So what is the asset class which has this massive potential? 

The answer is — cultivating meaningful relations. 

Building Relationships Isn’t Easy — Especially for Introverts

I know. Being an introvert — talking about building fruitful relationships — not very promising.

Not only this. I’m also an emigrant whose first language isn’t English. And I initially was not comfortable with social media — especially when it comes to sharing personal stories. 

As you can guess, I used to stand in a corner at networking events. My main objective at these events used to be making sure my glass is partially filled. So that I can at least pretend to belong and I don’t look like a total misfit.

I used to get nervous when I had to carry on a conversation. What questions am I gonna ask? What should be my next move…? — I used to nervously think. 

So how can I talk about effective communications and relationship building? 

Well, that’s why I need to tell you this story. I’m going to tell you how it all started and how I figured it out. 

For that — let’s travel 5 years back in time. 

When I Decided to Fire My Client 

Something happened — and I realized that it was enough. 

The thing was — my clients were sabotaging themselves by attempting to follow traditional startup playbooks. And they were doing it all wrong. 

While they thought they are going to build a unicorn — In reality, they were: 

• Reducing their own valuations.
• Diluting their own investments.

That’s when I knew — I need to offer more than just my technology advice, which is world-class, by the way. So that I can help startups grow. 

But for that, I’ll need to get a large number of affluent clients. I need to venture out and expand my horizons.

So I was confident enough. Because: 

• I’d made hundreds of millions of dollars for my clients over my 25-year career.
• From early-stage startups to Fortune 500 companies.
• Across 6 continents and multiple industries.
• Real estate, finance, consumer goods, mining, wearables, logistics, healthcare, education, and more. 
• With FOUR patents, TWO published books, 150K students across the globe, and a top-rated business podcast. 

This should be enough to secure clients right? 

Wrong! 

I wasn’t getting leads to offer my practical advice that saves businesses. And my unique marketing for a fraction of the cost at a super-fast pace.

So what was I missing? ‘Marketing yourself’ someone suggested. 

What I Didn’t Understand About Marketing

Being a beginner, I was ready to learn and acquire one more skill. 

I started listening to popular podcasts, got enrolled in online courses, listened to cool TED talks from successful entrepreneurs, and binge-watched YouTube videos from digital marketing gurus.

And everyone and everything tried to deliver one single message: “Make sure your prospects know you exist.”

All I need to do was to make sure it happens. How? I started with the usual suspects: 

Publishing articles, sending cold emails, webinars, social media marketing, SEO, funnel building, and so on. 

What now? Now I should be getting results right? Well, once again, nothing really happened. 

So what went wrong? 

After some introspection, I realized it doesn’t work like that. 

You see, I was trying to “over automate” everything and remove the human touch altogether from my marketing efforts.

This was my engineering mind — trying to optimize the system even before it produced any results.

Getting Marketing Insights From a Movie

Anyway, as I was trying to sort this whole thing out — one night I was watching this movie on Netflix called “Dolemite Is My Name”. It was about a struggling artist who built an empire on a shoestring budget.

• A true story.
• A true entrepreneur.
• A true bootstrapper.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws1YIKsuTjQ

So In the movie, when Dolemite (main character), needed to sell a lot of tickets for his debut show — he went door-to-door, talked to a lot of people, and distributed a lot of flyers to let everyone in the town know about his show.

That was direct outreach marketing. Face to face. The best type of marketing out there.

Bingo!

That is what I needed to do. Forget about all the automation — I needed to build one-on-one relationships with my network.

Trying My Hands on Linkedin — What Could Go Wrong?

Now, I was not going to knock on my prospects’ doors — I can always reach out to people on LinkedIn and build my personal brand. 

Therefore, LinkedIn felt like a great option because: 

• I could start from the comfort of the virtual social media world first. 
• I’ve heard a lot of people get massive success on LinkedIn very quickly.

With great enthusiasm, I started learning about LinkedIn and how it works. Because every channel is different and LinkedIn is the most “professionals open for business” kind of social media. 

So I started with LinkedIn. I found that direct outreach on LinkedIn could be the right approach.

Which is true. But not the way I was doing it. 

Even though I was trying to create meaningful relationships, my engineering mind took over and started implementing various LinkedIn automation —  sending messages to thousands of people with the same templates. 

This didn’t go well of course — and in some cases, it even went ugly. 

Here is a specimen response I got from a Standford University professor and a “silicon valley CEO”. 

As you can guess, things like that could mess up your stress levels. 

Although most of the responses were polite, the problem was — I was not engaging in a decent conversation. 

You see, I was just like any other sales pitch guy — even I didn’t like responding to a sales pitch. Why would someone else not think the same about my DMs? 

And even if someone responded, I was not able to get back on time. 

All these series of events ultimately led my LinkedIn account to get blocked for several weeks. Yup, back to square one. 

So yes, my technical brain finally gave up — I had to swallow my pride and reach out for help for the first time. 

Learning the Art of Conversation 

And boy, did I get some help. I ended up working with some of the best minds on the planet.

From Olympians, CEOs, executives, celebrities, billionaires, movie stars, sports stars, personal development gurus, you name it.

And the most important rule I learned was this:

For me to get what I want, first, I need to help others get what they want. Selflessly, generously and lovingly.

And the first step in this effort was to learn the art of conversation.

Let me explain.

If you look back at your extraordinary life — you will find that since birth, whatever you have gained or accomplished was just a result of a network of conversations.

Whatever financial status you have attained in your life thus far — has been through a network of conversations with other human beings.

So rather than learning the next killer marketing strategy, — the best recession-proof skill you can learn to expand your business is the ability to converse with other humans.

Deep meaningful conversations. Conversations where like-minded people came together and communicated their ideas to accomplish a common goal.

Once you learn the skill to connect with people at a deeper level — magic will happen. 

A handful of these conversations will lead to tens of thousands of percent of ROI. 

Genuine Relationships Make Your Business Recession-proof 

And one of the best platforms to start practicing and building connections is LinkedIn. At least, it was my favorite when I started. 

I made a habit to connect and start a conversation with at least 20 people (matching my customer avatar) every day.

Again — genuine conversation, trying to know them and not thinking about transactional exchanges. 

Trying to make them like me and vice-versa. But not stopping here. 

Because liking someone is still not enough.

You must trust a person before you can feel safe enough to enter into a more meaningful relationship — a client or a customer.

Remember — Trust and credibility are the foundations of human connection.

Human-to-human connection transcends international boundaries, time zones, political affinities, gender, sexual orientation, and any other label we have assigned to our fellow members of the species.

This is why genuine relationships creates recession-proof business. 

How are you going to do that? 

As humans — one of the fundamental motivations we have is to be well understood by our fellow human beings.

Learn more about their life story. When interacting with new connections — focus on creating memorable experiences. Learn to laugh with everyone (even at yourself).

Make sure you continue to build new relationships without any tangible expected returns. Because you never know which connection/ relationship might convert into a massive transformation at some point in your life.

Becoming a Servent Leader

Any business, whether it is for-profit or not-for-profit, is meant to serve its clients and customers.

Because at the end of the day, you enjoy solving your customer’s problems. And by being your patrons — your customers are “giving you the opportunity” to serve them.

As an entrepreneur — you are bringing other humans and resources together in the servitude of your clients. So in a way, you are the lead servant.

Once I experienced this identity shift — the results were nothing short of miraculous.

Now it might sound like a cliché — but the best way to start getting what you want is to give people what they want. If you cannot give it, you can help people get it for themselves.

This help can come in any form. It doesn’t even need to cost anything or be enormous.

A new introduction. A new insight. A new book reference. A new website link. A new review on their book. A share of their social post and so on. 

Helping and giving — will lead to gratitude and positive life experiences. This will further improve your self-confidence and you’ll prosper to create more influence. 

The Results I Got From Building Meaningful Relationships 

Ok. So I learned the art of conversation and implemented the different principles I mentioned. And I was able to build these connections. 

What happened then? Where are the results? 

Well, the results are beyond anything I could have imagined.

The quality of accomplished human beings I have had the pleasure to connect with is mind-boggling.

Take, for example, Dr. Jeff Spencer. 

He is one of the most driven, goal-oriented, and accomplished persons you will ever meet.

He lives by the motto: Don’t be average.  And this can be seen in his achievements:

• Olympic Medalist
• Master’s Degree in Sports science
• His glass art is displayed in galleries across the US

Dr. Spencer revolutionized mental and physical training in motocross. Jeff is recognized as one of the top chiropractors in the world. Jeff spent 9 years as the mindset coach for the Tour De France. Coached 45 Olympic, world, Tour De France, and National Champions. And then, at 58 years old, adopted a 10-year-old girl from the streets of Colombia.

Imagine that. An immigrant from a small town in India getting coached by Dr. Jeff Spencer.

Here I am interviewing Dr. Jeff Spencer for my podcast — Bootstrapping Your Dreams.

https://youtu.be/YOdJC1mT2Zc

But this is just the beginning.

