Aug 31, 2023 · 54m · startup-ideas
3 Non-Obvious Networking Strategies That Work
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In this episode, Greg Isenberg and Phil Toronto deconstruct modern networking, sharing actionable strategies for hosting low-cost gatherings, unlocking serendipity through travel, and building authentic professional relationships without soul-crushing mixers.
How this conversation actually went
Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. Greg holds 47% of the talking time here. How this is scored →
Greg as informed peer 5.0 Guest teaching 2.9 Guest disagreement 1.4 Greg pushing back 1.9
speaking balance: gold is Greg, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 14:09 Correcting an oversimplified summary
Phil firmly pushes back against Greg's generalization that people should avoid networking events entirely, emphasizing that the rule is avoiding events without clear intention.
Hardest push from Greg ▶ 33:31 Countering the utility of massive cultural eventsGreg challenges Phil's tactic of boondoggling major events, presenting his own experience in Austin to argue that large festivals prevent deep, meaningful relationship building.
Biggest teaching moment ▶ 49:15 Phil highlights the flaw in standard networking questionsPhil explains why Dan's strict ban on discussing occupations forces guests to connect genuinely rather than defaulting to the standard transactional conversational crutch.
Greg holds their own ▶ 21:46 Greg details Tony Robbins' captive multi-preneur ecosystemGreg demonstrates insider knowledge of Robbins' operation, citing specific details such as room temperature management and populating sponsor halls exclusively with Robbins' own portfolio companies.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
| Chapter | Topic | Greg as informed peer | Guest teaching | Guest disagreement | Greg pushing back | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beverage Banter and Setting the Show's Tone | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | The episode opens with lighthearted banter where Greg jokingly tries to one-up Phil's sparkling water with his own soda setup and tequila. Phil explains his sarcastic LinkedIn title and his philosophy on happiness following a health scare. | |
| Eliminating 'Should' and Avoiding Soul-Crushing Networking Events | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | Greg shares a TikTok anecdote about canine mortality before asking Phil about practical life changes. Phil outlines his rule of eliminating the word 'should' and stepping away from unfocused, soul-crushing VC networking mixers. | |
| Curating Niche Gatherings and the Brooklyn Orange Wine Story | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | Phil advocates for niche sub-communities and hosting small dinners where each guest brings an unfamiliar plus-one. When Greg summarizes the takeaway as avoiding networking events entirely, Phil quickly clarifies that the rule is avoiding events without intention. | |
| Saying Yes to Unique Experiences: The Tulsa Venture | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | Phil shares a story about saying yes to an unconventional three-day birthday trip to Tulsa organized by an acquaintance he had just met. Greg inquires into the intuitive trust signals that made Phil commit to the trip. | |
| Deconstructing Tony Robbins' Multi-Preneur Masterclass | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Greg commands the conversation with an in-depth breakdown of Tony Robbins' Business Mastery event, detailing how Robbins controls the room temperature at 60 degrees, leverages music, and sells across his personal portfolio of 110 co-owned companies without outside sponsors. | |
| Alex Hormozi as the Next-Generation Tony Robbins | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | Greg draws parallels between Alex Hormozi's launch webinar staging and Tony Robbins' live seminars, synthesizing a thesis that Hormozi is the modern Tony Robbins for digital creators. | |
| The Strategic Art of 'Boondoggling' at Cultural Events | 6 | 4 | 2 | 5 | Phil discusses the strategy of traveling to cultural events without tickets just to attend peripheral gatherings. Greg pushes back by noting that massive events only facilitate fleeting, shallow interactions, prompting Phil to agree and reframe cultural events as purely top-of-funnel opportunities. | |
| Analyzing Michael Rubin's White Party and Low-Lift Event Hosting | 6 | 3 | 2 | 3 | The pair analyze Michael Rubin's star-studded Fanatics White Party in the Hamptons. Greg suggests destination homes are elite networking assets, but Phil and Greg quickly pivot to showing how anyone can negotiate free venue space at local cafes for low-lift gatherings. | |
| Spontaneous Gatherings and Dan's 'No Work Talk' Dinners | 4 | 5 | 1 | 2 | Phil recounts Gary Vaynerchuk's spontaneous SXSW secret wine parties and describes Dan's interactive experiential dinner series, emphasizing the pivotal rule of prohibiting any conversation about work. |
Statements from this episode (17)
Toronto: Inability to take joke job titles signals poor working compatibility
“If you can't take the joke and you scoff at that title, we're probably not gonna work well together.”
