Podcasts about hour cocktail party

Show NotesUS Department of Health and Human Services on Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy's Advisory on the Devastating Impact of the Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation in the United StatesDr. Vivek Murthy's discussion regarding the Loneliness Epidemic at Yale School of ManagementFind your local death cafeMeetup.comBumble for FriendsThe 2-Hour Cocktail Party: How to Build Big Relationships with Small Gatherings by Nick GrayNick Gray discussing The 2-Hour Cocktail Party on Build a Wealthy Spirit episode 120Build a Wealthy Spirit's example of a friend database template on Notion. If you would like your own copy, just click the “duplicate” button in the top right-hand corner of the browser. You will need to have created a notion account to create a duplicate.Build a Wealthy Spirit's step-by-step guide on How to Build a CommunityCommunity ShoutoutThank you Kendall, Clay and TJ for listening to our episode with Jordan Grumet author of The Purpose Code. You will be receiving a free copy of The Purpose CodeThank you Lucca, Becky, Marina, Paul and Harris for your thoughts on our episode about The Four Tendencies. Speaking of Lucca! If you love creative storytelling, bold ideas, and a touch of daring inspiration, subscribe to Lucca's new newsletter The Tattooed Ghost. It's a newsletter packed with unique insights, captivating segments, and a serialized story you won't want to miss!Thank you Raina for listening to the podcast!Thank you Masha for your thoughts on Deprogramming From the Corporate Mindset. Richa Vadini Singh thank you for listening and your thoughts on our Death Clock Episode!. Writing Coaching With Michelle VargheseHow Can I Help:Gentle but firm accountability to help you write consistently - support in knowing when to push and when to pauseCritical and supportive essay feedback for up to 5 piFind more show notes and interact with the Build A Wealthy Spirit community at buildawealthyspirit.com!

You probably know this by now: I'm highly introverted.But in business, there are things I must do despite the fact that they don't come naturally. Speaking. Creating content. Networking. While, yes, sometimes these things can feel draining, they're essential to growing our businesses and building relationships.That's why I was so excited to sit down with Nick Gray, the mastermind behind hosting successful events and making meaningful connections. He's the author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party and has built his career around bringing people together—even when it doesn't feel natural.In this episode, Nick shares tips that can make events and networking less overwhelming, especially for introverts like me.Click PLAY to hear all of this and…(00:00:00) How to host parties and network (even when you're an introvert.)(00:02:01) The struggles I face with mingling at events and feeling awkward in social settings.(00:04:42) Nick's advice on leaving events discreetly (AKA The Irish Exit.)(00:05:29) Doing this ONE thing helps introverts feel more comfortable at events and parties.00:08:52) How Nick grew his museum tour business.(00:11:59) How I REALLY felt hosting my team for a Christmas party.(00:14:26) Nick's brilliant advice about what to prioritize during a party or event.(00:16:11) What the best time to make a connection at a conference is.(00:32:40) Nick's tips on how to create connections as the host of an event.(00:37:08) The BEST way to make an introduction to someone.(00:40:40) An overview of Nick's business model and revenue streams.(00:46:09) Nick's storytelling techniques.(00:48:57) The significance of audience reactions during live events versus online content.(00:50:04) The complexities of sharing personal experiences with online audiences.(00:54:10) Nick's checklist of essential tasks to complete before hosting an event.For full show notes, visit jasminestar.com/podcast/episode501Listen to Related Episodes:How to Create More Meaningful Relationships in BusinessEmotional Intelligence in Leadership: How You Can Develop, Practice, and Improve It[9 min] Embracing Feedback to Grow Personally and ProfessionallyMentioned in this Episode:Nametags (Nick Recommended)

What if you could transform your social life with just a two-hour cocktail party? Discover the secrets with Nick Gray, the mastermind behind "The Two-Hour Cocktail Party," as we chat about hosting unforgettable gatherings that bring people closer together. Nick shares his unique morning routine, featuring a twist on bulletproof coffee, while we swap stories about hearty breakfasts and the joys of air frying bacon. We also take a nostalgic stroll down memory lane, reflecting on college parties and how our social habits evolve as we grow older, offering insights into making every interaction count.As we unpack the art of hosting, Nick breaks down his structured approach to creating successful events, ensuring you never stress about party planning again. From mastering icebreakers like asking, "What's one of your favorite things?" to embracing the "minimum viable party" concept, this episode is brimming with practical tips to rejuvenate your social connections. Whether you're an extroverted analyst or someone looking to reconnect post-COVID, learn how to foster friendships in a meaningful way, even if you opt for a mocktail party instead of traditional cocktails. Tune in for a refreshing perspective that promises to turn your social gatherings from mundane to memorable.Support the show► Subscribe to The Scott Townsend Show YouTube channel --- https://bit.ly/3iV8sOTThe Scott Townsend Show Merchandise https://teespring.com/stores/tsts-2Resources and Links--------------------------------------------My contact info:LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2ZZ4qweTwitter https://bit.ly/3enLDQaFacebook https://bit.ly/2Od4ItOInstagram https://bit.ly/2ClncWlSend me a text: 918-397-0327Executive Producer: Ben TownsendCreative Consultant: Matthew Blue TownsendShot with a 1080P Webcam with Microphone, https://amzn.to/32gfgAuSamson Technologies Q2U USB/XLR Dynamic Microphone Recording and Podcasting Pack https://amzn.to/3TIbACeVoice Actor: Britney McCulloughLogo by Angie Jordan https://blog.angiejordan.com/contact/Theme Song by Androzguitar https://www.fiverr.com/inbox/androzguitar

Wie jedes Jahr haben wir uns wieder für euch in einer tollen Kulisse zusammengesetzt und das Jahr 2023 Revue passieren lassen. Und abgesehen davon, dass wir mittlerweile der erfolgreichste Sachbuchpodcast Deutschlands sind, ist uns aufgefallen, dass wir uns im letzten Jahr sehr viel mit Gesundheit (sowohl physisch als auch mental) beschäftigt haben. In dieser Highlightfolge stellen wir euch wieder unsere Lieblingsbücher des letzten Jahres vor und dieses Mal gibt es die Top 3 Bücher für ein langes und gesundes Leben...wenn das mal nichts ist ;) Auf ein gutes 2024!Fabian & Simonp.S. Wir möchten gerne mit euch den SW Podcast Buchclub starten. Wenn ihr daran Interesse habt, meldet euch im Newsletter an, und ihr erfahrt direkt, wenn es losgeht: https://www.swpodcast.de/buchclub---Kapitel in dieser Folge: Diese 3 Bücher helfen euch dabei, dass 2024 das gesündeste Jahr eures Lebens wird:02:20 Der Glukose-Trick (https://amzn.to/48LCr5o)07:35 Outlive (https://amzn.to/47ORdas)13:57 Gefährlich Lecker (https://amzn.to/3U7003R)Unser Lieblingsbuch zu mentaler Gesundheit für 2024:23:30 Stress dich richtig (https://amzn.to/3u9LrSv)Networking auf dem nächsten Level:28:37 2-Hour Cocktail Party (https://amzn.to/3S77Xn1)Das schönste Buch über die Sinne und Welt der Tiere. MUST READ!33:52 An Immense World (https://amzn.to/4b9SlYD)---Hier findet ihr noch zweiten Podcast aus dem SW Podcast Universum:Startup Piraten, DER Podcast für die Münchner Startup-Szene (www.startuppiraten.de)Danke an den Görreshof (www.goerreshof.de), dass wir bei euch dieses Jahr aufnehmen durften!Und natürlich wie immer: Euer Feedback, eure Wünsche und eure Gedanken sind uns wichtig! Schreibt uns dazu eine E-Mail an feedback@swpodcast.de.Du willst mehr lesen und dich mit Gleichgesinnten austauschen? Dann komm in unseren SW Podcast Buchclub Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why should people host more events than they do right now? Under what conditions shouldn't a person host more events? Do these suggestions apply to introverts? What's the best RSVP tool? What is "double opt-in"? What's the ideal length of time for a social event? What kinds of ice-breaker activities, if any, should hosts use? What are the primary factors that affect people's enjoyment of an event? What does it mean to "compress and release" in an event or party context? Which nights of the week are best for hosting events? When should hosts end the event? What should hosts do if people's energy or enjoyment seems to be flagging? Should everyone get a name tag? How should hosts follow up after an event? What is "the strength of weak ties"? Should events be used as business networking tools? How can someone meet more interesting people?Nick Gray is an entrepreneur and best-selling author living in Austin, Texas. He started and sold two successful companies: Flight Display Systems and Museum Hack. Nick is the author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, a step-by-step handbook that teaches you how to build big relationships by hosting small gatherings. Over 75,000 people have watched his TEDx talk about why he hates most museums. He's been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and New York Magazine, which called him a host of "culturally significant parties." Connect with him on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, or TikTok; sign up for his newsletter; or learn more about him on his website, nickgray.net.Further reading:The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: How to Build Big Relationships with Small Gatherings, by Nick GrayThe Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters, by Priya ParkerStaffSpencer Greenberg — Host / DirectorJosh Castle — ProducerRyan Kessler — Audio EngineerUri Bram — FactotumWeAmplify — TranscriptionistsMusicBroke for FreeJosh WoodwardLee RosevereQuiet Music for Tiny Robotswowamusiczapsplat.comAffiliatesClearer ThinkingGuidedTrackMind EasePositlyUpLift[Read more]

Show NotesUS Department of Health and Human Services on Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy's Advisory on the Devastating Impact of the Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation in the United StatesDr. Vivek Murthy's discussion regarding the Loneliness Epidemic at Yale School of ManagementFind your local death cafeMeetup.comBumble for FriendsThe 2-Hour Cocktail Party: How to Build Big Relationships with Small Gatherings by Nick GrayNick Gray discussing The 2-Hour Cocktail Party on Build a Wealthy Spirit episode 120Build a Wealthy Spirit's example of a friend database template on Notion. If you would like your own copy, just click the “duplicate” button in the top right-hand corner of the browser. You will need to have created a notion account to create a duplicate.Build a Wealthy Spirit's step-by-step guide on How to Build a CommunityCheck out our talk about community at Camp FI  Want to Join Michelle's Sabbatical Course?Michelle and Toby recently reunited with the first cohort of their sabbatical course. It is more than just a course, it is a community of people looking to think outside the corporate box. Anyone interested in sabbaticals is welcome to join. . Click here if you are interested in joining the course!Find more show notes and interact with the Build A Wealthy Spirit community at buildawealthyspirit.com!

Episode 627: Sam Parr ( https://x.com/theSamParr ) and Shaan Puri ( https://x.com/ShaanVP ) talk to the socially rich, “Friends Billionaire”, Nick Gray ( https://x.com/nickgraynews ) about how to be a master networker, throw the perfect cocktail party, plus 7 simple business ideas. — Show Notes:  (0:00) Intro (4:12) If you had $10M, how would you live? (10:11) Find who your heroes follow (13:29) Speedrun of Nick Gray's career (22:15) Idea: White label enterprise sales (26:08) Idea: Millionaire Matchmaker (37:22) Idea: web-hosting services (45:00) Idea: Airbnb experiences (48:55) Idea: Geek Squad as a service (55:00) Idea: VHS to digital conversion as a service (58:58) Idea: Bring blogging back (1:04:05) The persuasion of liking (1:09:14) How to throw a Nick Gray party  — Links: • Get our business idea database here https://clickhubspot.com/mfm • Museum Hack - https://museumhack.com/ • “If I Had $10M” - https://nickgray.net/if-i-had-10m/ • vs3 Web Services - https://vs3.net/ • Airbnb Experiences - https://www.airbnb.com/s/experiences • Elemind - https://x.com/elemindtech • Nick's blog - https://nickgray.net • The 2-Hour Cocktail Party - https://tinyurl.com/4p6h4xnu — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: Need to hire? You should use the same service Shaan uses to hire developers, designers, & Virtual Assistants → it's called Shepherd (tell ‘em Shaan sent you): https://bit.ly/SupportShepherd — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton - https://www.joinhampton.com/ • Ideation Bootcamp - https://www.ideationbootcamp.co/ • Copy That - https://copythat.com • Hampton Wealth Survey - https://joinhampton.com/wealth • Sam's List - http://samslist.co/ My First Million is a HubSpot Original Podcast // Brought to you by The HubSpot Podcast Network // Production by Arie Desormeaux // Editing by Ezra Bakker Trupiano

About the EpisodeMuseum Hack Founder and Author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, Nick Gray joins the podcast for an exciting conversation on the power of hosting and the ways in which it changed his life. From giving a tour to the Saudi Arabian royal family to hanging out with a billionaire in Asia, he openly delves into all his fascinating adventures while sharing practical tips on hosting and making friends.Join us as we exploreNick's journey from trying to start a software company in India, moving to NYC and building Museum Hack, to where he is nowThe art of active hosting and how to use it to meet interesting, new peopleDealing with rejected invitations and importance of providing value to the people you meetHis passion for adventure, along with tips for aspiring travelersThe little things that Nick splurges on and uses everydayIf you're someone who's interested in learning about the best way to host a party or simply love a good adventure, Nick's stories are sure to give you all the fun and insight you need!Resources MentionedThe 2-Hour Cocktail Party by Nick GrayStoryworthy by Matthew DicksBuckwheat pillowWeighted blanketTrelloUpworkChapters00:00 - Preview00:50 - Mateina Yerba Mate2:56 - How Andrew First Met Nick5:08 - Nick's Newsletter6:01 - Starting a Software Company in India to Living in NYC9:30 - Museum Hack11:33 - Benefits of Having A Newsletter14:25 - The 2-Hour Cocktail Party & Active Hosting19:25 - The N.I.C.K. Method23:03 - Prioritizing Adventure Over Money24:34 - Growing Social Circles Through Hosting28:33 - Nick's Friendship Funnel37:55 - Tips for Hosting41:00 - Rejection With Invites43:23 - Nick's Favorite Hosts44:28 - Adding Value to People You Meet54:34 - Balancing Adventure With Routine59:11 - Finding Interesting Experiences1:03:01 - Nick's Views on Travel1:05:22 - Nick's Blind Date in Tokyo1:09:10 - Nick's Investments1:11:02 - How Nick Enjoys His Money1:18:15 - Nick's Daily Routine1:22:43 - Nick's Productivity System

Welcome to another episode of our podcast where we dive deep into the art of creating meaningful connections and unforgettable gatherings. Today, we're thrilled to have Nick Gray, the visionary founder of Museum Hack and the brilliant mind behind the book "The Two-Hour Cocktail Party," join us for a conversation that promises to reshape your approach to hosting. Key Takeaways The importance of hosting events to build networks and bring people together. Creating personal and memorable experiences by hosting events at one's home. Utilizing specific structures and icebreakers to facilitate engagement and connection at parties. The impact of personal invitations and the concept of 'mixing buckets' to foster diverse connections.  About Nick Gray  Nick Gray is an entrepreneur and best-selling author living in Austin, Texas. He started and sold two successful companies: Flight Display Systems and Museum Hack. Nick is the author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, a step-by-step handbook that teaches you how to build big relationships by hosting small gatherings. Over 75,000 people have watched his TEDx talk about why he hates most museums. He's been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and New York Magazine called him a host of “culturally significant parties.”  In This Episode [00:00] Welcome to the show! [05:52] Meet Nick Gray [13:34] Starting out with Hosting [15:28] Hosting as a business strategy [17:11] The formula [23:46] You CAN get better [25:52] Example case study [31:40] Getting people to show up on time [33:02] The impact on your network [39:34] Connect with Nick [40:58] Outro Quotes  “I'd rather have someone leave my party hungry rather than bored.” - Nick Gray “You've got to mix the buckets. Not everybody is going to become best friends, but there will be some people who hit it off that are going to blow your mind.” - Nick Gray  “I have a whole chapter dedicated to why you should host at your home. When you host in your home, it is such a vulnerable act to bring someone into your personal space and it really shifts the relationship.” - Nick Gray Guest Links   Find Nick Gray online Follow Nick Gray on Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | TikTok | YouTube Connect with Nick Gray on LinkedIn The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, by Nick Gray Party Reminder Messages: The 3 You MUST Send How to Host a Party in a Small Apartment Where to Throw a Party? Ideas and Venues for 2023 Party Times: Start, End, & Best Times Icebreaker Name Tags: Examples and How to Do It RIGHT How to Host an Event: Parties & Networking Icebreaker Activities for Your Next Event Friendship Recession Website 7 Small Trade Show Booth Ideas for 2023 Links  Download the PDF resource guide to Unlock the Power of AI  Find out more about the Onward Summit  Join the Grow Your Video Business Facebook Group  Follow Ryan Koral on Instagram Follow Grow Your Video Business on Instagram Check out the full show notes