Now, let’s talk about Lisa Nichols.

Lisa Nichols is a millionaire entrepreneur, best-selling author, humanitarian, and motivational speaker today. And she is teaching others how to transform their own breakdowns into breakthroughs, to discover their own untapped and boundless potential, just as she did.

She was featured in the world-famous Secret.

Lisa is one of the world’s most-requested motivational speakers, as well as a media personality and corporate CEO, whose global platform has reached and served nearly 80 million people.

Lisa has written several best-sellers including the ever-popular Chicken Soup For The African Woman’s Soul.

I met Lisa in 2019 at a MindValley event. And since then I have learned a lot from her.

The next celebrity is one of the most recognizable faces in the world — Alexandra Paul. 

Alexandra Paul is an American model, actress, and activist. She has appeared in over 100 feature films and television programs.

She is internationally recognized for her role as Lt. Stephanie Holden in the TV series — Baywatch.

Here I am interviewing her for my podcast — Bootstrapping Your Dreams. 

https://youtu.be/CZk19n-0zcQ

Speaking of celebrities, next here is my friend and mentor, Steve Sims.

He is one of the most well-connected people on the planet. From billionaires to movie stars. From sports celebrities to music artists.

Somehow he seems to know everyone very well. Here he is hanging out with some of his well-recognizable friends.

Steve Sims delivers the highest level of personalized travel, transportation, and cutting-edge entertainment services to corporate executives, celebrities, professional athletes, and other discerning individuals interested in living life to the fullest.

He once got a couple married by the Pope in the Vatican!

Here I am hanging out with him at one of his amazing events.

And here I am interviewing him for my podcast — Bootstrapping Your Dreams.

https://youtu.be/QETO0CbQhI4

Next up, please meet Nic Peterson. 

Nic is Ultra successful, Runs 7 multi-million dollar companies, and is a great human. 

His strategies can save companies millions or make them millions within one consulting session.

And here is a little pow-wow with him in Las Vegas.

To top it off, on the same trip — I ended up in the company of,

Two very successful and well-known entrepreneurs — Jesse Elder and Alex Huditan.

Jesse built and sold a successful line of martial arts training schools. Because of his connection with incredible success, he has unique insight into the patterns that create (or hinder) success. Jesse is also the star of the viral Mind Vitamin video series.

Alex is an Entrepreneur, Investor, World Traveller, and Mango Juice Lover. He radically changed his life and his beliefs 6 years ago, going from a cubicle job in Bucharest, Romania to now owning multiple 7 figure companies and enjoying a real 4-hour workweek.

Here I am interviewing Nic Peterson for my podcast. 

https://youtu.be/0oTZS5pTjNY

And now, the most special connection I made recently was just before the pandemic lockdown.

Rajesh Setty is a serial entrepreneur.

He is a silicon valley veteran and is currently involved in tens of companies.

He was instrumental in founding several US and Indian technology and publishing companies.

Raj has been a member of Band of Angels since 2007 and is an award-winning teacher at the Founder Institute.

Also, he is the inventor of the popular ThinkBook series.

I am fortunate to call him my friend, mentor, and partner. And here is a very powerful and timely interview I recorded with him for my podcast.

https://youtu.be/9YH-dEGLvb8

These are just a few of the wonderful humans I have interacted with. The comprehensive list is long and it keeps growing longer every day…

Each individual is unique.

Mentors, coaches, and people who influence you positively uplift you in more ways than you will truly understand.

Each individual can give you an invaluable lesson — but when you consider the combined effect of their presence in your life — the result is exponentially more potent.

Comparing Old Workplace with New Workplace

So I’ll admit — I’ve seen some gloomy days in my life. The experiences were scary.

I came close to death multiple times. And I have experienced the death of my loved ones.

The lessons from these experiences were profound though.

I am not sure whether it is possible to learn life’s crucial lessons without going through some hardships.

I believe that failure and adversity form the basis of any new growth and acquisition of new knowledge.

Rather than dwell on the pain caused by these unpleasant events — I focus on the lessons learned.

The pain and suffering caused by life’s challenges are just part of the tuition fee you have to pay to learn these lessons.

In most cases, life is harsh. There’s poverty, famine, wars, and more. 

However, it doesn’t matter if you started in the darkest of alleys – as long as you see a ray of hope, keep following it.

Work hard. Enjoy the process. Be consistent. And try really hard to be patient. 

In my short existence on this planet, I had to undergo multiple identity shifts. Factory worker. Software Engineer. Husband. Leader. Parent. Spiritual Student and Teacher. Mentor. Coach. Author. Investor.

