Greetings from sunny Roatan, Honduras! Getting some work done, reviewing closing docs for a client, and finishing this blog post. I may be working, but you can’t beat the view.

I found this little gem on Sandy Jones-Kaminski’s Linked-In Blog

“The currency of real networking is not greed but generosity.” – Keith Ferrazzi

Last year not only was I fortunate enough to be able to attend the Super Bowl in San Francisco and watch my beloved Carolina Panthers, I ended up on Good Morning America, and had a bagel with Drew Brees – Quarterback for the New Orleans Saints.

Right in the middle of placing a delicious smear of Philly Cream Cheese on our bagels, I said “Hey….Smile Drew” and he did, and here we are. It was 3:30am, I think we look quite spry actually. JJ Watt walked up next, but I couldn’t manage a selfie.

The point here is that A) my schedule allowed me to take a week off and go to the Super Bowl. B) My flight and car rental were free…if you own a business and are still paying cash for flights and cars please follow me, as we will be covering those little tricks in future posts. C) My tickets to the big game were 10 rows deep in the end zone and paid 1/3 of what my friends did.  D) I stayed in San Fran for free and E) I ended up on Good Morning America

How did all this come to be? People. Period.

Firstly, I have surrounded myself with an amazingly talented group of people in my businesses…they are the ones who allow me to get away…and there will be much more on that topic in future posts…. so please…follow me. 

Follow F&%K THE 24-7 on WordPress.com

We stayed with a friend who I recalled lived near Levi’s Stadium. We showed up with a bottle of wine, bought her a nice dinner, and she let us crash – win/win.

I reached out to an acquaintance I had met at a bachelor party 3 years earlier. Having recalled that his mother was a beer rep for a nationally known brand in Cali, she would probably get corporate tickets, score! She also, however, would be unable to sell the tickets publicly…corporate no-no. But we could certainly swing a friends and family deal if she wasn’t going to the game. She wasn’t. Deal made.

Now ending up on Good Morning America was a different story. A little networking, sure, but mostly luck. A friend back home knew we were in Cali, he knew another fella that runs the Panthers Fan Club Roaring Riot and they were trying to get Panthers fans to represent Charlotte on GMA that morning. He sent me a link to a random google drive sheet and told me to add my name and number, then show up at the Super Bowl filming hall at 2:30 am. Perfect, we can shut the bar down AND go on TV, the universe is conspiring in our favor!!! We show up at our scheduled time and within 5 minutes we are through security and hanging out with the Denver Broncos Cheerleaders.

Solid morning, could have went home happy right then. But then they offered us breakfast before the live broadcast started, and never being one to turn down a buffet of any kind, I scrambled to the food tent. Side Bar: I have always dreamt of starting a website called FatKidBuffetReviews.com and getting paid to eat and review restaurant buffets, but that’s a post for another day. Ok back to GMA, 5 min later, I’m sharing a meal with a future hall of fame quarterback…and JJ Watt. Crazy how the world works isn’t it.

All of this happened because of my diverse circle of friends, the proclivity to always be networking, and a good memory.

Here is what most people miss about networking – it’s not about you!! It’s about the other person. If you take one thing from these posts, remember that. It may be in the top 10, and that is what one of our next posts will cover, so don’t forget to follow me! 

Next Post: Roatan Recap… By All Means Get the YOLO Tattoo.