Superconnector: Stop Networking and Start Building Business Relationships that Matter with Ryan Paugh

January 16, 2024

The Guest

Ryan Paugh has been at the forefront of building highly curated, technology-enabled communities for ambitious professionals. He first co-founded Brazen Careerist, a career-management site for high-achieving young professionals and ambitious college students, where he led the company’s community development efforts. Brazen Careerist was recognized as one of the top social networks for Gen Y entrepreneurs by Mashable.

Ryan then went on to co-found Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) in 2010 with Scott Gerber, an invite-only organization for top entrepreneurs 40 and under that Entrepreneur noted “has quickly become one of the most elite organizations of its kind.” He saw YEC as a unique opportunity to apply the expertise he developed at Brazen Careerist to help fellow entrepreneurs access the resources, technology and most important, people they need to succeed. YEC’s members now generate billions of dollars in revenue and have created tens of thousands of jobs.

Today, Ryan and his team are building on their vision of the future of professional organizations with The Community Company, a company poised to launch dozens of vetted communities engineered to help ambitious professionals grow their network and expand business opportunities. It’s a mission Ryan identifies with; after graduating from Penn State University and launching his own entrepreneurial career, he knows firsthand the value of a trusted community.

Called “a cult legend in the online-community building world” by Mashable, Ryan is now focused on creating a strong membership experience and positive business outcomes for thousands of successful executives, thought leaders, business owners, and entrepreneurs across the country.

The Episode

Our episode today is all about super connectors, creating meaningful beneficial relationships and habitual generosity.

Ryan shares advice on networking, relationship building, and helping others. Ryan offers questions you can ask yourself to figure out where you thrive and where you don’t, so that you can invest your time where you thrive.

He leaves listeners with the advice, ““If you want to meet great people, build new relationships. Share your ideas. Make sure all that good stuff you are thinking about makes its way out into the public eye.”

Topics Covered

All about Ryan’s new book Superconnector
Ways to approach networking events and make real connections
The intricacies of habitual generosity
How to build relationships with famous people through their pyramid of influence
Advice on reaching out to someone you admire
What it means to be a superconnector
On saying no and setting proper boundaries
Getting over imposter syndrome and reaching out to someone rich and powerful
Questions to ask to best understand how you can potentially help someone
How to be a better listener
Tips to understand introverts
Systematizing superconnecting
Man and Superconnector wedding

Quotes from the Episode

Find ways to make people happy, and create those surprise and delight moments.

Superconnectors are not afraid to say no. They know that one bad introduction could break down years and years of built up trust for someone who is very important to you.

If you need someone’s help you better make it easy for them to help you.

My favorite question to ask- What are you working on right now that is exciting for you?

Introverts are the best listeners because they are in the peripheral of conversations extracting information. Find your best introvert friends and learn from them.

Before you can build systems for yourself, know who you are and figure out where you thrive. We all need to have a lot of self awareness. Being a great connector starts with understanding yourself.

People will always be our most important asset in life. We owe it to ourselves to get better at cultivating those relationship and maintaining them over the years.