Never Eat Alone : Book Review

Someone did a great job of marketing this book… which, after reading it, doesn’t surprise me at all. Keith probably knows all the right people that would put his book front and center at every major bookstore in the US. Even though I just read it, I’ve known about it since it came out. It was all over Barnes and Noble in 2005, when it came out, and even today, the cover really pops out at you. The book focuses on the art of networking, and creating what Keith calls a “relationship based career.” Through this book, and a few other factors that have come up lately, I’ve realized that connecting with people may be the missing piece at this point of my entrepreneurial journey. It seems that when I reach out and meet people for lunch, or go out of my way to connect with old bosses, colleagues, and new friends, things start to happen. Opportunities open up, I get new ideas, I meet people who can help me, and it keeps me from stagnating. The trap I’ve been following into, is that because I work for myself, I stay home behind my laptop all day. This can be productive, but it’s definitely not tapping into my strength as someone who connects people. In the last few weeks, I’ve noticed that - I have both a friend a McKinsey who’s going into non-profit and another who is going to intern there and is interested in the same. - I have a friend who is a local Louisville artist, and another who likes to buy art from young, local Louisville artists. - I have a friend in NYC who works for the Daily show, and another who is in school at NYU for comedic writing, and looking for jobs. In short, these people need to meet, and if I don’t make it happen, who will? This book was great for showing you the importance in meeting people, and how specifically, to go about meeting the right ones. It was the right mix of specific advice, and background on why the advice is important. I’m definitely going to concentrate more on connecting with those around me… and being around those I want to connect with. -->