Learn how to build big relationships by hosting small cocktail parties.ABOUT NICK GRAYNick Gray is an entrepreneur and best-selling author living in Austin, Texas. He started and sold two successful companies: Flight Display Systems and Museum Hack. Nick is the author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, a step-by-step handbook that teaches you how to build big relationships by hosting small gatherings. Over 75,000 people have watched his TEDx talk about why he hates most museums. He's been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and New York Magazine called him a host of “culturally significant parties.”EPISODE LINKSThe 2-Hour Cocktail Partyhttps://party.pro CONNECT WITH US Claim Your Weekly EDGE Newsletter. It's FREE.Written by Brandon with insights giving you an edge to win in your business and your life. Over 24,200 readers and counting! OTHER GREAT PODCASTS ON THE THE BEST PODCASTS NETWORK PRODUCTIVITYDaily productivity tips in less than 4 minutes a day. Business PlanHow to write a business plan, the modern business plan way. Danielle & Brandon Show All about owning a business MARKETING PodcastMarketing science revealing successful marketing. 401k Plans PodcastSet up and run your company's 401k retirement savings plans correctly. Car Accident Lawyer PodcastBest lawyer advice. podcast for entrepreneurs

Humans are not meant to be alone all the time. But with jobs to fulfill,  businesses to run, kids to look after, and loved ones to spend time with, how do you gather old and new folks to rekindle friendships and encourage new connections? What better way to bring people together than hosting a cocktail party, right? Nick Gray, the founder of Museum Hack and author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: How to Build Big Relationships with Small Gatherings, joins us to share how he went from helping his family's businesses to launching his own tour operator business and then writing his very first book about the benefits of hosting social gatherings.  In this episode, Nick looks back at how he made it possible to help his family grow their business by leading their hiring, marketing, and international sales. He takes us back to when he started and grew Museum Hack and reveals why he sold and exited the company in 2018. Nick also talks about the benefits of hosting cocktail parties in widening your network and building connections. Topics include: How Nick became a museum tour guide and turned Hack the Met tours into a business How long it took Nick to launch his book, The 2-Hour Cocktail Party Nick and Darius share one thing to consider before publishing a book How Nick grew Museum Hack before he stepped down and sold the company The biggest fear of a new party host and how to avoid it Nick reveals the best days to host a cocktail party The secret formula to successfully hosting parties and making new friends Nick explains why a conventional cocktail party lasts only 2 hours Tips for parents who want to host or attend a party How to leverage party hosting And other topics… Resources: How to Host a Party Website: https://party.pro/  The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: https://party.pro/book/   The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: https://amzn.to/39rfb2V   The Easy Way to Host or Plan a Networking Event: https://party.pro/networking/  How to Plan a Clothing Swap (The Easy Way): https://party.pro/swap/  Hosting a Happy Hour: Nick Gray's How-to Guide: https://party.pro/happyhour/  Kids at Your Party: Get a Sitter: https://party.pro/kids/  Connect with Nick: Website: https://nickgray.net/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickgraynews/?hl=en  Connect with Darius: Website: https://therealdarius.com/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dariusmirshahzadeh/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imthedarius/ YouTube: https://therealdarius.com/youtube Book: The Core Value Equation https://www.amazon.com/Core-Value-Equation-Framework-Limitless/dp/1544506708 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nick Gray is an entrepreneur and best-selling author who started and sold—not one—but two successful companies: Flight Display Systems and Museum Hack. Over 75,000 people have watched his TEDx talk about why he hates most museums.  He's also the author of “The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, a step-by-step handbook” that teaches you how to build big relationships by hosting small gatherings.  He's been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and New York Magazine called him a host of “culturally significant parties.” Listen in for some great takeaways about Nick's journey of building and selling successful companies and using his love of cocktail parties to help make friends and grow businesses. You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in... Learn more about entrepreneur Nick Gray [2:25]  How Nick become the Founder of “Museum Hack” [3:58] Successfully growing and selling Museum Hack [6:09] Learn to “hook” your audience in just three seconds [11:05]  Learn more about Nick's book, "The 2-Hour Cocktail Party” [15:43]  Check out our book, “Financial Planning Made Personal” [17:37]  Can you share why you wrote the book and what its message is? How someone who sucks at networking becomes the life of the party [19:53]  How can growing your network of “loose connections” help you succeed? [23:42]  What hosting a 2-hour cocktail party entails [26:00]  Renting an entire indoor waterpark for his 40th birthday [31:33] What Nick did today that put him in the right mindset for success [32:48] Resources & People Mentioned Check out our book, “Financial Planning Made Personal” Nick's Book, “The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: How to Build Big Relationships with Small Gatherings” Museum Hack Connect with Nick Gray The website On Instagram On Twitter On Linkedin On Facebook On YouTube Connect With Mitlin Financial podcast*at*mitlinfinancial(dot)com - email us with your suggestions for topics or guests If you would like to learn more schedule a call: https://mitlin.us/FitCall https://mitlinfinancial.com  Follow on Twitter Follow on Instagram Subscribe on Youtube Follow on Linkedin Follow on Facebook Guests on the Mitlin Money Mindset Show are not affiliated with CWM, LLC, and opinions expressed herein may not be representative of CWM, LLC. CWM, LLC is not responsible for the guest's content linked on this site. Subscribe to Mitlin Money Mindset® on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts

Wie jedes Jahr haben wir uns wieder für euch in einer tollen Kulisse zusammengesetzt und das Jahr 2023 Revue passieren lassen. Und abgesehen davon, dass wir mittlerweile der erfolgreichste Sachbuchpodcast Deutschlands sind, ist uns aufgefallen, dass wir uns im letzten Jahr sehr viel mit Gesundheit (sowohl physisch als auch mental) beschäftigt haben. In dieser Highlightfolge stellen wir euch wieder unsere Lieblingsbücher des letzten Jahres vor und dieses Mal gibt es die Top 3 Bücher für ein langes und gesundes Leben...wenn das mal nichts ist ;) Auf ein gutes 2024!Fabian & Simonp.S. Wir möchten gerne mit euch den SW Podcast Buchclub starten. Wenn ihr daran Interesse habt, meldet euch im Newsletter an, und ihr erfahrt direkt, wenn es losgeht: https://www.swpodcast.de/buchclub---Kapitel in dieser Folge: Diese 3 Bücher helfen euch dabei, dass 2024 das gesündeste Jahr eures Lebens wird:02:20 Der Glukose-Trick (https://amzn.to/48LCr5o)07:35 Outlive (https://amzn.to/47ORdas)13:57 Gefährlich Lecker (https://amzn.to/3U7003R)Unser Lieblingsbuch zu mentaler Gesundheit für 2024:23:30 Stress dich richtig (https://amzn.to/3u9LrSv)Networking auf dem nächsten Level:28:37 2-Hour Cocktail Party (https://amzn.to/3S77Xn1)Das schönste Buch über die Sinne und Welt der Tiere. MUST READ!33:52 An Immense World (https://amzn.to/4b9SlYD)---Hier findet ihr noch zweiten Podcast aus dem SW Podcast Universum:Startup Piraten, DER Podcast für die Münchner Startup-Szene (www.startuppiraten.de)Danke an den Görreshof (www.goerreshof.de), dass wir bei euch dieses Jahr aufnehmen durften!Und natürlich wie immer: Euer Feedback, eure Wünsche und eure Gedanken sind uns wichtig! Schreibt uns dazu eine E-Mail an feedback@swpodcast.de.Du willst mehr lesen und dich mit Gleichgesinnten austauschen? Dann komm in unseren SW Podcast Buchclub

Nick Gray is a successful entrepreneur and author of "The 2 Hour Cocktail Party." During the interview, Nick discusses his approach to making new friends and building a strong network through hosting small gatherings. Hundreds of people have used his "NICK party formula" to host their first happy hour or networking event. Nick has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and New York Magazine called him a host of “culturally significant parties.”00:00 Intro01:40 Challenges of hosting events as an introvert06:55 The power of loose connections11:07 What makes an event successful14:35 Tips for ending conversations at events14:35 Tips for ending conversations at events18:09 How to become the person everyone wants to talk to23:24 Effective opening questions in conversations28:42 Steps for planning a small event38:20 Curating guest lists for events42:34 Hosting events at home vs. external venues47:00 The 'NICK' method for hosting events52:18 Handling unexpected situations at events58:21 Maintaining connections after events01:02:41 Nick Gray's views on online events

My First Million Key Takeaways Actors have the Oscars, musicians have the Grammy and what do business people have? They have The Milly AwardsRead the full notes @ podcastnotes.orgEpisode 530: Shaan Puri (https://twitter.com/ShaanVP) and Sam Parr (https://twitter.com/theSamParr) talk to Ali Abdaal about his most most-effective productivity tactics, how creators should run their channels like CEOs, and how he made $2M in one week.  No more small boy spreadsheets, build your business on the free HubSpot CRM: https://mfmpod.link/hrd — Show Notes: (0:00) Intro (2:00) The Neil Patel fallacy (7:30) Adventure framing the to-do list (15:00) The hourglass technique (17:00) YouTube creator CEOs (22:00) $100k - $1M content side hustle (27:00) The irresistible offer (31:00) Challenging Ali's infinite game (38:00) Rejection as an advantage (48:00) Viral YouTube titles and thumbnails (55:30) Distribution + product = $$$ (1:02:00) Prediction: $1b Twitter creator? — Links: • The 2-Hour Cocktail Party - http://tinyurl.com/4md6my4k • DotCom Secrets - http://tinyurl.com/5n7dhddm • Copywriting Secrets - http://tinyurl.com/a2zudjhc • Voicepal - http://voicepal.me • Rize - https://rize.io/ — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton - https://www.joinhampton.com/ • Ideation Bootcamp - https://www.ideationbootcamp.co/ • Copy That - https://copythat.com/ Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Try Shepherd Out - https://www.supportshepherd.com/ • Free 2024 Goal-Setting Session - https://planfor2024.com/ • Shaan's Personal Assistant System - http://shaanpuri.com/remoteassistant • Power Writing Course - https://maven.com/generalist/writing • Small Boy Newsletter - https://smallboy.co/ • Daily Newsletter - https://www.shaanpuri.com/ — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Try Shepherd Out - https://www.supportshepherd.com/ • Free 2024 Goal-Setting Session - https://planfor2024.com/ • Shaan's Personal Assistant System - http://shaanpuri.com/remoteassistant • Power Writing Course - https://maven.com/generalist/writing • Small Boy Newsletter - https://smallboy.co/ • Daily Newsletter - https://www.shaanpuri.com/ Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton - https://www.joinhampton.com/ • Ideation Bootcamp - https://www.ideationbootcamp.co/ • Copy That - https://copythat.com/ Past guests on My First Million include Rob Dyrdek, Hasan Minhaj, Balaji Srinivasan, Jake Paul, Dr. Andrew Huberman, Gary Vee, Lance Armstrong, Sophia Amoruso, Ariel Helwani, Ramit Sethi, Stanley Druckenmiller, Peter Diamandis, Dharmesh Shah, Brian Halligan, Marc Lore, Jason Calacanis, Andrew Wilkinson, Julian Shapiro, Kat Cole, Codie Sanchez, Nader Al-Naji, Steph Smith, Trung Phan, Nick Huber, Anthony Pompliano, Ben Askren, Ramon Van Meer, Brianne Kimmel, Andrew Gazdecki, Scott Belsky, Moiz Ali, Dan Held, Elaine Zelby, Michael Saylor, Ryan Begelman, Jack Butcher, Reed Duchscher, Tai Lopez, Harley Finkelstein, Alexa von Tobel, Noah Kagan, Nick Bare, Greg Isenberg, James Altucher, Randy Hetrick and more. — Other episodes you might enjoy: • #224 Rob Dyrdek - How Tracking Every Second of His Life Took Rob Drydek from 0 to $405M in Exits • #209 Gary Vaynerchuk - Why NFTS Are the Future • #178 Balaji Srinivasan - Balaji on How to Fix the Media, Cloud Cities & Crypto • #169 - How One Man Started 5, Billion Dollar Companies, Dan Gilbert's Empire, & Talking With Warren Buffett • ​​​​#218 - Why You Should Take a Think Week Like Bill Gates • Dave Portnoy vs The World, Extreme Body Monitoring, The Future of Apparel Retail, "How Much is Anthony Pompliano Worth?", and More • How Mr Beast Got 100M Views in Less Than 4 Days, The $25M Chrome Extension, and More

My First Million Key Takeaways Actors have the Oscars, musicians have the Grammy and what do business people have? They have The Milly AwardsRead the full notes @ podcastnotes.orgEpisode 530: Shaan Puri (https://twitter.com/ShaanVP) and Sam Parr (https://twitter.com/theSamParr) talk to Ali Abdaal about his most most-effective productivity tactics, how creators should run their channels like CEOs, and how he made $2M in one week.  No more small boy spreadsheets, build your business on the free HubSpot CRM: https://mfmpod.link/hrd — Show Notes: (0:00) Intro (2:00) The Neil Patel fallacy (7:30) Adventure framing the to-do list (15:00) The hourglass technique (17:00) YouTube creator CEOs (22:00) $100k - $1M content side hustle (27:00) The irresistible offer (31:00) Challenging Ali's infinite game (38:00) Rejection as an advantage (48:00) Viral YouTube titles and thumbnails (55:30) Distribution + product = $$$ (1:02:00) Prediction: $1b Twitter creator? — Links: • The 2-Hour Cocktail Party - http://tinyurl.com/4md6my4k • DotCom Secrets - http://tinyurl.com/5n7dhddm • Copywriting Secrets - http://tinyurl.com/a2zudjhc • Voicepal - http://voicepal.me • Rize - https://rize.io/ — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton - https://www.joinhampton.com/ • Ideation Bootcamp - https://www.ideationbootcamp.co/ • Copy That - https://copythat.com/ Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Try Shepherd Out - https://www.supportshepherd.com/ • Free 2024 Goal-Setting Session - https://planfor2024.com/ • Shaan's Personal Assistant System - http://shaanpuri.com/remoteassistant • Power Writing Course - https://maven.com/generalist/writing • Small Boy Newsletter - https://smallboy.co/ • Daily Newsletter - https://www.shaanpuri.com/ — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Try Shepherd Out - https://www.supportshepherd.com/ • Free 2024 Goal-Setting Session - https://planfor2024.com/ • Shaan's Personal Assistant System - http://shaanpuri.com/remoteassistant • Power Writing Course - https://maven.com/generalist/writing • Small Boy Newsletter - https://smallboy.co/ • Daily Newsletter - https://www.shaanpuri.com/ Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton - https://www.joinhampton.com/ • Ideation Bootcamp - https://www.ideationbootcamp.co/ • Copy That - https://copythat.com/ Past guests on My First Million include Rob Dyrdek, Hasan Minhaj, Balaji Srinivasan, Jake Paul, Dr. Andrew Huberman, Gary Vee, Lance Armstrong, Sophia Amoruso, Ariel Helwani, Ramit Sethi, Stanley Druckenmiller, Peter Diamandis, Dharmesh Shah, Brian Halligan, Marc Lore, Jason Calacanis, Andrew Wilkinson, Julian Shapiro, Kat Cole, Codie Sanchez, Nader Al-Naji, Steph Smith, Trung Phan, Nick Huber, Anthony Pompliano, Ben Askren, Ramon Van Meer, Brianne Kimmel, Andrew Gazdecki, Scott Belsky, Moiz Ali, Dan Held, Elaine Zelby, Michael Saylor, Ryan Begelman, Jack Butcher, Reed Duchscher, Tai Lopez, Harley Finkelstein, Alexa von Tobel, Noah Kagan, Nick Bare, Greg Isenberg, James Altucher, Randy Hetrick and more. — Other episodes you might enjoy: • #224 Rob Dyrdek - How Tracking Every Second of His Life Took Rob Drydek from 0 to $405M in Exits • #209 Gary Vaynerchuk - Why NFTS Are the Future • #178 Balaji Srinivasan - Balaji on How to Fix the Media, Cloud Cities & Crypto • #169 - How One Man Started 5, Billion Dollar Companies, Dan Gilbert's Empire, & Talking With Warren Buffett • ​​​​#218 - Why You Should Take a Think Week Like Bill Gates • Dave Portnoy vs The World, Extreme Body Monitoring, The Future of Apparel Retail, "How Much is Anthony Pompliano Worth?", and More • How Mr Beast Got 100M Views in Less Than 4 Days, The $25M Chrome Extension, and More

