I've just finished reading Chapter 2 of "Never Eat Alone," for the second time.

I love this book, and re-reading it, even though my first (half)
reading was only about two years ago, makes me feel nostalgic because
of the powerful ideas and feelings that came to me then, and are coming
again to me now.

One particularly notable example is a story related in this chapter. I've thought of it frequently since my first reading.

Mr. Ferrazzi relates how he was working in consulting for a firm in
California, and how he had an inkling that he might like to make a
transition from the consulting industry to the entertainment industry
at some point. While he was in Los Angeles, he made some phone calls
and arranged a meeting with someone who, he had been told, had
connections and might be able to help.

The author had lunch with this person, called "David" in the book, and
asked for a personal referral to an influential individual. David
flatly turned him down, reasoning that he might like a favor himself
from this person eventually, and he didn't want to use up any capital
he had with that person too soon.

Mr. Ferrazzi and I must drink a similar mix of Kool-Aid, because we both find this sort of reasoning completely nonsensical.

As far as entrepreneurship in Utah is concerned, I'm in a similar
position to David's in the above story. I've been shaking hands with,
working with, arranging meetings with, and having lunch with Utah
entrepreneurs for the last three years now. I treasure the experiences
I've had in this time. These are people who I admire and wish to
emulate.

But I know that the more I bring others into the circle, and the more
they succeed because of their connectedness, the more I succeed. In
connecting others I become connected more.

And that brings me to another subject covered in this chapter, Receiving generosity.

Beginning entrepreneurs must come to terms with a very simple, but
rarely addressed idea. The idea is that there are people in the world
who need nothing from you, and want nothing from you except to know
that they have helped.

An excellent example of this is my mentorship with prominent Utah entrepreneur, Jerry Ropelato.

I was in the midst of reading this book when I met Jerry at an
entrepreneurship function. Jerry has a background in technology, and
has experience in small technical businesses like my own. After meeting
Jerry at this event, I contacted him and asked if he would mentor me.

Since that time, Jerry has been far more generous with his time and talents...and contacts, than I could ever have anticipated.

And so the messages to take away are twofold:

1. You must ask for generosity. Even people who are willing to help don't know what you need until you ask for it.
2. You must accept generosity when it is proffered, gladly, and without demanding to pay it back.

Because you can