Random Observation/Comment #682: “It’s not about who you know, it’s about who knows you.”
Why this list?
Knowledge is at our fingertips, but we can’t have hands-on business or technical experience across all topics. Sometimes, you just need to “know a guy” that can get you connected to the right services. Maybe it’s good enough to just “know a guy that knows all the guys.” Maybe I can be that guy.
This is not an exclusive list for careers of importance – a single friend can cover a lot of these areas if they are passionate about these things. Also, I’m clearly not just your friend because you contribute some specialized service – that just feels wrong. I do think that I can provide some of these services and I’m happy to excel as a subject matter expert.
- Doctor – Not to call up and ask about lumps, but it’s always good to ask for high level advice.
- Lawyer – The legal network is pretty important in the US. So many people suing each other all the time. I’d ask for advice from a lawyer friend for some base activities. At least needed for writing and executing a will.
- Accountant – Underrated person to know not just for taxes, but for tax advice.
- IT guy – Hey, this is usually me. Yes, I can probably make your computer and phone faster as well as make sure you have an awesome build. Also, you always need a devops guy.
- Scientist – Someone that studies obscure sciences like infectious diseases could randomly come in handy during something like a pandemic.
- Mechanic – I wish I knew more about cars, but the truth is I am terrible at maintenance and would rather know someone to help me with changing oil.
- Entrepreneur – Some of this is for the know-how in bootstrapping, but a lot of it is just thought leadership in the field. Entrepreneurs (at least the successful ones) have a tendency to know a lot of people and have grit to get answers.
- Publisher – I love picking their brains about books in general and getting advice for book writing, editing, and promotion. I think everyone should try writing a book or at least memoirs. Maybe it’s a somewhat dying field.
- English/Philosophy professor – From my experience, professors as friends are actually pretty cool. They read such inspiring passages and enjoy sharing inspiration.
- Someone in movie production – This is not to say I’d want to make a movie, but the movie production must take a lot of contacts. I especially love post production work.
- Photographer – Hey, this is also me. I may not be able to shoot your wedding, but I can make recommendations and view a portfolio and price to see if they’re good.
- Videographer / Video editor – Honestly, so much is in video nowadays that you’ll probably want to do something in this medium and need to ask for advice about equipment, lighting setup, or video processing software. I may also group into this a bit of directing and editing.
- Musician – You certainly know how to party. Not that I’d start a band, but musicians are fun and have great stories if they play professionally.
- Dancer – In case you ever need to learn a wedding dance or just a simple box step, dancers can at least help you practice.
- Long term investment manager – I don’t give short term investment advice, but by current macro economic trends, you’ll probably see bigger companies getting bigger, tech boom, pharma overall growth, home improvement growth, Chinese stock growth, alternative energy added demand, and fast bank rebounds.
- Technical Analyst / Trader – They probably won’t give you trading advice and just say to invest money long term instead of timing the market, but they tend to give great insight.
- Economist – Not to help write papers, but good conversations on emerging patterns
- Suit maker – This used to be more important, and I definitely got a guy for this. Class never goes out of style.
- Home improvement expert – It’s nice to borrow a ladder. Generally, I know very little about taking care of a house, so this is a necessary friend connection. Extra points for being a neighbor. Need a good friend to help me hang up a tree.
- Carpenter – Sometimes home made vintage pieces bring a living room together. I’d totally want to ask someone to help me build a media console table.
- Chef / Home cook – I’d ask for recipes, but I really just want to cook with you. Can’t wait for potlucks to be a thing again. Also super fun to do niche stuff like Instagram-worthy cheese platters.
- Beer brewer – Brewers always have new beers to try out. I don’t think I’ll get tired of IPAs out here. Brewers are also great chemists.
- Outdoors person – Most valuable long term skill if the world gets blasted back to pre-tech days. I have a list of 30 survival skills I should probably learn better.
- Graphics designer – Sometimes you need advice on how to make an awesome logo. I’ve found graphics designers to have good taste.
- Gardener – Sometimes you just need advice on plants and landscaping. Gardener friends hopefully have good connections in this area.
- Someone who stays in shape – Super health conscious people have great recipes and recommendations on workout routines. I may not do them all, but I can incorporate some good ones.
- Space enthusiasts – There’s just so much cool stuff about privatized space programs. SpaceX launches. Starlink. So cool. Need a space guy to talk space stuff.
- City local guide – I like doing stuff around the city and eating at restaurants off of recommendations. Anyone who explores a city or hikes is welcome to chat about the hidden treasures.
- Sports enthusiast – If you know me, you know I rarely bring up sports. I know enough to enjoy watching it, but I have no passion towards teams or rivalries. Usually cheering for the underdog.
- Cryptocurrency guy – This me. I do more enterprise integrations, but I know more about this topic than a normal/sane person should.
Which person are you for this relationship? Do people come to you for advice for specialized areas?
*** Listener – One of the hardest skills and important traits because it’s not always about solutions and advice. Sometimes listening and making space is the solution.
~See Lemons Know a Guy for Everything