Welcome to Boostly Podcast Episode 690. On today's episode we discuss how to host a two hour cocktail party. You Don't Want To Miss It! https://nickgray.net/ • https://Boostly.co.uk • https://Boostly.co.uk/5steps • https://instagram.com/boostlyuk • https://Boostly.co.uk/guidebook • https://Boostly.co.uk/website • https://Boostly.co.uk/podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his conversation with Nick Gray, James Altucher explores practical advice for enhancing social interactions, particularly in the context of hosting gatherings. James, who often feels out of place at social events, seeks insights from Nick, an expert in hosting successful small-scale parties. Nick shares his transformation from disliking traditional parties to excelling in organizing intimate, engaging events. He highlights the importance of having a small core group to initiate the event, creating a well-balanced guest list, and engaging activities like icebreakers to break the ice.Nick introduces his NIC(K) formula - Name tags, Icebreakers, Cocktails/mocktails only, and Kick-out time - essential for a smooth and enjoyable event. They discuss strategies to prevent awkwardness in social settings, the role of vulnerability in forming connections, and avoiding 'trauma dumping' in conversations. Nick also provides insights into improving networking experiences at conferences, illustrating his methods for more effective interactions.The conversation goes beyond party planning logistics, encompassing broader themes of human connection and interaction. James and Nick's exchange sheds light on the nuances of socializing and the impactful nature of well-planned gatherings.Check out Nick's book: The 2-Hour Cocktail Party!-----------Episode Summary:Introduction and Social Challenges at Parties (00:01:30 - 00:02:01): James Altucher opens the conversation by sharing his difficulties in socializing at parties and expresses a need to improve his skills in this area.Nick Gray's Background and Dislike for Conventional Parties (00:02:01 - 00:02:38): Nick Gray explains his initial aversion to typical networking events and his journey towards creating more meaningful and comfortable social gatherings.Hosting Personal Parties in Small Spaces (00:02:38 - 00:03:35): Nick shares how he began hosting parties in his small apartment in New York, mixing neighbors and new acquaintances, focusing on creating a welcoming environment.Concept of the Core Group for Party Planning (00:03:35 - 00:05:14): Nick introduces the idea of a 'core group' as a crucial element in party planning, ensuring a successful and comfortable gathering.The Ideal Size and Diversity for a Good Party (00:05:14 - 00:05:59): The discussion covers the optimal size for a party (16 to 22 people) and the importance of diversity in the guest list.Effective Icebreakers and Introductions (00:05:59 - 00:06:40): Nick discusses the role of icebreakers and introductions in making parties enjoyable and less awkward, especially for introverts.James' Experiences with Hosting and Party Challenges (00:06:40 - 00:08:20): James shares his experiences with hosting neighborhood parties, discussing the challenges he faces as an introvert.Importance of Pre-Announcing Party Activities (00:08:20 - 00:09:37): The conversation shifts to the significance of informing guests about party activities in advance to avoid surprises and discomfort.Crafting Effective Icebreakers for Large Gatherings (00:09:37 - 00:11:33): Nick provides insights on creating engaging icebreakers for large groups, emphasizing quick and meaningful interactions.Ending Parties on Time and Party Duration Preferences (00:11:33 - 00:14:19): Nick and James discuss strategies for ending parties at a scheduled time and share personal preferences on party duration.What Makes a Good Party and Conversation Ending Techniques (00:14:19 - 00:15:52): They explore what constitutes a successful party for hosts and guests, including tips on how to gracefully end conversations.Nick's Personal Hosting Experiences and Party Advice (00:15:52 - 00:19:01): Nick reflects on his own party hosting experiences and offers advice on ensuring a pleasant experience for every attendee.Engaging Icebreakers for Different Stages of a Party (00:19:01 - 00:20:32): The discussion...

In his conversation with Nick Gray, James Altucher explores practical advice for enhancing social interactions, particularly in the context of hosting gatherings. James, who often feels out of place at social events, seeks insights from Nick, an expert in hosting successful small-scale parties. Nick shares his transformation from disliking traditional parties to excelling in organizing intimate, engaging events. He highlights the importance of having a small core group to initiate the event, creating a well-balanced guest list, and engaging activities like icebreakers to break the ice.Nick introduces his NIC(K) formula - Name tags, Icebreakers, Cocktails/mocktails only, and Kick-out time - essential for a smooth and enjoyable event. They discuss strategies to prevent awkwardness in social settings, the role of vulnerability in forming connections, and avoiding 'trauma dumping' in conversations. Nick also provides insights into improving networking experiences at conferences, illustrating his methods for more effective interactions.The conversation goes beyond party planning logistics, encompassing broader themes of human connection and interaction. James and Nick's exchange sheds light on the nuances of socializing and the impactful nature of well-planned gatherings.Check out Nick's book: The 2-Hour Cocktail Party!-----------Episode Summary:Introduction and Social Challenges at Parties (00:01:30 - 00:02:01): James Altucher opens the conversation by sharing his difficulties in socializing at parties and expresses a need to improve his skills in this area.Nick Gray's Background and Dislike for Conventional Parties (00:02:01 - 00:02:38): Nick Gray explains his initial aversion to typical networking events and his journey towards creating more meaningful and comfortable social gatherings.Hosting Personal Parties in Small Spaces (00:02:38 - 00:03:35): Nick shares how he began hosting parties in his small apartment in New York, mixing neighbors and new acquaintances, focusing on creating a welcoming environment.Concept of the Core Group for Party Planning (00:03:35 - 00:05:14): Nick introduces the idea of a 'core group' as a crucial element in party planning, ensuring a successful and comfortable gathering.The Ideal Size and Diversity for a Good Party (00:05:14 - 00:05:59): The discussion covers the optimal size for a party (16 to 22 people) and the importance of diversity in the guest list.Effective Icebreakers and Introductions (00:05:59 - 00:06:40): Nick discusses the role of icebreakers and introductions in making parties enjoyable and less awkward, especially for introverts.James' Experiences with Hosting and Party Challenges (00:06:40 - 00:08:20): James shares his experiences with hosting neighborhood parties, discussing the challenges he faces as an introvert.Importance of Pre-Announcing Party Activities (00:08:20 - 00:09:37): The conversation shifts to the significance of informing guests about party activities in advance to avoid surprises and discomfort.Crafting Effective Icebreakers for Large Gatherings (00:09:37 - 00:11:33): Nick provides insights on creating engaging icebreakers for large groups, emphasizing quick and meaningful interactions.Ending Parties on Time and Party Duration Preferences (00:11:33 - 00:14:19): Nick and James discuss strategies for ending parties at a scheduled time and share personal preferences on party duration.What Makes a Good Party and Conversation Ending Techniques (00:14:19 - 00:15:52): They explore what constitutes a successful party for hosts and guests, including tips on how to gracefully end conversations.Nick's Personal Hosting Experiences and Party Advice (00:15:52 - 00:19:01): Nick reflects on his own party hosting experiences and offers advice on ensuring a pleasant experience for every attendee.Engaging Icebreakers for Different Stages of a Party (00:19:01 - 00:20:32): The discussion includes various icebreakers suitable for different moments during a party, aiming to enhance guest interactions.James' Strategies for Successful Conferences (00:20:32 - 00:23:13): James shares his tactics for making conferences more engaging and memorable, including how he uses icebreakers in these settings.Nick's Full-Time Commitment to Party Hosting and Background (00:23:13 - 00:24:33): Nick talks about his full-time dedication to party hosting and his background in business and museum tours.Party Hosting as a Life Strategy (00:24:33 - 00:25:51): They delve into how hosting parties can be an effective strategy for building relationships and expanding one's network.James' Interest in Hosting in Atlanta and Austin (00:25:51 - 00:28:02): James expresses interest in hosting events in Atlanta and Austin, and Nick offers to assist.Differentiating Between Types of Guests and Events (00:28:02 - 00:29:25): The conversation touches on categorizing events and guests to tailor the experience to different groups.Frequent Hosting for Network Expansion (00:29:25 - 00:30:45): Nick advises on the frequency of hosting events for network growth and the importance of a diverse guest list.Utilizing Social Proof and Guest List Visibility (00:30:45 - 00:32:30): Nick highlights the importance of social proof and making guest lists visible to encourage participation.Strategies for Effective Networking at Conferences (00:32:30 - 00:33:36): Nick shares his approach to enhancing networking experiences at large conferences.Utilizing Personal Experiences in Social Settings (00:33:36 - 00:35:30): Nick shares anecdotes from his life, relating them to the art of hosting and connecting with people.James' Unique Networking Strategies (00:35:30 - 00:37:58): James discusses his own techniques for networking, particularly at conferences.Applying Party Hosting Techniques to Dating (00:37:58 - 00:40:27): The conversation shifts to how the principles of party hosting can be applied to dating.Effective Icebreakers for One-on-One Conversations (00:40:27 - 00:42:08): Nick and James discuss various icebreakers that can be used in one-on-one settings.Role of Vulnerability in Building Connections (00:42:08 - 00:44:18): The topic of vulnerability in social interactions is explored.Hosting Events for Network Expansion (00:44:18 - 00:48:54): Nick gives advice on hosting events as a strategy for expanding one's network.James' Potential Plans for Hosting in Austin (00:48:54 - 00:51:00): James expresses a desire to host events in Austin and discusses potential collaboration with Nick.Differentiating Events for Various Audience Types (00:51:00 - 00:53:19): They talk about categorizing events based on the type of audience.Social Proof and Guest List Visibility in Event Planning (00:53:19 - 00:54:46): Nick emphasizes the importance of social proof in event planning.Enhancing Conference Networking Experiences (00:54:46 - 00:57:05): Nick shares his experiences and strategies for improving networking sessions at conferences.James' Dating Hacks and Approaches to Dating (00:57:05 - 00:59:32): James talks about his approach to dating, including unique strategies and challenges.Importance of Icebreakers in Various Social Settings (00:59:32 - 01:00:54): The discussion returns to the role of icebreakers in different social situations.Closing Thoughts and Future Collaborations (01:00:54 - 01:03:27): The interview concludes with James and Nick discussing potential future collaborations and summarizing their key takeaways from the conversation.-----------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltucher.com/podcast.------------Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe  to “The James Altucher Show” wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsStitcheriHeart RadioSpotifyFollow me on Social Media:YouTubeTwitterFacebook 

Nick Gray, author of the The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, joins us today to talk about the best way to make friends as an adult, throw a party with new and old friends!If that sounds scary, Sammie and Michelle can relate. Luckily, Nick literally wrote the book on throwing the perfect party. On this episode we discuss the challenges of making friends as an adult, why cocktail (or mocktail) parties are a great way to create and deepen friendships, and we cover some of the best things to put in place to have structure for your party and to help ease your anxieties. By the end of this episode, we were excited to throw a party and hope you feel the seeds of that as well. Nick Gray's Information:Book: The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: How to Build Big Relationships with Small GatheringsWebsite: nickgray.netNick Gray's Instagram: @nickgraynewsNick Gray's Twitter: @nickgraynewsEmail: nick@nickgraynews.comBollywood Music VideoFind more of our show notes at buildawealthyspirit.com! There you can also leave us a comment and claim one of the five free copies of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party that we are giving away to our listeners. Find more show notes and interact with the Build A Wealthy Spirit community at buildawealthyspirit.com!Find more show notes and interact with the Build A Wealthy Spirit community at buildawealthyspirit.com!

Episode 530: Shaan Puri (https://twitter.com/ShaanVP) and Sam Parr (https://twitter.com/theSamParr) talk to Ali Abdaal about his most most-effective productivity tactics, how creators should run their channels like CEOs, and how he made $2M in one week.  No more small boy spreadsheets, build your business on the free HubSpot CRM: https://mfmpod.link/hrd — Show Notes: (0:00) Intro (2:00) The Neil Patel fallacy (7:30) Adventure framing the to-do list (15:00) The hourglass technique (17:00) YouTube creator CEOs (22:00) $100k - $1M content side hustle (27:00) The irresistible offer (31:00) Challenging Ali's infinite game (38:00) Rejection as an advantage (48:00) Viral YouTube titles and thumbnails (55:30) Distribution + product = $$$ (1:02:00) Prediction: $1b Twitter creator? — Links: • The 2-Hour Cocktail Party - http://tinyurl.com/4md6my4k • DotCom Secrets - http://tinyurl.com/5n7dhddm • Copywriting Secrets - http://tinyurl.com/a2zudjhc • Voicepal - http://voicepal.me • Rize - https://rize.io/ — Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton - https://www.joinhampton.com/ • Ideation Bootcamp - https://www.ideationbootcamp.co/ • Copy That - https://copythat.com/ Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Try Shepherd Out - https://www.supportshepherd.com/ • Free 2024 Goal-Setting Session - https://planfor2024.com/ • Shaan's Personal Assistant System - http://shaanpuri.com/remoteassistant • Power Writing Course - https://maven.com/generalist/writing • Small Boy Newsletter - https://smallboy.co/ • Daily Newsletter - https://www.shaanpuri.com/ — Check Out Shaan's Stuff: • Try Shepherd Out - https://www.supportshepherd.com/ • Free 2024 Goal-Setting Session - https://planfor2024.com/ • Shaan's Personal Assistant System - http://shaanpuri.com/remoteassistant • Power Writing Course - https://maven.com/generalist/writing • Small Boy Newsletter - https://smallboy.co/ • Daily Newsletter - https://www.shaanpuri.com/ Check Out Sam's Stuff: • Hampton - https://www.joinhampton.com/ • Ideation Bootcamp - https://www.ideationbootcamp.co/ • Copy That - https://copythat.com/ Past guests on My First Million include Rob Dyrdek, Hasan Minhaj, Balaji Srinivasan, Jake Paul, Dr. Andrew Huberman, Gary Vee, Lance Armstrong, Sophia Amoruso, Ariel Helwani, Ramit Sethi, Stanley Druckenmiller, Peter Diamandis, Dharmesh Shah, Brian Halligan, Marc Lore, Jason Calacanis, Andrew Wilkinson, Julian Shapiro, Kat Cole, Codie Sanchez, Nader Al-Naji, Steph Smith, Trung Phan, Nick Huber, Anthony Pompliano, Ben Askren, Ramon Van Meer, Brianne Kimmel, Andrew Gazdecki, Scott Belsky, Moiz Ali, Dan Held, Elaine Zelby, Michael Saylor, Ryan Begelman, Jack Butcher, Reed Duchscher, Tai Lopez, Harley Finkelstein, Alexa von Tobel, Noah Kagan, Nick Bare, Greg Isenberg, James Altucher, Randy Hetrick and more. — Other episodes you might enjoy: • #224 Rob Dyrdek - How Tracking Every Second of His Life Took Rob Drydek from 0 to $405M in Exits • #209 Gary Vaynerchuk - Why NFTS Are the Future • #178 Balaji Srinivasan - Balaji on How to Fix the Media, Cloud Cities & Crypto • #169 - How One Man Started 5, Billion Dollar Companies, Dan Gilbert's Empire, & Talking With Warren Buffett • ​​​​#218 - Why You Should Take a Think Week Like Bill Gates • Dave Portnoy vs The World, Extreme Body Monitoring, The Future of Apparel Retail, "How Much is Anthony Pompliano Worth?", and More • How Mr Beast Got 100M Views in Less Than 4 Days, The $25M Chrome Extension, and More

Today is my annual book club episode where I share my very favorite books that I read this last year in 2023 and also what I have planned for 2024. You can always find that current list updated at nancyray.com/bookclub or you can follow along and read with me if you choose. It is very relaxed or you can just catch up on the podcast episodes as I release them. So I'm excited. I read some really good stuff this year and I have some exciting picks for next year and I can't wait to share them with you today.  Resources from this episode: Nancy Ray Book Club Val Marie Paper - Prayer Journal | use code “WORKANDPLAY” for 10% off Books I Read in 2023: Episode 212 - Narnia, Harry Potter, and the Wingfeather Saga The Chronicles of Narnia Harry Potter Wingfeather Saga Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt  Episode 183 - Book | Four Thousand Weeks Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman Better than Before by Gretchen Rubin  The Power of Writing it Down by Allison Fallon  Episode 196 - The Blessing [Book] with Kari Trent Stageberg The Blessing by John Trent, Gary Smalley, Kari Trent Stageberg The Blessing Of A Skinned Knee by Wendy Mogel Try Softer by Aundi Kolber Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May Matriarch by Samantha Ray Episode 185 - The Minkies  Habits of the Household by Justin Whitmel Earley, Troy and Ruth Simons Books I Wanted to Read in 2023: The Stories We Tell by Joanna Gaines The Lazy Genius Kitchen by Kendra Adachi  Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends by Sarah Mally Books I Plan to Read in 2024: The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan Set The Stars Alight by Amanda Dykes Made for People by Justin Whitmel Earley Until the Streetlights Come On by Ginny Yurich The 2-Hour Cocktail Party by Nick Gray Take Back Your Time by Christy Wright   The Stories We Tell by Joanna Gaines Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends by Sarah Mally The Green Ember Series Affiliate links have been used in this post! I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them!

