Here's why your network is your net worth...
Daniel sent out an email to his alumni list seeking capital for a startup. This was in November.
Four months later, he raised $8 million thanks to that one email.
That's Daniel Zumino, angel investor and founder of BCG Paris - who sent that email to his Stanford GSB alumni in 1999. One of his famous investments was in VistaPrint, which later listed on Nasdaq.
That's how powerful connections can be.
You've probably heard the saying, "It's not what you know, but who you know..." - to a certain extent that's true.
What would it be like, if you could tap into such networks and get results within just a few months.
Wouldn't that be nice?
Today, you don't really need an alumni directory. It's been replaced by an even more powerful one... called Linkedin.
Microsoft saw the potential - that's why they bought it for $26 Billion. So did Google, Facebook, SalesForce and an undisclosed party see the potential, according to the disclosures released after the deal.
Do you have a Linkedin account? What is the #1 biggest annoyance you have with Linkedin?
Fundraising is a full time job.
Ask any startup or business owner, and they'll have plenty of war stories to tell you...
Yet, sometimes it just comes so easy. Or maybe not.
Ben was trying to raise a Series A (that's the first round of fundraising) for his startup.
He spent a good amount of time visiting all the major Venture Capitalists. Knocked on many doors... pitched like hell. Reached out to his own professional networks.
But unlike Daniel, he just couldn't raise funds.
Then towards the end of the year, he got a message from a COO of a company he'd never heard of. And the guy was half-way across the world... in China.
Hmmm...
The guy wanted to meet in person. So he agreed and they met. After an informative conversation, they went their ways.
A few weeks later, Ben got an email from this COO offering him $27 million to invest in Ben's startup.
That email... came through Linkedin.
Don't believe me? Read the full story here about Ben Miller and how he raised $27 million for his startup - Fundrise - a crowdfunding platform that is ironically meant to raise capital!
You see, it's not impossible. It's just that most people are using Linkedin all wrong.
Wouldn't you like to use Linkedin the right way so you can tap into a huge network instantly?
When I first read Ben's story - my jaw dropped as well.
Here I am a guy in the very same industry and I hardly use this platform.
Well, that all changed. But more on this later...
There's another problem. We're simply too afraid to ask. Rather than tell you the importance of this... watch this next video:
And answer this question:
When it comes to generating leads, traffic, sales or building your brand on Linkedin, what's your single biggest challenge or frustration?
Joe had a big problem… he had to raise $100,000 to finish the final piece of a project that he’d just been put in charge of.
He tried a couple of things...
Went to HNWI who could fund the project with just one cheque - and they all said no.
Then he went to big corporations - and they all said no.
Finally he went to the city, state and federal government - and they all said no as well. (Even if they said yes, it would have taken months to get through the red tape. But he did it anyways).
He needed the money NOW, and was devastated and desperate to try anything. So he turned to crowdfunding… and guess what, he successfully raised $100,000 from over 100,000 people.
And finally after many delays, and gatekeepers...
The Statue Of Liberty had a base to stand on.
The French had given the Americans - The Statue of Liberty - but it was sitting in crates in the New York harbor.
The only thing the Americans needed to do was to take the gift and place it somewhere… yet no one wanted to do it.
The Millionaires, The NY Times, the Government had no interest and even criticized it…
Joe was actually Joseph Pulitzer… yes the very same person who the Pulitzer Prize is now named after and who founded the Columbia School of Journalism, moved the crowd.
He successfully raised $100,000 to cover the cost of the base in August 1885. New York City would have been a different place if this attraction was not there…
Here's the actual article excerpt that was published in his newspaper called The World:
We must raise the money! The World is the people's paper, and now it appeals to the people to come forward and raise the money. The $250,000 that the making of the Statue cost was paid in by the masses of the French people - by the working men, the tradesmen, the shop girls, the artisans - by all, irrespective of class or condition. Let us respond in like manner. Let us not wait for the millionaires to give us this money. It is not a gift from the millionaires of France to the millionaires of America, but a gift of the whole people of France to the whole people of America.
He did three things, he...
- CAPTIVATED the crowd (with a simple, compelling and portable story)
- INSPIRED the crowd (he asked the crowd to donate any amount of money, and that even if they donated $1 - he would put their name in the newspaper).
- CONNECTED the crowd (he gave figurines of the statute to those who contributed good sums).
While 99% of people don’t care about your project - your job is to find the 1% that do care. You tell them your story, in a simple, compelling and portable way.
So it's going to be LIVE. I'm doing this for the first time... never done it before. I'm hosting a live workshop on how to use Linkedin to cultivate your connections, build your business, grow your traffic and generate leads. It's going to be a power packed 1 hour. No fluff... just fast paced session, with steps you can take immediately to get massive results!
If you're ready... sign up today.
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