Honestly, telling people about the importance of meaningful connections in business today almost seems trite. Unfortunately, many of us, myself included, aren’t as good as we need to be or want to be at actually making and maintaining meaningful connections. But what if we had a system for doing it? And what if we could understand the 5 most important aspects of gaining and maintaining connections? What that help? I hope so – because that’s what we’re talking about in this episode. In my conversation with Vincent Pugliese, we discuss how building a network consistently over time, through a lens of generosity rather than selfishness, is what will help us build connections that will pay off (and not just financially!). Along the way, we talk about standards and expectations in relationships, the importance of spending time on and with people who value what you do, and the collaborative elements of connection. Vincent is the author of The Wealth of Connection and Freelance to Freedom, a keynote speaker, and the host of the Total Life Freedom Podcast. He is the owner of The Total Life Freedom Mastermind Community - which brings entrepreneurs and small business owners together to build a life of time, money, and location freedom. Vincent Pugliese is, most importantly, a husband to his wife, Elizabeth, and father to their three sons, Andrew, Nolan, and Dylan. Vincent and his family live in Bradenton, Florida, where they home school their three sons through interest-based learning. And be sure to subscribe to The Self-Employed Life in Apple Podcasts or follow us on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts so you don’t miss an episode. Everything you need can all be found at jeffreyshaw.com.  Vincent Pugliese, thank you so much for being here! Remember, you might be in business FOR yourself but you are not in business BY yourself. Be your best self. Be proud and keep changing the world.     Guest Contact – Vincent Pugliese on LinkedIn (ln/vincent-pugliese-3955321a) Vincent Pugliese on Facebook (@vincent.pugliese.16) TotalLifeFreedom.com The Total Life Freedom Podcast The Total Life Freedom Community The Wealth of Connection Free Audio Book The Wealth of Connection: A New Approach to Making Business Personal by Vincent Pugliese Freelance to Freedom: The Roadmap for Creating a Side Business to Achieve Financial, Time and Life Freedom by Vincent Pugliese Contact Jeffrey – JeffreyShaw.com Books by Jeffrey Shaw Business Coaching for Entrepreneurs The Self-Employed Summit Watch my TEDx LincolnSquare video and please share!     Valuable complimentary resources to help you –   The Self-Employed Business Institute — You know you're really good at what you do. You're talented, you have a skill set. The problem is you're probably in a field where there is no business education. This is common amongst self-employed people! And, there's no business education out there for us! You also know that being self-employed is unique and you need better strategies, coaching, support, and accountability. The Self-Employed Business Institute, a five-month online education is exactly what you need. Check it out! Take The Self-Employed Assessment! — Ever feel like you're all over the place? Or frustrated it seems like you have everything you need for your business success but it's somehow not coming together? Take this short quiz to discover the biggest hidden gap that’s keeping you from having a thriving Self-Employed Ecosystem. You’ll find out what part of your business needs attention and you'll also get a few laser-focused insights to help you start closing that gap. Have Your Website Brand Message Reviewed! — Is your website speaking the right LINGO of your ideal customers? Having reviewed hundreds of websites, I can tell you 98% of websites are not. Fill out the simple LINGO Review application and I'll take a look at your website. I'll email you a few suggestions to improve your brand message to attract more of your ideal customer