Pay It Forward

I have a belief that, the more you give, the more you get.  So I have no problem sitting down with somebody who is authentically seeking help and giving them a free education, even if there is really no chance that they are going to reciprocate.  Our initial mentor in this business taught us this.

When we first started the company in 2001, a friend recommended him as somebody we really needed to talk to, even though we were theoretically a competitor of his.  He was light years ahead of us, but we were still a competitor.  Joe happened to be in Boston on business, so he made the call and said, “I’d really like to pick your brain.”  He said, “Come on up.”  It was about a $120 cab ride to get there.  I remember Joe called me and said this is going to cost about $240 round trip, but I can’t get to a car, but I think it’s worth it.  So we did it.  At that time, $240 was a huge deal.  But Joe spent a couple of hours with him.  He gave us sample proposals, contracts, outlines and spreadsheets – everything we needed. The only thing he asked in reciprocation was, “If you are ever in a position to do this for somebody who is starting out in business, do it.”

So I will always take those meetings, even if I know that there is not going to be a reciprocation.