“Take planned time out from what you're doing to enjoy life.” -Nick GrayJeffrey Feldberg and Nick Gray discuss the importance of building personal connections and finding common interests in business relationships. They talk about Nick's book, The Two Hour Cocktail Party, and how it offers strategies for hosting events that go beyond just having fun. They share their experiences with entrepreneurship and liquidity events, and how having the right team and community is crucial for success. They also discuss the mindset behind building a social life and how it can benefit business owners and entrepreneurs, and the importance of aligning incentives with people's goals.Nick Gray shares his insights on hosting successful events, including the importance of creating a lightweight social gathering where people can mix and mingle. He explains how he found success in helping his friends meet his other friends, leading to hundreds of culturally significant parties and a book on how to host successful events. Gray also addresses common limiting mindsets about hosting events and emphasizes the vulnerability and generosity of inviting people into your home. He encourages readers to rethink their mindset and consider hosting at home as the best option for successful events.Click here to subscribe to The Deep Wealth Podcast to save time and effort.SELECTED LINKS FOR THIS EPISODENick GrayNick Gray / How to Make Friends (@nickgraynews) / XNick Gray (@nickgraynews) • Instagram photos and videosNick Gray | FacebookNick Gray - YouTubeNick Gray - Principal (Family Office) - Tri Peak Holdings | LinkedInCockroach Startups: What You Need To Know To Succeed And ProsperFREE Deep Wealth eBook on Why You Suck At Selling Your Business And What You Can Do About It (Today)Book Your FREE Deep Wealth Strategy CallResources To Have You Thrive And ProsperThe Deep Wealth Podcast helps you extract your business and personal deep wealth. You'll learn and master the foundational strategies in the Deep Wealth 9-step Roadmap. These are the same strategies that our co-founder, Jeffrey Feldberg, leveraged for his 9-figure exit.Enroll in the 90-day Deep Wealth Mastery program to grow profits, increase the value of your business, and optimize your post-exit life. Send an e-mail to insights{at}deepwealth.com with the words "Deep Wealth" in the subject line for more information. Click the link below to access the resources, gear, and books that either our guests or the Deep Wealth team leverage to increase success:https://www.deepwealth.com/thriveContact Deep Wealth: The Deep Wealth Strategy Map Tweet @JeffreyFeldberg LinkedIn Instagram Subscribe to The Deep Wealth Podcast Email podcast[at]deepwealth[dot]com Help us pay it forward by leaving a review.May you continue to thrive and prosper while remaining healthy ...

In this episode of Chasing the Insights, I talk to author and event host extraordinaire Nick Gray. Nick talks to us about his book 'The 2-Hour Cocktail Party' and how to host amazing events. Nick Gray is an entrepreneur and best-selling author living in Austin, Texas. He started and sold two successful companies: Flight Display Systems and Museum Hack. Nick is the author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, a step-by-step handbook that teaches you how to build big relationships by hosting small gatherings. Over 75,000 people have watched his TEDx talk about why he hates most museums. He's been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and New York Magazine called him a host of “culturally significant parties.”

In this episode of Real Relationships Real Revenue, let's party! I sat down with Nick Gray, who is an expert at throwing parties. He is the author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party and he's going to share how we can use cocktail parties to gather potential clients or prospects together before an event and further our business development. With Nick's formula, you'll be seen as a super-connector and a host who truly cares. You'll be amazed at how it grows your network!    Topics We Cover in This Episode:    How to use the Nick Party Formula for a successful cocktail party How people treat you when you are the one who organizes events The power of an abundance mentality  Why even introverts can be successful at hosting events The key number of people you need at your cocktail party Why you should be collecting interesting people that you want to know Tips for starting with a low-stakes affair Platforms and tools to use to organize your event How to get people excited about your events How to be seen as a host who cares  How to use value additive questions in your party    If you haven't planned your own party or event for networking before, I hope this episode inspires you to get out there and start planning the perfect cocktail party so you can grow your network and book of business!    If you want to learn more from Nick, make sure to check out his book. You can also visit his website and get his newsletter!     Resources Mentioned: Get a copy of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party Helpful links for planning your network event:  32 Funny Ideas for Anything but a Cup Party Icebreaker Card Games: Questions & Review of 5 Popular 2023 Decks 31 Summer Camp Activities for Adults Icebreakers: The Ultimate Guide for 2023 7 Small Trade Show Booth Ideas for 2023 The Friendship Recession site Visit Nick's website Sign up for Nick's newsletter

In this episode of Real Relationships Real Revenue, let's party! I sat down with Nick Gray, who is an expert at throwing parties. He is the author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party and he's going to share how we can use cocktail parties to gather potential clients or prospects together before an event and further our business development. With Nick's formula, you'll be seen as a super-connector and a host who truly cares. You'll be amazed at how it grows your network!    Topics We Cover in This Episode:    How to use the Nick Party Formula for a successful cocktail party How people treat you when you are the one who organizes events The power of an abundance mentality  Why even introverts can be successful at hosting events The key number of people you need at your cocktail party Why you should be collecting interesting people that you want to know Tips for starting with a low-stakes affair Platforms and tools to use to organize your event How to get people excited about your events How to be seen as a host who cares  How to use value additive questions in your party    If you haven't planned your own party or event for networking before, I hope this episode inspires you to get out there and start planning the perfect cocktail party so you can grow your network and book of business!    If you want to learn more from Nick, make sure to check out his book. You can also visit his website and get his newsletter!     Resources Mentioned: Get a copy of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party Helpful links for planning your network event:  32 Funny Ideas for Anything but a Cup Party Icebreaker Card Games: Questions & Review of 5 Popular 2023 Decks 31 Summer Camp Activities for Adults Icebreakers: The Ultimate Guide for 2023 7 Small Trade Show Booth Ideas for 2023 The Friendship Recession site Visit Nick's website Sign up for Nick's newsletter

In this episode of Real Relationships Real Revenue, let's party! I sat down with Nick Gray, who is an expert at throwing parties. He is the author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party and he's going to share how we can use cocktail parties to gather potential clients or prospects together before an event and further our business development. With Nick's formula, you'll be seen as a super-connector and a host who truly cares. You'll be amazed at how it grows your network!    Topics We Cover in This Episode:    How to use the Nick Party Formula for a successful cocktail party How people treat you when you are the one who organizes events The power of an abundance mentality  Why even introverts can be successful at hosting events The key number of people you need at your cocktail party Why you should be collecting interesting people that you want to know Tips for starting with a low-stakes affair Platforms and tools to use to organize your event How to get people excited about your events How to be seen as a host who cares  How to use value additive questions in your party    If you haven't planned your own party or event for networking before, I hope this episode inspires you to get out there and start planning the perfect cocktail party so you can grow your network and book of business!    If you want to learn more from Nick, make sure to check out his book. You can also visit his website and get his newsletter!     Resources Mentioned: Get a copy of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party Helpful links for planning your network event:  32 Funny Ideas for Anything but a Cup Party Icebreaker Card Games: Questions & Review of 5 Popular 2023 Decks 31 Summer Camp Activities for Adults Icebreakers: The Ultimate Guide for 2023 7 Small Trade Show Booth Ideas for 2023 The Friendship Recession site Visit Nick's website Sign up for Nick's newsletter

[00:00:31] Pool Brain: Pool Brain at Las Vegas PSP Expo[00:00:49] Pool Magazine: 10 Ways to Throw The Ultimate Halloween Party in the Privacy of Your Own Backyard[00:01:22] Lyon Financial: Upcoming Pool Financing 101 Podcast Episode[00:01:51] Jandy: The Jandy SpeedSet Controller[00:02:48] Island Stone: Sukabumi Select[00:03:49] Raypak: Did you know? New Crosswind V Heat Pump Pool Heater[00:04:38] Hasa: Phoenix Event - Pool Chemistry Certified Residential Course[00:05:00] Luxury Pools + Outdoor Living: Pinnacle Awards 2023[00:05:13] Pool Nation: Pool Nation Awards 2023 officially closes today[00:05:29] Primate: Can Primate Pole Handle Heavy Vac?[00:06:03] Anderson Manufacturing: Tools for Leaks & PHTA Education Partner[00:06:32] Tankproof: Signup to Newsletter[00:06:46] Environmental Pools: Hiring in Bolton, MA - Pool Service Division[00:07:21] Pool Industry Podcasts:[00:08:21] Pool Industry Trade Shows: The International Pool Spa Patio Expo in Las Vegas NV November 10-15[00:08:48] Book of the Week: The 2-Hour Cocktail Party by Nick Gray[00:09:06] Quote of the Week: Do what you love. Do what you're good at. Do what the world needs. Do what you can get paid for. - Ikigai[00:09:18] Pools in Culture: Poolman starring Chris Pine

Nick Gray is an entrepreneur and best-selling author living in Austin, Texas. Nick is the author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, a step-by-step handbook that teaches you how to build big relationships by hosting small gatherings. He's been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and New York Magazine called him a host of “culturally significant parties.”In this episode we discuss topics from his book starting with why people should host a cocktail party and the benefits that come with it. We are living in a time where social media has taken over and there is less human interaction than ever. A good party can help with business networking, confidence, and new friends. If your in the swimming pool industry this could be a great way to find new customers. Inviting neighbors, friends, builders, contractors, relators, vendors, and even local competition. You never know who you will meet and the doors that might open for you. If you enjoy this talk I highly encourage you to buy a copy for yourself . You wont regret it.Sponsored by: Lyon Financial can help you sell more pools by offering your customers the industry's best financing options! Call 877-754-5966 or visit www.lyonfinancial.net today! Pool Chasers: Website, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, PatreonTopics Discussed:[00:01:41] About Nick Gray[00:03:49] Why host a cocktail  party[00:07:10] People becoming disconnected & how parties can help[00:09:08] The fear of nobody showing up[00:13:25] Reserve RSVP list[00:16:21] How to prepare for cocktail party[00:18:04] How much you should expect to spend[00:20:13] Balance of men or women at these parties?[00:22:36] Ask core friends to show up[00:23:54] What is the theme or agenda[00:25:30] Guests not knowing anybody and clinging to the host[00:26:29] How to conduct parties with a pool[00:30:10] Dress code[00:32:05] What to be aware of?[00:33:16] What to avoid[00:34:21] Recommending party to clientsConnect with Nick Gray:Nick Gray's Personal WebsiteThe 2-Hour Cocktail Party BookAudio Book on AudibleYouTubeInstagram

When I finished Nick Gray's The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, I immediately thought that this was the perfect follow-up book to start applying all of the teachings of Dale Carnegie in his classic, How to Win Friends and Influence Others.Beyond Nick's practical advice in teaching readers how to host a party for friends and casual acquaintances, one of my favorite insights is the power of loose connections. Nick provides the perfect device on how to make the most of those loose connections that can be fun and meaningful for years to come.In this conversation, Nick explains the purpose of a cocktail party, who to invite, what to serve, how to implement icebreakers, and what to do after a party.Important Links:How to Introduce Two People via Email: Sample Scripts9 Career Day Speech and Presentation IdeasParty Times: Start, End, & Best TimesIcebreaker Name Tags: Examples and How to Do It RIGHTHow to Host an Event: Parties & NetworkingWhere to Throw a Party? Ideas and Venues for 2023Icebreaker Activities for Your Next EventNick Gray's Personal WebsiteFriendship Recession Website7 Small Trade Show Booth Ideas for 2023

Nick Gray is an entrepreneur and best-selling author living in Austin, Texas. He started and sold two successful companies: Flight Display Systems and Museum Hack. Nick is the author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, a step-by-step handbook that teaches you how to build big relationships by hosting small gatherings. Over 75,000 people have watched his TEDx talk about why he hates most museums. He's been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and New York Magazine called him a host of “culturally significant parties.” Links to Nick's book and his digital media are below: The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: Book info The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: Amazon Nick Gray's personal website How to Plan A Networking Event Icebreaker Name Tags: Examples and How to Do It RIGHT Mocktail Party: How to Host When You Don't Drink Alcohol Friendship Recession In addition to listening to the episode, you can watch a video of their discussion on our YouTube Channel.  And be sure to subscribe to support the podcast! For general information about the podcast, send an email to info@beinhakerlaw.com To follow Mitch and the podcast, go to linktr.ee/beinhakerlaw. You can subscribe and listen to episodes on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify and most other directories. Please review us whenever possible and thanks for your continued support! Sponsorships and paid guest appearances are available. Connect with us by email or on social media. The Accidental Entrepreneur is brought to you with the help of our sponsor, AWeber - the world's leading small business email marketing and automation service provider. Since 1998, AWeber has helped more than 1 million small businesses, entrepreneurs through its suite of web-based email marketing, automation tools and education. AWeber – the best option when it comes to marketing your business. Visit http://bit.ly/3HK3DVB for more information and to sign up for a trial account. We are also brought to you by TAB. Since 1989, The Alternative Board (or TAB) has been one of the leading peer advisory and business coaching organizations for independent business owners and CEOs across the world. By facilitating peer advisory boards, private 1-on-1 coaching and strategic planning services, TAB helps business owners improve their businesses in ways that change their lives. https://www.thealternativeboard.com/jersey-shore-north Also brought to you by Beinhaker Law, a boutique business & estates legal practice in Clark, NJ. To learn about shared outside general counsel services and how to better protect your business, visit https://beinhakerlaw.com/fractional-gen-counsel/ Opening music written and performed by Howie Moscovitch and Made to Order Music. For more information about Howie and his music services, visit https://howiemoscovitch.com/made-to-order-music/ Please support our affiliate sponsor (https://beinhakerlaw.com/podcast-affiliates/) One of One Productions - a New Jersey-based studio, just over the George Washington bridge, that caters to the booming business of podcasting. Be sure to check out the guesting kit that they've created exclusively for our listeners! https://one-of-one-productions.myshopify.com/products/mitchell-beinhakers-guesting-kit Also, support the show and get your own podcast merch! (https://beinhakerlaw.com/podcast-store/) The Accidental Entrepreneur is a trademark of Mitchell C. Beinhaker. Copyright 2018-2023. All rights reserved.

Episode 587: Do we like our laughs? What movies make us cry? Can we trust Nick Gray and his "2 Hour Cocktail Party"? Shaggy. Meet the parents in Maine. Rubbing sand on the skin. Andrew gets a new Buick; drives it to Maine and back. Remember crawdads? Puke found one. The Legion of Skanks. NH cops strike again! Andrew is the first human to go from a Buick to a Jaguar F-Type R.

Dan (https://twitter.com/TropicalMBA) and Ian (https://twitter.com/AnythingIan) give the inside scoop about their upcoming events strategy and the realization that prompted them to relaunch their hiring search not for an events planner but a business-minded community organizer. In light of resetting the event strategy for 2024, Dan also chats with the DCx London hosts Seonaid Beckwith (https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/), Noel Andrews (https://jobrack.eu/), and John Ainsworth (https://datadrivenmarketing.co/) about how they pulled off one of the best all-time DC events in London last month. They also give their thoughts in response to a listener's email: should you optimize for revenue growth, profit growth, or both? Dan and Ian share frameworks for thinking about this and how they think about revenue and profit in their business. Plus, stick around til the end for a first-timer's guide on how to max out your DCBKK experience if you're going (or thinking about going) for the first time. Dan & Ian's Stuff: The Newsletter (https://tropicalmba.com/subscribe) “The DC” (https://dynamitecircle.com/join-dc/) DC Black (https://dynamitecircle.com/dc-black) Global events (https://dynamitecircle.com/events) Hire remote talent (https://remotefirstrecruiting.com/) Find a remote job (https://dynamitejobs.com/) Listen on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHPBISaCA5pVb_U1dq088KA) Follow on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/tropicalmba/) @TropicalMBA (https://twitter.com/TropicalMBA) @AnythingIan (https://twitter.com/AnythingIan) Show Notes: 0:00:00 Intro 0:02:40 Profit vs revenue 0:06:05 Revenue growth to exit 0:06:35 Conflating profit with personal income 0:07:21The Bezos strategy 0:08:19 Profit first 0:12:35 Classic systems 0:14:00 Superhero profitable 0:15:50 ROI framework 0:21:44 Our 2024 event strategy 0:24:18 Join our team 0:30:05 How to throw a great event 1:05:53 First-timer's guide to DCBKK Links: Join our team (https://dynamitejobs.com/company/dynamitecircle/remote-job/community-event-coordinator) DC Events (https://dynamitecircle.com/events) DC Black (https://dynamitecircle.com/dc-black) 7 Powers by Hamilton Helmer (https://www.amazon.com/7-Powers-Foundations-Business-Strategy/dp/0998116319) Profit First by Mike Michalowicz (https://mikemichalowicz.com/profit-first/) The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker (https://www.amazon.com/The-Art-of-Gathering-Priya-Parker-audiobook/dp/B07B4HV9K7/ref=sr_1_1?hvadid=580651322835&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9003540&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=8471998563066358848&hvtargid=kwd-425637140099&hydadcr=21934_13324197&keywords=the+art+of+gathering+priya+parker&qid=1691583933&sr=8-1) The 2-Hour Cocktail Party by Nick Gray (https://www.amazon.com/2-Hour-Cocktail-Party-Relationships-Gatherings/dp/B0B679PZ89/ref=sr_1_1?hvadid=631492202808&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9003540&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=5362937297423595432&hvtargid=kwd-1674748472321&hydadcr=7665_13589719&keywords=two+hour+cocktail+party&qid=1691583978&sr=8-1) Past guests on TMBA include Cal Newport, David Heinemeier Hannson, Seth Godin, Ricardo Semler, Noah Kagan, Rob Walling, Jay Clouse, Einar Vollset, Sam Dogan, Gino Wickam, James Clear, Jodie Cook, Mark Webster, Steph Smith, Taylor Pearson, Tommy Griffith, Justin Tan, Matt Gartland, Travis Jamison, Ayman Al-Abdullah, Tynan Additional episodes you might enjoy: TMBA 688: Mailbag: What Can Scorecards Do For You? And Equity Split Dilemmas (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/how-to-create-employee-scorecards) TMBA 702: Millions for Podcasts and Jay Clouse on Memberships (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/jay-clouse-on-memberships) TMBA 689: Re-visiting Our Conversation with Seth Godin (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/seth-godin-akimbo) TMBA 711: “Money is Your Responsibility” + News Updates (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/money-is-your-responsibility) TMBA 707: Deceptively simple ways to have a better business (https://tropicalmba.com/episodes/simple-ways-to-actually-improve-your-business)

Ever felt like your perfectionism is stalling your writing progress? You might just find comfort in the story of our guest, Nick Gray, entrepreneur and author of The Two-Hour Cocktail Party. Nick spent six long years writing his book, battling perfectionism and learning valuable lessons along the way. His advice to fellow writers? Invest in your work, but don't let the quest for perfection stall you. Get ready for a deep dive into the art of book launches. How do you plan a memorable event that truly reflects you and your work? Can you turn a paddle boarding session on Barton Creek into a book launch party? Absolutely! Together with Nick, we discuss how to maximize exposure for your book, keep it in the public eye, and even make your book launch party guest-centric. Nick's book launch was a massive success, and he shares the secret sauce behind his results: 12,955 copies sold, 408 Amazon reviews, 81 podcast interviews, and $50,210 in Amazon royalties. Intriguingly, Nick's focus was not on these impressive numbers but on how many people would read his book and host a party using his framework. From unexpected success stories to the importance of word-of-mouth and speaking gigs, this episode is packed with invaluable insights for every budding writer. Tune in and take notes!Watch the free training: https://selfpublishing.com/freetrainingSchedule a no-cost call with our team: https://selfpublishing.com/schedule Here are some links that might come in handy: Apply for a free book consultation Register for our free on-demand training Must-watch episodes: SPS 044: Using A Free + Shipping Book Funnel with Anik Singal SPS 115: Using Atomic Habits To Write & Publish A Book with James Clear SPS 127: Traditional vs. Self Publishing: Which You Should Choose with Ruth Soukup SPS 095: The Five Love Languages: Selling 15 Million Copies with Gary Chapman SPS 056: How I Sold 46M Copies of My Self Published Book with Robert Kiyosaki

We've all been to one: loud music, people huddled in clicks, and little to no guidance from the host. I'm talking about poorly run networking events. The kind of events that spike the anxiety of us introverts and solo attendees.But nobody wants to throw a bad event. The host wants to make sure everyone is having a good time and leaves having made meaningful connections. The problem is that nobody taught us how to throw a great networking party.That was until Nick Gray wrote The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, a step-by-step handbook that teaches you how to build big relationships by hosting small gatherings.Nick is a firm believer that hosting these simple, lightweight gatherings will accelerate your network. And he's given us the playbook for how to do just that.In this conversation, we cover how to make sure people show up, 4 secrets for hosting a great event, and how to politely kick people out at the end of your party. Nick also gives me an answer for the perfect number of attendees and the best day of the week to host your networking party.And actually, since this recording, I've been to two cocktail parties that used Nick's book to host their event, and they have both been far superior to the typical networking events. But they weren't flashy events with paid bartenders, catering, and a DJ, no they were well-run events and a great use of my time. I met a lot of incredible people and left feeling excited to continue those conversations.If you want to expand your network and know how to throw a simple yet amazing networking event, this is the episode for you.Key Takeaways:Why hosting consistent, small gatherings is the ultimate networking toolNICK: 4 secrets for hosting a great eventThe importance of name tags even when you know everyone at the eventHow to run icebreakers and an easy example to use at your eventWhy you shouldn't host dinner partiesThe perfect number of attendees to haveHow to politely kick people outThe perfect day of the week to host your networking partyNick's recommendation for event-hosting platformsHow to ensure people show up to your partyWhen to send and what to include in your reminder communicationMentions:Nick's event hosting platform recommendations: Partiful (https://partiful.com/) and Mixily (https://www.mixily.com/)More of Nick:The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: How to Build Big Relationships with Small Gatherings: https://www.amazon.com/2-Hour-Cocktail-Party-Relationships-Gatherings-ebook/dp/B0B2KW6T7JTwitter: https://twitter.com/nickgraynewsMore of The Struggle is Real:Find show notes and more at https://www.tsirpodcast.com/Follow us on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/tsirpod/

When was the last time you hosted an event at your home? What are you waiting for? You only need two hours on a weekday night and 15 RSVPs to throw a memorable party. The always energetic and bubbly Nick Gray—author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party—joined me to discuss the upcoming Do The Thing Host Your 2 Hour Cocktail Party Challenge. Hosting events changed Nick's life. He developed a proven formula to help others throw a successful cocktail party. Get ready to expand your network and create valuable relationships. And, no, dinner won't be served! Here's why Nick says anyone—even you!—can through a successful cocktail party with his proven formula. Ready to start planning your event? Buy The 2-Hour Cocktail Party on Amazon or wherever you buy books. Follow @nickgraynews on Instagram and Twitter. Visit nickgraynews.com for more info. We are going to be starting the Do The Thing Host your 2 hour Cocktail Party September 11

Online community consultants aren't unlike consultants for any other area of work. Some are ethical, smart, and talented, and some aren't. Consultants also don't often make great guests for the show because they view it as yet another lead generational funnel for them to shout generalities into. But hopefully an exception is this episode with community consultant Jenny Weigle. On it, we discuss how being humble is often at odds with how many consultants promote themselves, as they place a certain importance on appearing authoritative and revelatory, even if that isn't actually correct in the context of the history of this work. Can you even be a community consultant or an online community resource if you haven't taken a concept pioneered 30 years ago and thrown your logo on it? We also discuss: An update on past guest Tim McDonald's quest for a liver donor Self-promotion by community consultants Community professionals do roadshows, but are they ever invited to roadshows by other departments? Big Quotes When consultants and resources claim general concepts (3:57): “I've seen plenty of [community] consultants and resources pop up over my 25 years and throw a logo on something. The commitment curve, the activity ladder, the mountain of progression… how many different upward-facing shapes can we throw a logo on? I've seen a lot of that, and I've seen people claim something that has either been claimed decades ago or no one should be laying claim to.” -Patrick O'Keefe How much of the talk in community work is brand new? (6:01): “There are very few things that happen in our field today that make me pause and say, ‘Wow,' either to myself or out loud. When I'm putting out my materials and what I'm personally working on, I'm just doing what's top of mind and mainly it's influenced by what my clients need at the time.” -Jenny Weigle The danger AI poses to community creativity (15:19): “[With ChatGPT and similar AI tools,] I'm worried about elements of communities where creativity is usually needed. An easy example is the writing of content, the writing of posts, the writing of conversations, and how those things start. I'm worried about everyone sounding the same. I'm worried about everyone getting the same prompts. I'm worried about everyone rewriting their posts using the same tool that learns on the same data set, and will all move them closer to the same center. Ultimately, that's the death of community.” -Patrick O'Keefe Why community pros should read hospitality books (26:05): “There were so many things [that community builders can learn from the hospitality industry]. I was in awe as I turned each page of Danny Meyer's book because he paid so much attention to wanting to know his customer's preferences, their likes, dislikes, what was relevant going on in their lives at the moment, what would bring them in the door, and what would keep them from coming. These are all things that community managers are concerned about with their online communities, as well.” -Jenny Weigle About Jenny Weigle Jenny Weigle has been creating, executing, and reviewing strategies for online communities for more than 10 years. She's worked with more than 100 brands on various aspects of their community strategy and implementations, including launch, migration, programming, and planning. These brands include, Airbnb, Google, HP, Intuit, Pinterest, REI, Samsung, Sephora, Splunk, Stubhub, and Visa. When she's not geeking out on community strategy, Jenny spends time in Los Angeles with her partner, John, and stepdaughter. In her personal life, she is a proud member of a number of communities, including Southern California Gator Club, Spiritual Sisters of Los Angeles (which she founded), Oak Park LA (for CrossFit), Sofar Sounds, and D23: The Official Disney Fan Club. Related Links Jenny's website Tim McDonald on Community Signal Good news from Tim! TimsLiver.com Jenny's Substack The Hospitality Books That Made Me a Better Community Professional by Jenny Danny Meyer's book, Setting the Table TV shows that deal with hospitality and customer service: Hotel Impossible, Bar Rescue, Kitchen Nightmares, and The Profit The 2-Hour Cocktail Party by Nick Gray Be Our Guest by The Disney Institute with Theodore Kinni Jenny's Community Roadshow template Jenny on LinkedIn Transcript View transcript on our website Your Thoughts If you have any thoughts on this episode that you'd like to share, please leave me a comment or send me an email. If you enjoy the show, we would be so grateful if you spread the word and supported Community Signal on Patreon.

On today's episode, Dr. Mark Costes interviews entrepreneur and author Nick Gray. Nick is a seasoned entrepreneur, having started and sold two multi-million dollar companies: Flight Display Systems and Museum Hack. He is also the author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, a step-by-step handbook that teaches individuals how to build their network and make new friends through hosting small gatherings. During the interview, Mark and Nick dive into the topics of charisma, trust, and rapport. They discuss the importance of these qualities in building connections and relationships, both personally and professionally. Nick shares insights from his experience in starting Museum Hack, a company that offers unconventional museum tours designed to engage and captivate visitors. He provides valuable tips and strategies on how to host successful small gatherings, including ice breakers that help break down barriers and create a comfortable environment for networking. Nick's expertise in creating culturally significant parties and fostering meaningful connections has garnered attention from prestigious publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and New York Magazine. If you're interested in enhancing your charisma, building trust, and establishing rapport in your personal and professional life, don't miss this enlightening interview with Nick Gray. To learn more about Nick and his work, be sure to check out his book, The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, and listen to the full episode of the Dentalpreneur Podcast. Don't forget to visit Nick's website and connect with him to discover more valuable insights and strategies for hosting successful gatherings. Elevate your networking skills and make meaningful connections by following Nick's NICK party formula. EPISODE RESOURCES nickgray.net https://www.truedentalsuccess.com Dental Success Network Subscribe to The Dentalpreneur Podcast

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the job market, leading to discussions about remote work and its implications. Expert Noel Andrews highlights challenges faced by employers, such as skill shortages and high salary demands. Employers face competition from regions with lower labor costs, and candidates should network and demonstrate commitment. Noel emphasizes avoiding generalizations and finding a balance between employer and employee expectations. Clear communication and task definition are crucial for finding candidates excelling in remote work environments. Both employers and candidates must adapt, communicate effectively, and embrace new ways of working to succeed in this evolving landscape. Where to find them: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noelandrews/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/noel_andrews Website: https://jobrack.eu/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jobrack1 2-Hour Cocktail Party: https://www.amazon.com/2-Hour-Cocktail-Party-Relationships-Gatherings-ebook/dp/B0B2KW6T7J Join 1000's London-centred founders, creators, freelancers and makers in the #techlondon slack channel at techlondon.io

As a kid, making friends is easy. But building relationships as an adult is much more challenging. Imagine how different life would be if you had a full social calendar. What if you hosted a party to get started? It was a delight to chat with Nick Gray, the author of 2-Hour Cocktail Party, about his secret formula for throwing a well-run event at home. Networking is crucial for successful business people like himself. But it's not always easy. Once an introvert, Nick realized the only way to build new relationships was by doing something great. Here's how Nick discovered the value of cocktail parties and why he wants to help 500 people host their first one. In this episode, Nick discloses how these pieces of the Do The Thing Formula will help you become the best host ever: Planning ahead Ready to throw your own cocktail party? Purchase 2-Hour Cocktail Party from Audible, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, or anywhere else you buy books online. 

Throw the best real estate networking events with a twist of cultural flair in today's episode with Nick Gray as he shares a step-by-step guide to hosting cocktail parties. Hear expert insights that'll help you make new connections and boost your investor pool when you check out the whole episode!Key Takeaways to Listen forNetworking advantages of holding real estate social eventsThe N.I.C.K Party Formula: What it is and its advantages What is a good icebreaker for real estate cocktail parties?Things to consider when holding small networking gatheringsImportance of setting expectations in cocktail partiesResources Mentioned in This EpisodeThe Two-Hour Cocktail Party by Nick Gray | Kindle and PaperbackMixilyPartifulPaperless PostLUMA InstituteFree Apartment Syndication Due Diligence Checklist for Passive Investor About Nick GrayNick is an entrepreneur and best-selling author living in Austin, Texas. He started and sold two successful companies: Flight Display Systems and Museum Hack. Nick is the author of the 2-Hour Cocktail Party, a step-by-step handbook that teaches you how to build big relationships by hosting small gatherings. Over 75,000 people have watched his TEDx talk about why he hates most museums. He's been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and New York Magazine called him a host of “culturally significant parties.”Connect with NickWebsite: Nick GrayTo Connect With UsPlease visit our website: www.bonavestcapital.com, and please click here, to leave a rating and review!SponsorsGrow Your Show, LLCThinking About Creating and Growing Your Own Podcast But Not Sure Where To Start?Visit GrowYourShow.com and Schedule a call with Adam A. Adams

You can build big relationships by hosting small gatherings!  All new relationships start in the acquaintance phase.  How could life be different if we had different friends and did different things?  We need more friends as adults not less! We get into our habits instead we need to get a sitter!  Switch things up!  Nick Gray knows about father/son bonding he learned sales from a young age from his dad. Let's see what my dad says about partying!  Better Call Daddy: The Safe Space For Controversy. On this episode of Better Call Daddy, the guest Nick Gray shares his insights on how to host a party with kids. He believes that it is essential to create adult relationships as we get older and suggests ideas to host a separate kids' party while adults socialize without using children as conversational crutches. Nick also discusses his experience as a museum tour guide and how he practiced and improved his skills by reading survey forms and getting feedback from guests. He offers tips on hosting a successful party, including small invitations and not overthinking the guest list. The episode also covers icebreaker questions for introverts, cutting people off, and how to judge character for social events. Additionally, Nick shares his experience working with his parents after college, helping his dad's newly established company that he started in the basement of their house. Nick Gray is an entrepreneur and author living in Austin, Texas. He started and sold two successful companies: Flight Display Systems and Museum Hack. Nick is the author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, a step-by-step handbook that teaches you how to build big relationships by hosting small gatherings. Over 75,000 people have watched his TEDx talk about why he hates most museums. He's been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and New York Magazine called him a host of “culturally significant parties.” Visit his websites at www.nickgray.net and www.party.pro or find him on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. Helpful links: Partiful Event Platform: Review and Comparison (2023) 32 Funny Ideas for Anything but a Cup Party 18 Color Theme Party Ideas for 2023 Icebreaker Card Games: Questions & Review of 5 Popular 2023 Decks How to Host a Party in a Small Apartment 31 Summer Camp Activities for Adults Icebreakers: The Ultimate Guide for 2023   Connect with Nick https://nickgray.net/ Nick's book The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: How to Build Big Relationships with Small Gatherings Nick's business https://tripeak.com/   Connect with Reena bettercalldaddy.com linkedin.com/in/reenafriedmanwatts instagram.com/reenafriedmanwatts instagram.com/bettercalldaddypodcast twitter.com/reenareena   Me and my dad would love to hear from you, drop us a review, reviews help more people find the show, and let us know what you like and what you'd like us to change, please share the show with one friend who you think would be helped by the show ratethispodcast.com/bettercalldaddy podchaser.com/bettercalldaddy     Are you a popular podcaster or a rising influencer? Or do you have a great idea for an online business? Then you should know that every great website starts with an awesome domain name. Namecheap offers hundreds of domain extensions, from the traditional dot com to creative extensions for podcasters like dot fm, dot live, or dot space.   Namecheap is the world's 2nd largest domain registrar, with nearly 17 million domains under management and a top web service provider for everything you need to launch an amazing website. Namecheap offers hundreds of domain extensions from the traditional .com to creative extensions like .fm, .live or .space   Namecheap is offering Better Call Daddy listeners 20% off any non-premium domain name for its first year of registration with the code REENA20. The offer cannot be combined with any existing sales but can override any current sale if its discount is less than 20%. The code is valid for all new and existing Namecheap customers. You can register up to 10 domains per account with this code.    To get a domain name with a 20% discount (including .com and 455 other extensions). Go to namecheap.com , search for your desired domain, and use the code REENA20 at checkout.    Castmagic is the ai tool I use for show notes and podcast title ideas, it has helped save me tons of time. I talked about it in this episode.  Please use my affiliate link if you sign up. https://www.castmagic.io/?via=reena    

Is loneliness the new smoking? A number of studies and polls have recently come out that indicate Americans of all ages, socioeconomic, and geographic locations are more isolated and alone that in any other time in recent history. Some postulate this has been spurred by people isolating themselves via increased screen time, alienating and divisive social media posts, remote working, and perhaps augmented by living in a post-Covid era.  Regardless of the causes, Nick Gray is wielding name tags and a harmonica, and rolling up his sleeves to remedy this new plague, which we'll be discussing in this episode. But first who is Nick Gray? Well, he is a bit of an underdog wunderkind. Let me explain. At age 14, Nick while in middle school, built websites and was making $70 per hour, which later on helped pay his tuition at Wake Forest University. After graduating, he helped build and grow the family business, which they sold and now Nick manages their family office. While living in New York and, based on his disdain for museums, but smitten on a date to The Met, he built and launched a multi-million dollar, Inc. 5000 company, called Museum Hack. He also did a TEDx talk about it (which has been watched by more than 75,000 people), and then sold the company, as many of us do. Along the way he also lived in India and produced a Bollywood music video. He's been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Newsweek, and New York Magazine. In addition to having been a featured speaker at TEDx, he's also presented at The DO Lectures and The Skift Conference, among many others. Needless to say, Nick is not your everyday entrepreneur, or person. His latest foray is that of author, and we'll do a deep dive into his new book, The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, a step-by-step handbook that teaches you how to build relationships by hosting small gatherings. Nick is the poster-boy for living your life in full, connecting with others and building community more so than an audience. Tune in to learn how he does it, and how you can, too.

Nick Gray helps folks make new friends and build big relationships. He's an entrepreneur and best-selling author of “The 2-Hour Cocktail Party”, a step-by-step handbook that teaches you how to build big relationships by hosting small gatherings. In this episode, Nick shares his simple (and memorable) formula that will help you to meet new people, strengthen your relationships, and make you the person everyone want to know! Grab a pen for notes, Then, grab your calendar to save the date for YOUR 2-hour cocktail party!  Website https://nickgray.net Connect with Nick on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickgraynews/ Other great resources from Nick: https://www.instagram.com/nickgraynews/Partiful Event Platform: Review and Comparison (2023)32 Funny Ideas for Anything but a Cup Party18 Color Theme Party Ideas for 2023Icebreaker Card Games: Questions & Review of 5 Popular 2023 DecksHow to Host a Party in a Small Apartment31 Summer Camp Activities for AdultsIcebreakers: The Ultimate Guide for 2023Let's Stay in Touch! LinkedIn (be sure to mention you heard the podcast ;-)) Twitter Instagram Website - B.O.O.S.T.® Your Brilliance

Als Party Host Leute zusammenbringen und selbst neue Freundschaften knüpfen, mach erst einmal Angst, oder? Ja, das haben wir uns auch gedacht, aber mit Nick Grays The 2 Hour Cocktail Party an der Hand könnt ihr nichts (okay, viel weniger) falsch machen. In der Folge erfahrt ihr die 6 wichtigsten Schritte um eine gute Party zu organisieren. Weirde Tricks inklusive: Dauert nur 2 Stunden, ist an einem Dienstag, es gibt keine Cocktails (trotz des Namens).Unterstützt den Podcast via Patreon und erhaltet exklusive Bonusfolgenoder holt euch das Buch via unserem Affiliate Link: The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: How to Build Big Relationships with Small Gatherings---Schwarz auf Weiß Rating:

Recommend this show by sharing the link: pod.link/2Pages I'm working on building community at the moment, and I've noticed I have two types to focus on. The first is a wider net - I know a lot of people a little bit, and I'd like to know some of them more. Inspired by the book The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, I've been hosting monthly events where I pull everyone together and ask them all to answer a question, which effectively seeds the next round of introductions and conversation. The second type of community is a deeper vessel. I invite other men at about the same stage of life as me, and we discuss what it means to be an elder in our different worlds. Here, my hope is that I'm asked questions that'll help call me forth. Two different communities, but for each, good questions right at their heart.  Hal Gregersen is a man who loves questions, perhaps even more than I do. He's dedicated his life to it as an author, speaker, and former Executive Director of the MIT Leadership Center. Hal and I both believe that questioning can transform the future of learning and make the world a better place.    Hal reads an article titled, ‘Let Your Life Speak' by Parker Palmer. [reading begins at 21:20]   Hear us discuss:  The greatest gift that trust brings. [5:04] | Maintaining an open heart and a healthy relationship with trust. [6:57] | How heartbreak can sometimes be a good thing: “Life is fleeting; it comes and goes faster than we think.” [31:05] | The feeling of deep gladness: “When you have that moment where eyes light up - that's deep gladness.” [36:59] | Alexander Papaderos, Elie Wiesel, & the meaning of life: “For a lot of my life, I was trying to get rid of this bad part of my past instead of understanding and embracing it … it's not only okay, but it's you.” [40:35]

Hey there! In this podcast, Chalene and Bret are chatting about something many adults struggle with: making new friends. They'll share some tips and insights on how to do it. Plus, they'll give a little update on their own lives as empty nesters and share what they've been up to lately. So if you're looking to expand your social circle or just curious about how Chalene and Bret are doing, tune in! Bret may have met a new friend at the Meetup Tips on how to meet like minded people.  Upcoming podcast on Overcoming social anxiety and shyness How the meetup went and the surprise of who did not attend. Tips for planning and executing a successful meetup Navigating adult friendships and introducing friends to each other Bringing two friends together and hoping they get along Life update from an empty nesters perspective what they have been up to lately Checkout the Book “ The 2-Hour Cocktail Party”     Check out this episode on  YouTube   Download the Patreon App and Join The Chalene Show at patreon.com/TheChaleneShow     We would love to hear from you! Leave your questions or messages for Chalene RIGHT HERE     To get the exclusive offer for my listeners go to magbreakthrough.com/chaleneoffer and enter code CHALENEOFFER to get 10% off any order plus a special gift     Connect with your partner every day using Paired. Get 25% off by Downloading the app at https://www.paired.com/CHALENE      Thank you to our sponsor Talkspace.com!! Use the code CHALENE and get $100 off your first month.   To advertise on our podcast, please reach out to thechaleneshow@gmail.com and mention The Chalene Show   Join our awesome PodSquad on Facebook here!    Sign Up For MY WEEKLY NEWSLETTER     Links You May Want to Check out: Subscribe to Subscribe to Build Your Tribe!!!  Check out Bret's Course Money Matters 101 at Chalene.com/moneymatters Be sure to check out the Push Journals and Notebooks!! Go to PushJournal.com Join Phase it Up and start creating healthier habits, it isn't like other diets or programs! PhaseItUp.com Join the InstaClubHub to go deep in learning all the latest tips and strategies to Instagram growth and engagement! InstaClubHub.com Check out all the Discounts and some of Chalene's favorite things at Chalene.com/Deals Send Chalene a text message at  (619) 500-4819 Leave Chalene a Voicemail review or question RIGHT HERE Join our awesome PodSquad on Facebook here! Go to Chalene.com/MyThing and see what your passion or hidden talents are!!   Connect with me on your fav social platform: Instagram: www.Instagram.com/ChaleneJohnson    Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Chalene    TikTok: @chaleneOfficial Twitter: www.Twitter.com/ChaleneJohnson     Be sure you are subscribed to this podcast to automatically receive your episodes!!!      Get episode show notes here: www.chalenejohnson.com/podcast      Hey! Send me a tweet & tell me what you think about the show! (Use the Hashtag) #The Chalene Show so I know you're a homie! XOXO Chalene

Nick Gray, author of the The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, joins us today to talk about the best way to make friends as an adult, throw a party with new and old friends! If that sounds scary, Sammie and Michelle can relate. Luckily, Nick literally wrote the book on throwing the perfect party. On this episode we discuss the challenges of making friends as an adult, why cocktail (or mocktail) parties are a great way to create and deepen friendships, and we cover some of the best things to put in place to have structure for your party and to help ease your anxieties. By the end of this episode, we were excited to throw a party and hope you feel the seeds of that as well.  Nick Gray's Information:Book: The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: How to Build Big Relationships with Small GatheringsWebsite: nickgray.netNick Gray's Instagram: @nickgraynewsNick Gray's Twitter: @nickgraynewsBollywood Music VideoFind more of our show notes at buildawealthyspirit.com! There you can also leave us a comment and claim one of the five free copies of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party that we are giving away to our listeners. Find more show notes and interact with the Build A Wealthy Spirit community at buildawealthyspirit.com!

We are excited for today's fun conversation with Nick Gray, an entrepreneur and best-selling author. Nick started and sold two successful companies: Flight Display Systems and Museum Hack. Nick is also the author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, a step-by-step handbook that teaches you how to build big relationships by hosting small gatherings. Over 75,000 people have watched his TEDx talk about why he hates most museums. He's been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and New York Magazine called him a host of “culturally significant parties.” In this episode we discuss: A simple formula with step-by-step instructions to host a cocktail party Which days are best to host parties and what to do when guests arrive Ensuring your invitation gets responses and your guests show up ready to mingle Your pre-party checklist and activities to encourage new connections  The benefits of being the host We are excited to host our own Art of Living Well Podcast Cocktail Party this summer. Stay tuned! Special offer: Download the first five chapters of his book, as well as a pre-party checklist for 17 things you can do right now to make your next party a success. https://party.pro/book/ FB:   https://www.facebook.com/newfriend IG:  https://instagram.com/nickgraynews ----------------------------------------------------------- Thanks to our amazing Sponsor, Good Health Saunas.  Good Health Saunas is proud to provide top-of-the-line infrared saunas that deliver the most impactful results for overall health and wellness. For more information and for your special discount please visit, Www.goodhealthsaunas.com and mention The Art of Living Well Podcast. ----------------------------------------------------------- Thanks to our amazing sponsor, Organifi.  Organifi is a line of organic superfood blends that offer plant-based nutrition with high quality ingredients and less than 3g of sugar. As a listener of The Art of Living Well Podcast you get 20% off ALL Organifi products. To take advantage of your Organifi discount, use the link below and the code LIVINGWELL at checkout for 20% off your order.  Order Organifi products now! ----------------------------------------------------------- Ask us a question/make a recommentation We'd love to hear from you! Click here to share your feedback and suggestions. ----------------------------------------------------------- Sign-up for your 15 minute Health Transformation Audit - Click here. ----------------------------------------------------------- Missed our Spring 7 Day Functional Liver Detox? We now have a program where you can do it on your own schedule but still receive all the wonderful support and recipes of the full program.  Register here! ----------------------------------------------------------- Need more protein in your day? Check out these amazing, high quality products from Kion, especially their essential amino acids, which we both use daily.   Use code 'ARTOFLIVING' for a discount off your purchase. ----------------------------------------------------------- Let us help you get to the root cause of your unwanted symptoms. Schedule a 15 minute consultation to discuss at-home functional medicine lab testing here. ----------------------------------------------------------- How can you support our podcast? Apple users, please subscribe and review our show on Apple Podcasts,we make sure to read them all. Android users, please be sure to subscribe to our show on Google Podcasts so that you don't miss any of the action. Tell a friend about The Art of Living Well Podcast® and our community programs. Share your favorite episode on social media and don't forget to tag us @theartofliving_well. Shop our Favorite Products: https://www.theartoflivingwell.us/products Connect with us on social media: IG: @theartofliving_well FB: theartoflivingwell Get on our list so you don't miss out on announcements, programs and events. You can download our guests' favorite reads here. Learn more about your hosts: Marnie Dachis Marmet Stephanie May Potter

Learn Speak Teach Episode #62 with Nick Gray. Full Show Notes at: https://realbusinessconnections.com/episode/nick-gray/ Watch The Episode: https://youtu.be/Fw3dy2Tc7f8 During this episode, you will learn about: [00:57] Introduction to the show [02:48] Nick Gray's bio [03:46] Why Nick hates most museums [05:12] How he moved from bored and lonely Friday nights to have a packed calendar of events [09:10] Your network is your net worth [10:36] Why a cocktail party is better than a dinner party [11:23] The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: How to Build Big Relationships with Small Gatherings: https://bit.ly/3Ix0OYk [12:12] What's the first step for anyone interested in hosting a cocktail party [13:29] Which is the best day and time to host a party? [17:00] Why diversity is essential when hosting parties [21:15] Benefits of hosting meetups [22:23] How to invite different groups of people to your party [24:21] 3 crucial things you should do when hosting an event [26:38] The different online event platforms you can use to invite people to your party [27:03] Partiful Event Platform: Review and Comparison (2023): https://party.pro/partiful/ [28:03] Effective ways of boosting the event attendance rate [35:04] What to do when the party starts [38:48] How do you stop the party to lead a round of icebreakers? [42:31] Value additive icebreakers [44:59] Connect with Nick: https://nickgray.net/ [46:04] Rapid Fire Round [52:30] Formular for hosting gatherings; How to Host a Housewarming Party: https://party.pro/housewarming/ How to Host a Happy Hour Party: Best Guide for 2022: https://party.pro/happyhour/ How to Host a Baby Shower: Tips, Tricks, Checklist: https://party.pro/baby-shower/ How to Host a Digital Nomad Happy Hour; https://party.pro/nomads/ How To Host A Dinner Party: https://party.pro/dinner/ How to Plan A Networking Event: https://party.pro/networking/ [53:07] Follow Nick Gray on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickgraynews/ Key Takeaways: Your network is your net worth. [09:10] “Any big relationship, whether it's a friendship or a business partner, starts at the level of acquaintances.” ~ Nick Gray [09:53] Using name tags at social gatherings is inclusive and creates more conversations and more new connections [25:22] When you add generous leadership to your gathering, your event will be much better, and people will respect you. Additionally, you will start to get introduced to other people as a great host and organizer [32:08] Icebreakers not only create new conversations but they help break up existing conversations [36:27] “When you have fruitful relationships, it does lead to transactions.” ~ Ben Albert [54:07] People Mentioned and Other Resources: The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: How to Build Big Relationships with Small Gatherings: https://bit.ly/3Ix0OYk Icebreaker Card Games: Review of 5 Different Decks: https://party.pro/icebreaker-cards/ Nick Gray's TEDx Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VWPHKABRQA Keep In Touch with Nick Gray: Website: https://nickgray.net/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickgraynews LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickgraynews/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickgraynews/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newfriend?fref=ts YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/nickgray Business info: https://tripeak.com/

When It Comes to Success in Life and Business... It's About Your Relationships! We all have heard the saying, "it's not what you know, but who you know". And let's be honest the relationships we make are critically important to our personally lives, but most assuredly our professional lives. But what do you do when you find it difficult to create new relationships? And what is more how can you create relationships that truly make a difference? True you could join a meetup group, go to a networking event, but typically these events are forced impersonal and loud, and more often than not you can feel very alone. What is one to do? Well in this episode of A New Direction Nick Gray joins us to talk about how to create "The 2 Hour Cocktail Party". In this episode Nick coaches us on how to create an effective, intimate, fun party that truly builds real relationhips that translate into tremendous benefits for you personally and professionally. No matter what your age these small gatherings create huge dividends! You don't want to miss this episode...in could be career changing and life changing! Nick Gray's book, "The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: How to Build Big Relationships with Small Gatherings" is absolutely fantastic!  The more I read it the more I kept saying, "I should do this".  By the end of the book, I was saying, "I need to do this".  After thinking about it, I put it on my calendar, and I am doing this!  This book takes the pressure off of doing a long-drawn-out party.  It takes the awkwardness out of those "networking" events.  It puts you in the position where you are building real relationships that grow deeper that will positively impact you personally and professionally.  Charlie "Tremendous" Jones is correct in saying, “Five years from today, you will be the same person that you are today, except for the books your read and the people you meet." Nick Gray will get you on the way to change, because you will be doing both. If you would like to learn more about Nick Gray and how can great an effective and amazing 2-Hour Cocktail Party head on over to: The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: Amazon Party Times: Start, End, & Best Times Partiful Event Platform: Review and Comparison (2023) How to End a Party: Exactly What to Do Icebreaker Card Games: Questions & Review of 5 Popular 2023 Decks Icebreakers: The Ultimate Guide for 2023 How to Introduce Two People via Email: Sample Scripts (2023) Friendship Recession Please thank our sponsors for their support of A New Direction: EPIC Physical Therapy, whether you are hurt from work, the recreational gym person, or a professional athlete. EPIC PT can help you get back to doing those things you not only need to do but want to do.  From recovering from major surgery to basic nutrition, lean on the physical therapists that so many professional athletes use.  Because you are worth it…be EPIC!  Head on over to www.EPICpt.com Linda Craft & Team, REALTORS they can help you sell your home or buy your next home.  For more than 38 years they have been known for helping people make their life transition with their “Legendary Customer Service”.  Let's face it, every place you have ever lived has been a transition in life.  And they help reduce the stress through their compassion, knowledge and experience.  And if you live in another area they can help you too.  As they are independent of the national and international brands, they are connected to the best real estate professionals in your area that they can recommend to help you with your residential real estate needs.  Learn more by going to www.LindaCraft.com

Last week I did a LIVE podcast episode for the first time with some friends:   - Neville Medhora of Copywriting Course - Sam Parr of The Hustle and My First Million Podcast - Nick Gray, author of the The 2-Hour Cocktail Party and founder of Museum Hack - Justin Mares of Kettle & Fire, Surely Non-Alcoholic Wine, and Perfect Keto   It was great, y'all.    Thanks to SXSW and the AppSumo team for organizing it, and the audience for coming out.   We talked all about how to succeed as a content creator 2023, there was an audience Q&A, and it was a ton of fun.   If you've ever wanted to learn exactly how content creators get successful, you'll love this episode.   In this conversation, you'll enjoy 3 BIG things: 1. What content channels we're MOST excited about right now 2. The tools we NEED to make the best content 3. And the EXACT formulas we use to grow our audience today   Enjoy those 3 things… plus a bunch more ear nuggets along the way.   Check out some of the tools I mention in the episode:   - Castmagic.io - SendFox.com - Clickup.com  

One of the best ways to grow your network, find investors and make deals is networking. And today's guest has mastered the art of putting on a great networking event. Nick Gray is the bestselling author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: How to Build Big Relationships with Small Gatherings. I'm a big believer in face-to-face events to help grow brands, recruit partners, and find deals, and Nick's unique strategy makes these events even more powerful and productive. In our conversation, Nick and I dig deep into how to host a successful networking event and how to market a great party that connects you to private capital. You'll discover how to bring the party to you instead of going to a boring party, why saying “no sales” makes it so much easier to sell to great people, and the beauty of sitting back, listening, and asking questions.  Key Takeaways with Nick Gray Nick's proven formula for becoming super connected in any city–even if you've just moved there. How to raise $2 million from two-hour cocktail parties (and why you don't want to only invite real estate people). Why so many networking functions are boring and unproductive. How to be seen as a super-connector and an expert. How the NICK method for 2-hour cocktail parties gets people excited, organically inspires conversation, and can boost your career–whatever it is.  Want the Full Show Notes? To get access to the full show notes, including audio, transcripts, and links to all the resources mentioned, visit https://acceleratedinvestorpodcast.com/350 Rate & Review If you enjoyed today's episode of The Accelerated Real Estate Investor Podcast, hit the subscribe button on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube so future episodes are automatically downloaded directly to your device. You can also help by providing an honest rating & review over on Apple Podcasts. Reviews go a long way in helping us build awareness so that we can impact even more people. THANK YOU! Connect with Josh Cantwell Facebook YouTube Instagram LinkedIn Twitter Sign up for the Forever Passive Income Partnering, Mastermind and Coaching Program with Josh Cantwell To unlock your potential and start earning real passive income, visit joshcantwellcoaching.com

It's hard to create a successful strategy to take a book beyond the consumer market. What can you do to ensure the success of your work? Our guest today is Nick Gray, the Founder and Owner of Museum Hack and the author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: How to Build Big Relationships with Small Gatherings, which is the ultimate guide for hosting the perfect party to make friends and network. While The 2-Hour Cocktail Party is full of excellent insights and has hundreds of 5-star reviews, Nick still struggles to get his book into the hands of those for whom it would have the most impact. Using Nick's book as an example, Peter walks through the process of taking a book from shelf to scale. Nick has seen real-estate agents and financial advisors have great success using the content of his book, together he and Peter dive deeper into those clients to develop a clear avatar, where to find them, and how to take the content to scale by approaching associations and parent companies to license the content on a large scale. Another component to taking a book to scale is moving the contents to versatile offerings. Nick and Peter discuss how the book could become a series of videos, webinars, and training sessions that would allow great access to the material at a wide variety of price points. If you've ever wondered what it is we do at thought leadership leverage this episode is like a sneak peek at the range of consulting services we offer and how we could help you take your material to the next level. Three Key Takeaways: * A good strategy covers:1) Who do we best serve; 2) How are we going to serve them; and 3) What products, offerings, and solutions do they need? * Knowing the audience that will get the most impact (and value) from your material is critical to a book's success. * If you are thinking about sharing your story, be sure to include real stories, human moments, and a personal touch to your experience and insights.  .

One of the greatest treasures somebody can have is a good friend. A friend is someone who, albeit initially a stranger, ends up playing a significant role in our lives. Pure friendship is enjoying someone without expecting anything in return, much like true love. However, as time passes by, it gets increasingly difficult to find these so-called friends. Other than the obvious, adults usually don't have any more time to spend finding good friends anymore unlike when they were children. Nick Gray offers a solution for anyone having the same difficulties. It's never too late to find friendship. Nick Gray hails from Austin, Texas. Nick is an entrepreneur and the founder of the successful businesses Flight Display Systems and Museum Hack, both of which he ultimately sold. He is also a best-selling author, and his book The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: How to Build Big Relationships with Small Gatherings teaches you how to do the same by simply hosting a small gathering. In this episode, Nick talks about helping people who are having difficulties making new friends as an adult, solving the loneliness epidemic, the purposes and benefits of holding a party and making new friends, and the NICK Party Formula. Resources Nick Gray (official site) Nick Gray on Facebook Nick Gray on Twitter Nick Gray on YouTube Nick Gray on LinkedIn Email: hello@nickgray.net

When Nick Gray moved to New York City, he was a shy introvert with few friends. But he wanted to build up his social network. So he started throwing cocktail parties to meet people. These parties changed his life, and he thinks they can change yours, too.Nick knows what you're thinking: you don't throw parties, and hosting them is simply not for you. But, he would encourage you not to tune out. He's got a great case for why you should give this idea a try, and just as he does in his book — The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: How to Build Big Relationships with Small Gatherings — Nick is going to lay out exactly how to throw a party that's low stakes and low effort, but will be highly successful in helping you build all kinds of connections.Today on the show, Nick shares what he's learned from throwing hundreds of parties and refining his hosting technique to a T. He explains why cocktail parties are better than dinner parties (and don't have to involve actual cocktails), the best night of the week to throw a party, why the party should only be two hours long and have a firm end time, how many people to invite, and who to invite when you don't yet have any friends. And he explains why he's a big fan of two things you might be hesitant about — name tags and icebreakers — and why two of his favorite things to include in a party are grapes and a harmonica.Resources Related to the EpisodeRelated articles by Nick:How to Host a Party at Home With KidsHow to Host a Digital Nomad Happy HourMocktail Party: How to Host When You Don't Drink AlcoholHow to Do Icebreakers: The Ultimate GuideEvent Platforms: Pros, Cons, and My FavoritesRelated AoM articles and podcasts:The Manly Art of HospitalityHow to End a Conversation9 Reasons You Should Host a Party This WeekendPodcast #378: Brunch Is HellPodcast #362: The Art of MinglingConnect With Nick GrayNick's websiteNick's newsletterNick on IG

Build big relationships by hosting small gatherings for authors | The 2-hour cocktail party for authors // Nick Gray, author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, joins Author Nation to talk about hosting events, building relationships, and making everyone feel like they are the life of the party. In this interview we will discuss:Building big relationships by hosting small gatherings for author,Making your book launch feel like a cocktail party,Using TikTok to build relationships with readers, andYouTube shorts for nonfiction authors.Like this? Please like, comment and subscribe! =======================================================

Help support The Scott Townsend Show via Patreon www.patreon.com/thescotttownsendshowIn this episode, I visit with Nick Gray, author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party.  Nick outlines everything you need to do from concept to clean-up after your cocktail party.  To contact Nick, go to nick@nickgraynews.com.For a copy of his book, go to my Amazon affiliate link  https://amzn.to/3IfAvaBI make a small percentage on my Amazon affiliate links.Recipes for mocktails https://www.simplyrecipes.com/mocktails-for-dry-january-5212193► Subscribe to The Scott Townsend Show Youtube channel --- https://bit.ly/3iV8sOTYou can look for these videos every week, so please hit subscribe to stay in the loop for each new show!For TSTS merchandise, go to https://teespring.com/stores/tsts-2 for a list of TSTS coffee mugs and t-shirts.  (I get a cut)Resources and Links--------------------------------------------My contact info:LinkedIn https://bit.ly/2ZZ4qweTwitter  https://bit.ly/3enLDQaFacebook   https://bit.ly/2Od4ItOInstagram  https://bit.ly/2ClncWlTranscribe your podcasts and videos with Otterhttps://otter.ai/referrals/ICNJ76HUExecutive Producer:  Ben TownsendCreative Consultant:  Matthew Blue TownsendShot with a 1080P Webcam with Microphone, WebCam USB Camera, Computer HD Streaming Webcam for PC Desktop & Laptop w/Mic, Wide Angle Lens & Large Sensor for Superior Low Light-wb-4 https://amzn.to/32gfgAuAudio by Blue Yeti Nano Premium USB Mic for Recording and Streaming - Shadow Grey https://amzn.to/2Zuh0UUFollow The Scott Townsend Show podcast onSpotify  https://spoti.fi/3eDwLgGiTunes  https://apple.co/3jAwCyuStitcher  https://bit.ly/3gYaDiOTuneIn  https://bit.ly/2OzlH9VVoice Actor:  Britney McCulloughLogo by Angie Jordan  https://blog.angiejordan.com/contact/Theme Song by Androzguitar https://www.fiverr.com/inbox/androzguitarFor media requests or interviews, please reach out to scotttownsend2400@gmail.com

In this special bonus episode, entrepreneur and author Nick Gray leads you through the advice in his book, “The 2-Hour Cocktail Party”, including the benefits of hosting, both personal and professional, how to make everyone feel included and even get help along the way, how to be the perfect guest, the two magic words for meeting new people at an event, the best days to throw a shindig, and a lot more.How to Host a Party WebsiteThe 2-Hour Cocktail Party: Book infoThe 2-Hour Cocktail Party: AmazonNetworking Event: How to Host One EasilyClothing Swap Tips and Tricks from Nick Gray (How to do it) Happy Hour Best Practices: How to Plan, Host, and Throw a Great PartyNick Gray's personal website

Nick Grey wrote the book (literally) on how to throw a cocktail party that won't stress out the host, guests will enjoy and more importantly that everyone will be able to build relationships from. Join me as he shares his wisdom down to every last detail you need to know to throw a successful 2-Hour Cocktail Party. Purchase his book, throw your first party then reach out and let him know how it went! He's waiting to hear from you! How to Host a Party Website - https://party.pro/ The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: Book info - https://party.pro/book/ The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1544530072?&linkCode=sl1&tag=nickgray-20&linkId=e79a6f5204f983ede76667979ea3e171&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl Networking Event: How to Host One, Easily - https://party.pro/networking/ How to Plan a Clothing Swap (The Easy Way)- https://party.pro/swap/ Hosting a Happy Hour: Nick Gray's How-to Guide - https://party.pro/happyhour/ Nick Gray's personal website - https://nickgray.net/ Nick Grey on Instagram - https://www.Instagram.com/NickGreyNews

GUEST BIO: Nick Gray is an entrepreneur and author living in Austin, Texas. He started and sold two successful companies: Flight Display Systems and Museum Hack. Nick is the author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, a step-by-step handbook that teaches you how to build big relationships by hosting small gatherings. Over 75,000 people have watched his TEDx talk about why he hates most museums. He's been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and New York Magazine called him a host of “culturally significant parties.”SHOW NOTES: 

Nick Gray joins the He Said, She Said: Razor Branding™ Podcast to talk about building relationships, and how relationships play such a big role in not only branding, but in life. Nick Gray is an entrepreneur and author living in Austin, Texas. He started and sold two successful companies: Flight Display Systems and Museum Hack. Nick is the author of The 2- Hour Cocktail Party, a step-by-step handbook that teaches you how to build big relationships by hosting small gatherings. Over 75,000 people have watched his TEDx talk about why he hates most museums. He's been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and New York Magazine called him a host of “culturally significant parties.”

Nick Gray is an investor, entrepreneur, and author who has started, scaled and sold multiple businesses. One of his most successful ventures was Museum Hack, which was his unique approach to offering museum tours for people who hate museum tours. It got into the Inc 5000 as one of the fastest-growing companies in the country. Eventually he struck a 7-figure exit deal, and continues to own 15% of the company. While Nick could have enjoyed an early retirement, he decided to follow another passion: connecting with people and helping others build personal and professional relationships. After hosting hundreds of parties, he authored The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, which teaches anyone how to build relationships by hosting small gatherings. New York Magazine has described him as “the host of culturally significant parties.” In this conversation, we go over the lessons he learned from bootstrapping and exiting multiple businesses, why entrepreneurs struggle to find meaning after securing nine-figure exits, and why hosting events is the best way to build your professional network. Free GiftNick's giving away the first 5 chapters of his book, The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: How to Build Big Relationships with Small Gatherings. The book is designed to show you how throwing small parties in a strategic way can be the easiest method to building your network. To get access to this gift, visit LifestyleInvestor.com/107Want the Full Show Notes?To get access to the full show notes, including audio, transcripts, and links to all the resources mentioned, visit LifestyleInvestor.com/107Get the Lifestyle Investor Book!To get access to The Lifestyle Investor: The 10 Commandments of Cashflow Investing for Passive Income and Financial Freedom visit LifestyleInvestor.com/bookRate & ReviewIf you enjoyed today's episode of The Lifestyle Investor, hit the subscribe button on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio, or wherever you listen, so future episodes are automatically downloaded directly to your device.You can also help by providing an honest rating & review. Reviews go a long way in helping us build awareness so that we can impact even more people. THANK YOU!Connect with Justin DonaldFacebookYouTubeInstagramLinkedInTwitterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nick Gray is the author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, a handbook that teaches you how to build big relationships by hosting small gatherings. He's been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and New York Magazine called him a host of “culturally significant parties.” Screw The Commute Podcast Show Notes Episode 670 How To Automate Your Business - https://screwthecommute.com/automatefree/ Internet Marketing Training Center - https://imtcva.org/ Higher Education Webinar – https://screwthecommute.com/webinars See Tom's Stuff – https://linktr.ee/antionandassociates 04:23 Tom's introduction to Nick Gray 13:56 Morphing from a vlog to making money throwing parties 24:32 Doing an online RSVP 29:49 Liquor parties and liability 32:58 Sponsor message 34:54 A typical day for Nick Entrepreneurial Resources Mentioned in This Podcast Higher Education Webinar - https://screwthecommute.com/webinars Screw The Commute - https://screwthecommute.com/ Screw The Commute Podcast App - https://screwthecommute.com/app/ College Ripoff Quiz - https://imtcva.org/quiz Know a young person for our Youth Episode Series? Send an email to Tom! - orders@antion.com Have a Roku box? Find Tom's Public Speaking Channel there! - https://channelstore.roku.com/details/267358/the-public-speaking-channel How To Automate Your Business - https://screwthecommute.com/automatefree/ Internet Marketing Retreat and Joint Venture Program - https://greatinternetmarketingtraining.com/ KickStartCart - http://www.kickstartcart.com/ Copywriting901 - https://copywriting901.com/ Disabilities Page - https://imtcva.org/disabilities/ Tom's Patreon Page - https://screwthecommute.com/patreon/ How to Host a Party Website - https://party.pro/ The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: Book info - https://party.pro/book/ The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: Amazon - https://amzn.to/39rfb2V The Easy Way to Host or Plan a Networking Event - https://party.pro/networking/ How to Plan a Clothing Swap (The Easy Way) - https://party.pro/swap/ Hosting a Happy Hour: Nick Gray's How-to Guide - https://party.pro/happyhour/ Nick Gray's personal website - https://nickgray.net/ Nick on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@nickgraynews Email Tom: Tom@ScrewTheCommute.com Internet Marketing Training Center - https://imtcva.org/ Related Episodes My First TikTok - https://screwthecommute.com/669/ More Entrepreneurial Resources for Home Based Business, Lifestyle Business, Passive Income, Professional Speaking and Online Business I discovered a great new headline / subject line / subheading generator that will actually analyze which headlines and subject lines are best for your market. I negotiated a deal with the developer of this revolutionary and inexpensive software. Oh, and it's good on Mac and PC. Go here: http://jvz1.com/c/41743/183906 The Wordpress Ecourse. Learn how to Make World Class Websites for $20 or less. https://screwthecommute.com/wordpressecourse/ Join our Private Facebook Group! One week trial for only a buck and then $37 a month, or save a ton with one payment of $297 for a year. Click the image to see all the details and sign up or go to https://www.greatinternetmarketing.com/screwthecommute/ After you sign up, check your email for instructions on getting in the group.

