~ Thomas Wentworth Higginson
Have you ever been around someone who seems to know a lot about everything? Or do you know someone who seems to have an endless Rolodex of people they can call on just about any subject? In any conversation they are the ones who if they can't immediately give a solution to your problem, they exclaim, "Hey, I know a guy!"
My wife and I have an almost addictive infatuation with the History Channel's TV series Pawn Stars. We don’t mean to get into the show anytime it’s on, it’s just so dang interesting and entertaining.
The show’s main proprietor Rick is one of these people. He has a guy for everything. Cars, guns, sports, autographs, toys, historic memorabilia, it doesn’t matter; if Rick can’t retell the story of an item (and he knows a lot), he has someone who is a phone call away that can.
If you are not familiar with the show, the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop is in Las Vegas, Nevada. Three generations of the Harrison family (Grandfather Richard – “The Old Man”, son Rick and grandson Corey) jointly run the family business. There is a clashing of ideals and camaraderie in every show.
According to the History Channel website, “The three men use their sharp eyes and skills to assess the value of items from the commonplace to the truly historic, including a 16th-century samurai sword, a Super Bowl ring, a Picasso painting and a 17th-century stay of execution. It's up to them to determine what's real and what's fake, as they reveal the often surprising answer to the questions on everyone's mind, ‘What's the story behind it’ and ‘What's it worth?’”
I am sure that like many of the “reality shows” of today that much of the information is scripted and the history and stories of the pieces are researched by a whole team of experts. But I am not trying to debunk the premise of the show. What I am interested in is the subtle lessons we can learn about running a business and running our lives.
We all have unique networks in our lives. I know I do. One of these days (when I have nothing better to do) I am going to sit down and “map out” my connections. It is interesting to me that in the short time I have been in the business community and certainly since I have come into the economic and community development world, how vast my connections have become.
I have friends throughout most of the United States and even in several other countries around the globe. I obviously don’t talk to all of my friends and allies on a regular basis but I do try to make contact with everyone a couple of times a year, even if it is a quick email or Facebook message.
The thing I have come to realize about cultivating a network and broadening your connections is that you never know when you will need someone’s advice or knowledge.
Just a couple of weeks ago I was able to put two people in touch to work out a logistics issue because I had a friend in Northern Arkansas who needed some knowledge about moving cargo down to South America and when I was in Hancock County I worked with a guy who did river based trans-loading (moving cargo from river barges to large ocean going ships).
I don’t know all the details of the transaction because I just made the connection for them, but they both thanked me for the new contact and my friend in Arkansas was able to work out his issue. I was able to be that guy, “who knew a guy!”
We’ve all had those situations where we’ve needed a guy or we knew a guy who could help someone else out. I encourage you that as you conduct your business and meet new people, new individuals, new customers you explore their networks. Make new connections and stay in constant contact.
Whether you are pawning your worldly treasures or you’re trying to open your business to new markets, you never know when you might need someone’s advice or someone’s Rolodex. Never be afraid to ask for advice or help. We’ve all been there. And “you never know what you don’t know” – until you ask.
Larkin
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