Nobody talks about this strategy

When I first landed in Dubai, everyone told me the same thing:

“Go to the in person networking events. That’s where the deals happen.”

So I did.

Week after week I was dropping $60, sometimes $100, to stand in a room full of strangers with name tags, fake smiles, and way too much cologne.

I collected business cards like a kid collecting football stickers.

Left pocket = follow up.
Right pocket = bin when I get home.

I’d come home, tell Antonia about the amazing connections I’d made. But deep down I knew nothing had really happened.

Because no one was actually listening.

Everyone was there to pitch. Every conversation felt like a transaction. And the second you stopped talking, you were already being scanned for relevance.

It was a dopamine rush with a financial hangover.

That’s when I realised: if everyone in the room is trying to sell, no one is there to buy.

So what’s the point?

I needed to find a smarter way to build relationships. Not shallow ones.

Real connections with people I respected… and who respected me.

That’s when podcasting clicked.

Whether you’re a host or a guest, podcasting puts you in the right room.

You sit down with smart founders, deep thinkers, people you’d never meet at a casual networking event. And for 30–60 minutes, you listen to each other.

You get to share your story. They get to share theirs. And both of you leave with something more than a LinkedIn connection.

It’s not just exposure. It’s borrowed trust.

You tap into their audience. They tap into yours.

The trust they’ve built transfers to you.. and vice versa.

It’s the ultimate shortcut to real credibility and real connection.

That’s why we started our podcast.

That’s why we’ve now interviewed over $3–4 billion worth of guests around the world.

That’s why we go on at least 2 shows per month as guests.

That’s why we’re in rooms we never would’ve accessed through traditional networking.

Because this is how high leverage networking really works.

And that brings me to today’s guest…

🎙️ New Podcast Episode: Rony Hage

In this episode, we dive into founder loneliness, why networking often feels fake, and how to build a real community of people who actually get what you’re going through.

If you’ve ever felt like the only one who’s struggling while everyone else is “crushing it”... this episode is for you.

-Freddie

When you’re ready, here are 4 ways we can help you: