s almost impossible to disagree with. Communication skills are paramount.

But instead of focusing on skills, this article chose to focus on shortcomings. So here’s there list of what NOT to do when communicating with colleagues & subordinates:

TL;DR Takeaways

1. DON’T “Talk more than you listen”
   
   “Great conversationalists listen intuitively to the other person’s story, ask questions, and search conversations for depth, meaning, and understanding.” How do you become a better listener and conversation analyzer? BY STAYING PRESENT.
   

2. DON’T “Hide behind your digital comfort zone”

   “The quickest route to cutting through conflict or setting clear expectations” is to get out from behind the screen and deal with people face-to-face. Or, if it’s not possible, a medium that allows for real-time back-and-forth.
   
   In other words: more talking, less texting!
   

3. DON’T “Talk too fast” (or too slow)
   

   Language experts claim the ideal talking speed is between 170 and 190 words per minute. You could always record yourself and measure how fast you’re talking (if presentations are a regular part of your job, you should do this at some point), but a more practical tactic might simply be to pay close attention to your conversation companion’s facial expressions and body language. If they look checked out, you need to adjust.

O.T.F
O.F.T: One Final Thought

What do all three of these things have in common?

Each requires you to give your undivided attention to the person you’re talking to. Don’t check your phone mid-convo; don’t plan your response while they’re still talking - be in the moment, and commit to it. If you do this, you’ll improve as a communicator, and misunderstandings will become a thing of the past. (Or at least, they won’t be your fault 🤣)

Food For Thought 💡 

Before You Go

We hope you enjoyed this week’s edition.

Next week is our third edition of the month. That means All Things AI: Workin’ With AI, Always Informed, and much more!

See you then!

You are now On The Fly and In The Know.