And I still continue to evolve.

I am learning from the same people who advise the world’s top leaders and champions.

I didn’t even realize how life has transformed slowly.

This was my workplace in 1995 and this is my workplace now.

The results were better than my wildest dreams — but I was not done yet. 

As good as the results were — I wanted to take the real-world experience and scale it.

Scaling Human Relationships 

As you already know — being an engineer, the urge to make systems works effectively and eliminate waste is in my blood 

This time it worked though because I didn’t forget the basics: the power of cohesive and interesting conversation. 

So I realized I needed to scale my ability to have consistent conversations and the end result of that should be larger networks and more relationships.

This plan gave birth to one of the most powerful platforms I have created. It doesn’t look awesome. But what it can do is absolutely phenomenal. 

It works with multiple social media platforms — LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Shapr, and more. 

Using this platform, sales teams can prospect, connect and message thousands of people every day.

No need for CRM. No need for email automation. No worries about the spam score.

I call it weapons-grade because it EXPONENTIALLY increases your capability to have thousands upon thousands of meaningful conversations with people in your network.

I personally have a network of more than x audience.

But about 10% of the audience is in my direct network. With this platform, I can potentially be having 30K conversations every week!

The possibilities are limitless. 

Business Deals I Brought Using This Platform

Well in 30 days I built a pipeline of 10+ startups looking to raise financing. Some of them were post-revenue companies with very relevant products for the post-pandemic era.

The next step was to find the right investors. Once again, I invested about one week in connecting with highly experienced investors.

Within a week I had some of the most successful investors in my network.

One deal worth $750K got closed. This was May 2020. The investment round was funded EVEN 6 weeks into the lockdown.

And this company needs to raise another $900K. A pipeline of $12M+ with a confirmed deal of $1.65M — all in less than 2 months.

All with ZERO ad spend.

But more than monetary awards — I am proud of the transformation. Now I am not afraid to talk to anyone.

Are you still not convinced that these relationships are the best investment for your life and business?

As I demonstrated in this case study, these relationships provide the warmth of community — but they also offer humongous monetary rewards.

I have had transactions of millions of dollars with the people in my network through: 

• Referrals.
• Direct business.
• Connections or introductions.

All these touchpoints and conversations can lead to some tangible business.

And in many cases, it is not even strictly business. And this is where my best investment, which reaped 49,900% ROI comes in.

Getting 49,900% Roi by Spending $42 on Indian Spices – Quick Story 

In Sep 2019, I ran into the real-life wizard Steve Sims. During our initial conversation, I found out that Steve was very fond of Indian food (apparently Indian food is British national cuisine).

So I ordered a few of my favorite Indian spices from Amazon and got them shipped to Steve’s home in an upscale LA neighborhood.

Those six boxes of spices cost me $42 including shipping.

This small gift eventually resulted in an exclusive invite from Lisa Nichols (world’s no. 1 motivational speaker and a dear friend of Steve’s) to stay at her home for a 5-day exclusive retreat. The regular price for the retreat was $21,000.

Obviously, it was a delightful surprise, and I am forever grateful for this gift. But it all started with tons of curiosity about Steve, about his likes and dislikes, and a small action on my part.

That is the power of relationships.

The message they sent me from their dinner table is too personal for me to share — but here is a sneak peek.

Investing in Relationships Is the Best Investment You Can Make

As I said, this is especially true if you are an introvert. You can listen better. You can empathize better.

Moving to Canada was quite scary. New country. No contacts. No job. No money. And I had an even thicker accent back then.

Anyway, I was able to connect with a few kind people.

Through hard work, luck, and a few meaningful relationships — I got multiple golden opportunities to work on some of the most exciting startups and projects in the world.

I was able to set up a decent consulting service business in Canada. I worked hard, and as an introvert engineer — I put my head down and kept learning more about technology and business. 

I didn’t even put much effort into networking.

But eventually, instead of relying on word of mouth — I set out to expand my business and transform it into a mature, growing organization with a team, strong messaging, authentic branding, and providing world-class products and services.

• I was coming from a 100% technical background.
• English is still not my first language.
• And I still have an accent.
• I had a rough start.

I tried the usual LinkedIn automation — and got my account locked.

I tried to spam users on Instagram and Facebook — but was put in the messaging jail for days.

Even when I was able to connect with someone — the conversation never went anywhere.

In some cases, I actually managed to annoy some connections to the extent that they sent me some really nasty messages. I tell you it was not easy on the ego 🙂

But all those bad experiences helped me to gain meaningful feedback and understand what really works.

Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Instagram.