Toronto: Aimless networking events are detrimental to mental health
“In the field of venture capital, kind of important to Schmooze and network and mingle, but it's usually done with a lack of intention that I think is detrimental. I'll go so far as to say to your mental health, because you're kind of floating around your show …”
Toronto: Narrow down your role and target niche sub-communities to break into tech
“But if you are trying to get your start and you're trying to break in, I think you find, or you try and narrow in on what you're looking for a bit first, rather than the broad, I want to break into tech, but like what sector do you want to be an engineer? Do y…”
Isenberg: Stop attending networking events and start hosting your own
“I feel like people, people listening should just, like, don't go to events, throw events.”
Isenberg: Tony Robbins' Business Mastery tickets start at $10,000
“They're like, Hey, it's like literally tickets start at 10,000 dollars. You're going to be sitting courtside, like front row.”
Isenberg: Tony Robbins is nearly a billionaire co-owning 110 companies
“So first of all, the guy's nearly a billionaire. Didn't know that. He co-owns 110 companies.”
Isenberg: Tony Robbins rejects outside sponsors to promote his own companies
“There's, like, different booths, but the booths are his companies, right? It's, like, his accounting firm, his legal firm so he doesn't accept advertisers and sponsors to his events, which is like totally like multi-preneur creator led sort of entrepreneur vib…”
Isenberg: Tony Robbins keeps event rooms at 60 degrees to force movement
“I literally walked by the thermostat. It's 60 degrees. He sets his 60 degrees Fahrenheit. So he sets it to be really cold. And the reason he does that is he wants people to like get up and move so that they get like the energy flowing”
Isenberg: Alex Hormozi's '$100M Leads' Livestream Had Over 500,000 Viewers
“He also threw while the Tony Robbins event was happening. He threw a launch event for his new book called a hundred million dollar leads. And he had more than 500,000 people in the live stream at the event.”
Isenberg: Alex Hormozi is the modern-day Tony Robbins for young people
“Which leads me to my thesis that Alex Hermosi is the modern day Tony Robbins for young people.”
Toronto: Side parties at major cultural festivals are a networking unlock
“Showing up at a large cultural event and all the ancillary things that happen around it is a huge unlock because you just, you go where the people are and
You figure it out for the most part, but I just showing up is, is a big piece of it”
Toronto: People are far more open to booking meetings during major events
“The pretense of it being a major cultural event, I think people are more apt to meet with you or get that coffee. Whereas like, if you just show up randomly January, 21st for no other reason, Hey, I'm in LA. No, sorry. I'm busy. There's stuff going on, whateve…”
Toronto: Major events are ideal for initial contacts, not deep relationships
“To deepen or advance a relationship in a meaningful way, like whether that's friendship, business, whatever, it's really tough to do in that setting. But I think for the initial contact and kind of, yeah, the initial contact and making, making an inroad, I gue…”
Toronto: Event Hosts Can Secure Free Venues Through Coffee Shop Partnerships
“Host and have a destination. You don't have to own it. I mean, you know, you could have an agreement with a coffee shop or something that where you can host things for free as long as you bring folks in and just to have the ability to be the host and have a de…”
Isenberg: In-Person Events Have Higher Success Rates in 2023 Than 2019
“I also think, I want to say that, you know, IRL is just underrated, like IRL events are underrated, especially like post-COVID. People are just trying to like, people are excited to go to events, and so there is an opportunity right now for people listening wh…”
Toronto: Gary Vaynerchuk drew 1,000-person crowds to SXSW pop-ups via Twitter
“Back in the day, he had what was called the secret wine party back in 20, no, not even 22,007, 2008, even Predates me and we've been working together for 13 years. He would literally roll up to a bar. You did this started in South by Southwest say, Hey, I'm go…”
Toronto: Banning work talk makes professional dinner gatherings much more powerful
“The pinnacle rule was you cannot talk about work. Or what you do. And that in and of itself was powerful. And I think freeing at the same time, because I think a crutch that people tend to use for better or for worse is just the first question out of your mout…”