Nick Gray is an entrepreneur and author living in Austin, Texas. He started and sold two successful companies: Flight Display Systems and Museum Hack. Nick is the author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, a step-by-step handbook that teaches you how to build big relationships by hosting small gatherings. Over 75,000 people have watched his TEDx talk about why he hates most museums. He's been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and New York Magazine called him a host of “culturally significant parties.” How to Host a Party Website The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: Book info The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: Amazon Do's and Don'ts in Planning a Networking Meetup Clothing Swap: How to Plan the Party Happy Hour Best Practices: How to Plan, Host, and Throw a Great Party Nick's personal website

Humans are not meant to be alone all the time. But with jobs to fulfill, businesses to run, kids to look after, and loved ones to spend time with, how do you gather old and new folks to rekindle friendships and encourage new connections? What better way to bring people together than hosting a cocktail party, right? Nick Gray, the founder of Museum Hack and author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: How to Build Big Relationships with Small Gatherings, joins us to share how he went from helping his family's businesses to launching his own tour operator business and then writing his very first book about the benefits of hosting social gatherings.  In this episode, Nick looks back at how he made it possible to help his family grow their business by leading their hiring, marketing, and international sales. He takes us back to when he started and grew Museum Hack and reveals why he sold and exited the company in 2018. Nick also talks about the benefits of hosting cocktail parties in widening your network and building connections. Topics include: How Nick became a museum tour guide and turned Hack the Met tours into a business How long it took Nick to launch his book, The 2-Hour Cocktail Party Nick and Darius share one thing to consider before publishing a book How Nick grew Museum Hack before he stepped down and sold the company The biggest fear of a new party host and how to avoid it Nick reveals the best days to host a cocktail party The secret formula to successfully hosting parties and making new friends Nick explains why a conventional cocktail party lasts only 2 hours Tips for parents who want to host or attend a party How to leverage party hosting And other topics… Resources: How to Host a Party Website: https://party.pro/  The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: https://party.pro/book/   The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: https://amzn.to/39rfb2V   The Easy Way to Host or Plan a Networking Event: https://party.pro/networking/  How to Plan a Clothing Swap (The Easy Way): https://party.pro/swap/  Hosting a Happy Hour: Nick Gray's How-to Guide: https://party.pro/happyhour/  Kids at Your Party: Get a Sitter: https://party.pro/kids/  Connect with Nick: Website: https://nickgray.net/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickgraynews/?hl=en  Connect with Darius: Website: https://therealdarius.com/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dariusmirshahzadeh/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whoompdarius/ YouTube: https://therealdarius.com/youtube Book: The Core Value Equation https://www.amazon.com/Core-Value-Equation-Framework-Limitless/dp/1544506708 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Networking is the key to success in every career or business, but what happens if you are not an incredible keynote speaker who meets a ton of people at events? It can become hard to make friends and even harder to build your network.As we get older, friendships become harder to form, and we lose more friends than we create. But we need them more than ever when we're starting a business, growing our careers, or launching a practice. Our friends are our supporters. They are our cheerleaders and help us meet new people and build and expand our networks.Most new job opportunities and new relationships don't come from our best friends. They come from our network of acquaintances, weak ties, or loose connections. Holding a party will help you build your network of acquaintances and connections that can help you build your career and grow your business.    In this episode, Nick Gray, the author of 2-Hour Cocktail Party, talks about all things parties, networking, and how you can build strong relationships.“The more people you have, the less work you have as a host because there is less babysitting.”  Snapshot of the Key Points from the Episode:[02:52] Nick shares his career journey and how he got to where he is today[05:27] Nick's TEDx talk, museum visit, and how he was able to do them while doing cocktail parties to expand his networking.[08:40] Why you should hold cocktail parties and Nick's three recommendations on how to create a successful networking cocktail party. [14:02] The concept of the minimum viable party (MVP). What is the easiest possible gathering or get-together that you can do to get people to come over and hang out? [15:54] The two greatest fears of a first-time host. Who are you going to invite? And what happens at the party?[21:55] The NICK party formulae for what happens in the party (N: Name tag, I: Ice breakers, C: Cocktails only, K: Kick him out at the end)[25:00] Examples of Ice breakers Nick uses to start new conversations and end the existing ones at his cocktail parties. [30:45] What is the best time and day of the week to hold your cocktail party? What are the red-level days? How to make your first party a low stake affair. [34:14] Building your network of acquaintances and Belinda's 2023 planner, what inspired its development, and how it works?  [40:11] What can you get done in 15 minutes? The power of 15 minutes and how you can transform your life in just 15 minutes. [44:44] What has Nick identified as his superpowers that have helped him throughout his journey to be successful?  [42:06] What does working from your happy place mean to Nick? [46:47] Nick's Advice for someone who wants to start holding cocktail parties to build connections but is on the fence.[50:04] How to overcome the fear of hosting cocktail parties because you don't have the right space.About Nick Gray - Nick Gray is an entrepreneur and author living in Austin, Texas. He started and sold two successful companies: Flight Display Systems and Museum Hack. Nick is the author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, a step-by-step handbook that teaches you how to build big relationships by hosting small gatherings. Over 75,000 people have watched his TEDx talk about why he hates most museums. He's been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and New York Magazine called him a host of “culturally significant parties.”How to connect with Nick Gray:Website: https://nickgray.net/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickgraynews/?hl=enLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickgraynewsGrab Nick's book: https://www.amazon.com/2-Hour-Cocktail-Party-Relationships-Gatherings/dp/1544530072About the Host -Belinda Ellsworth is a Speaker, Trainer, Best-Selling Author, and PodcasterShe has been a professional speaker, mover, and shaker for more than 25 years. Having built three successful companies, she has helped thousands of entrepreneurs make better decisions, create successful systems, and build business strategies using her "Four Pillars of Success" system.Belinda has always had a passion and zest for life with the skill for turning dreams into reality. Over the last 20 years, she has been expertly building her speaking and consulting business, Step Into Success. How to Connect with Belinda:Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/stepintosuccessLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/belindaellsworthInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/stepintosuccess/Website - www.workfromyourhappyplace.com

In this episode I interview Nick Gray, entrepreneur and author of, "The 2-Hour Cocktail Party," a step-by-step handbook for building big relationships by hosting small gatherings whose wakeup call was seeing how to turn boring experiences into fun ones. https://party.pro/book/

Nick Gray is an entrepreneur and best-selling author living in Austin, Texas. He started and sold two successful companies: Flight Display Systems and Museum Hack. Nick is the author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, a step-by-step handbook that teaches you how to build big relationships by hosting small gatherings. Over 75,000 people have watched his TEDx talk about why he hates most museums. He's been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and New York Magazine called him a host of culturally significant parties. Nick Gray Online and Resources How to Host a Party Website - https://party.pro/ The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: Book info - https://party.pro/book/ The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: Amazon - https://amzn.to/39rfb2V 3 Tips on How to Plan a Networking Event - https://party.pro/networking/ How to Host a Clothing Swap: The Easy Way - https://party.pro/swap/   Planning a Happy Hour? Read this How-to Guide from Nick Gray - https://party.pro/happyhour/ Nick Gray's personal website  - https://nickgray.net/ --- If you're enjoying Entrepreneur's Enigma, please give us a review on the podcast directory of your choice. We're on all of them and these reviews really help others find the show. Also, if you're getting value from the show and want to buy me a coffee, go to the show notes to get the link to get me a coffee to keep me awake, while I work on bringing you more great episodes to your ears. →  https://gmwd.us/buy-me-a-coffee Follow Seth Online: Seth Goldstein (@sethgoldstein): Twitter.com/sethgoldstein Seth | Digital Marketer (@s3th.me) • Instagram: Instagram.com/s3th.me Seth Goldstein | LinkedIn: LinkedIn.com/in/goldsteinmedia Seth on Mastodon: https://socl.bz/seth Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WATCH ▶️ Watch this episode on YouTube *** EPISODE DESCRIPTION Nick Gray is the Founder of Museum Hack and author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party. Nick moved to New York City with very few friends and less-than-stellar social skills. But Nick craved new relationships and exciting opportunities. He started hosting non-traditional parties—a move that opened doors he never could have imagined. Today, after hosting hundreds of 2-hour parties, he counts business owners, artists, and inspiring teachers among a circle of friends that helped him launch a multimillion-dollar company. Featured in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, Nick has been called a host of “culturally significant parties” by New York Magazine. In this episode, you'll learn Nick's four-part framework for hosting great events, how to get out of awkward conversations, how to throw great ONLINE events, and why hosting gatherings is the best way to build powerful relationships. Full transcript and show notes Get the book Learn more about Nick Gray Learn more about throwing parties Follow Nick Gray on Twitter / Instagram *** CONNECT

A great conversation with Nick Gray about how he launched and marketed his book "The 2-Hour Cocktail Party"

Who doesn't love a good cocktail party? Watch our conversation on Youtube!I love going to events and meeting new people but gosh, sometimes I feel like I'm not even keeping up the great relationships with the amazing people I already know! Cue this book: The 2-Hour Cocktail Party by Nick Gray.After reading the first chapter, I set a date for my cocktail party and luckily, the day after, I debrief it in this conversation with the author of the book Nick Gray.  Nick Gray moved to New York City with few friends and less-than-stellar social skills. But Nick craved new relationships and exciting opportunities. He started hosting non-traditional parties—a move that opened doors he could never have imagined.Today, after hosting hundreds of 2-hour parties, he counts business owners, artists, and inspiring teachers among a circle of friends that helped him launch a multi-million dollar company called Museum Hack. Featured in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, Nick has been called a host of "culturally significant parties" by New York Magazine.See his best-rated photos online at www.NickGray.net or @NickGrayNews on Instagram and Twitter, email him directly to hello@nickgray.net, or see his party tips on How to Host a Party: www.party.pro In this conversation, you'll hear Nick discuss:How Nick started his career and founded the Museum HackHis book, "The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: How to build big relationships with small gatherings."The value of hosting 2-hour cocktail parties Listen to this, grab his book and start hosting your own cocktail parties!Connect with Leanne Hughes on all the platforms:LinkedInInstagramTwitterFor suggestions, collaborations and queries, email me hello@leannehughes.com. Support this podcast by subscribing and leaving a review, it would mean a lot!Thanks for being here. It shouldn't take you 2 days to design a 2 hour workshop.Dramatically reduce the time it takes to design your workshops using Leanne Hughes' 2-Hour Workshop Blueprint.Register today and gain back your hours!Support the show

Pub Date is a podcast dedicated to the love of books, and the authors who bring them into the world! In today's episode, Copper CEO & founder, Allison Trowbridge, sits down with author, entrepreneur, and investor– Nick Gray! Nick's new book, ‘The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: How to Build Big Relationships with Small Gatherings', just launched into the world, and it's here to make you an expert host!Nick is the founder of Museum Hack, and has hosted hundreds of 2-hour cocktail parties himself. He's distilled his extensive experience into a fun and practical how-to book that'll have you creating new connections and meaningful community in no time. Listen in on Nick's chat with Allison to hear about his publishing journey, the idea of ‘weak ties', and the formula to make hosting a habit– what Nick calls the M.V.P. Today's episode is for you if you're someone who wants to build community with authentic, fun, and low-stress methods. Nick shares a ton of practical tips and tricks to ensure that you can easily plan a great time, make sure that your guests have a great time, and actually have a great time yourself! This conversation is also great for any aspiring authors out there considering the self-publishing route! Nick's real-talk about the pros/cons and costs of self-publishing are super helpful in breaking down the realities of a process that can often feel overwhelming.You can get your copy of Nick's new book here, and you can follow Nick on social media at @nickgraynews. Learn more about Copper Books by clicking here, and follow @copper.books and your hosts @alliebridge and @a_hudge on Instagram!

Nick Gray is an entrepreneur who famously founded Museum Hack. His latest book, The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, teaches anybody how to host the perfect house party. We talk about how you can host parties and expand your network simply and easily.  Nick's book is an Amazon bestseller in three categories, including Event Planning.Nick's book is a near flawless approach to hosting a cocktail party. You can find out everything you want and more about the book here: https://party.pro/book/Nick Gray has an exceptional newsletter that I eagerly read weekly. I can't say that about many other newsletters. You can sign up here: https://nickgray.net/signup-for-email-updates/Everything else you want to know about this party thrower you can find right here: https://nickgray.net/

About the book You know that well-connected friend who only exists in the movies? The one who throws the best parties and can set up any introduction you need?Everyone wants to know someone magical like this who brings people together. The secret is: you can be that person. You should be that person. The 2-Hour Cocktail Party will show you how.Discover a simple party-hosting formula with step-by-step instructions that help you meet new people, strengthen your existing relationships, and make you the person everyone wants to know.You'll learn which days are the best to throw events (probably not the ones you think!) and what to say to the first people who arrive. Learn how to ensure your invitations get responses and your guests show up excited to mingle. Plus, get helpful pre-party checklists and a breakdown of activities to encourage new connections.With The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, you'll make new friends, boost your career, and leave everyone asking. “When's your next party?” Source: https://party.pro/book/  About the author Howdy

As a kid, making friends is easy. But building relationships as an adult is much more challenging. Imagine how different life would be if you had a full social calendar. What if you hosted a party to get started? It was a delight to chat with Nick Gray, the author of 2-Hour Cocktail Party, about his secret formula for throwing a well-run event at home. Networking is crucial for successful business people like himself. But it's not always easy. Once an introvert, Nick realized the only way to build new relationships was by doing something great. Here's how Nick discovered the value of cocktail parties and why he wants to help 500 people host their first one. In this episode, Nick discloses how these pieces of the Do The Thing formula will help you become the best host ever: Planning ahead Ready to throw your own cocktail party? Purchase 2-Hour Cocktail Party from Audible, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, or anywhere else you buy books online.

Are you figuring still out how to meet new people, strengthen your existing relationships, and be the person everyone wants to know? In today's episode, my friend Nick Gray shares his step-by-step guide on how to build big relationships with small gatherings and successfully host social events without drinking. He provides relevant tips on what hosts can do to ensure a successful party: how to plan it, execute it and enjoy it. So whether you're looking to make new friends or strengthen your existing relationships, this episode is for you! Nick Gray is an entrepreneur and author living in Austin, Texas. He started and sold two successful companies: Flight Display Systems and Museum Hack. Nick is the author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, a step-by-step handbook that teaches you how to build big relationships by hosting small gatherings. Key Highlights: [00:01 - 06:57] Opening Segment • How to throw an amazing mocktail party with no alcohol • Building big relationships by hosting small gatherings • The process of forming new relationships as you step into a new relationship with alcohol [06:58 - 13:40] How to Host a Successful Social Event • How hosting a party can help build relationships and skills in social situations • Why you should not bring kids to the party • How Nick keeps himself from dipping out of the context of the parties [13:41 - 20:15] Hosting A 2-Hour Mocktail Party • Loose connections and weak ties are important • Hosting a party can be an effective way to build connections and learn more about people • Why giving someone an invitation to a party is a gift that they will always want [20:16 - 27:08] Practice and Build Confidence • The Nick Gray's Party Formula Name tags, cocktails, or non-alcoholic drinks only, and kick them out • Use icebreakers to start conversations, and guest bios to show who is attending [27:09 - 34:18] The Things That Need To Be In Place • Why does the breakfast icebreaker always work well? • How many people should be invited to the parties and why • If you're hosting a party, make sure it ends on time [34:19 - 41:09] Creating a Community of Like-Minded People • How to create a community of like-minded people, and how to invite them to your parties • The importance of having low-stakes parties at first • How you can meet new people before inviting them to your parties [41:10 - 47:45] Closing Segment • Nick's tips to make social gatherings more enjoyable and productive • Take action and host your own mocktail party soon Want to connect with Nick? Follow him on Instagram. Resources Mentioned: How To Host A Party The 2-Hour Cocktail Party Key Quotes: "If you want people to like you, you have to do cool stuff." - Nick Gray "The most successful people are those that can make hosting a habit." - Nick Gray Learn more by connecting with Amanda through Instagram or visit AmandaKuda.com  If you liked the show, please LEAVE A 5-STAR REVIEW, like, and subscribe through your favorite streaming platform!

Nick Gray is an entrepreneur and author living in Austin, Texas. He started and sold two successful companies: Flight Display Systems and Museum Hack. Nick is the author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, a step-by-step handbook that teaches you how to build significant relationships by hosting small gatherings.   He is featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and New York Magazine, which called him a host of "culturally significant parties." After finishing college, Nick was working and living with his parents and realized he didn't have much social life and wanted to turn things around.   He moved to New York, where he started working on the idea of creating events everyone would want to attend and how to become that magical person who hosts incredible parties and connects fantastic people. That's how The 2-Hour Cocktail Party was born.   Find out more about the 2-hour cocktail party and why you need to be a host of unforgettable events.   For people that do solar, for all that stuff that sells those things. You can do it all for under $100. It would be best if you hosted a party for your potential and past customers.

Good relationships and connections are keys to building a successful business. Every small business owner must look for ways to reach and connect with people that can greatly impact their business operations through mutual interactions and sharing of innovative ideas. However, what troubles the minds of many business owners is how to develop a working business relationship with people they barely know, as it's always intimidating and terrifying to ask someone out for a coffee or a drink because of the fear of being rejected. In today's podcast, Nick Gray, a seasoned entrepreneur, and author, and Stephen Halasnik from Financing Solutions discuss how to build a great relationship with the 2- hour cocktail party. 

Hosting a party is the easiest way to gather and get connections.This is the highlight of Nick Gray's non-traditional book called “The 2-Hour Cocktail Party” where you learn how to party with rules and start new relationships that could potentially lead to business. Nick is the founder of Museum Hack and worked closely with his parents in Flight Display Systems, where he had his first taste of running a business, an experience he will be sharing here in the latest episode of The Disruptive Successor. HIGHLIGHTSIntroducing Nick GrayFather-son bonding with sellingGetting closer through the businessEach other's "fiefdoms" in the businessStarting and selling Museum HacksFamily-owned vs. hired gunThe idea behind "The 2-Hour Cocktail Party"QUOTESNick - The best part of working in a family business:“Working together brought us so much closer, and it's something that I wouldn't change for the world.”Nick - Role in the business with his mom and dad:“I lead a lot of our recruiting. So a lot of our hiring, I led all of our marketing and marketing extended to our print manuals for the products, the specification sheets, our magazine ads, our website, all the boxes, everything visual that was involved in the business.”Nick - Taking his own path and starting his own company:“It just wasn't something that I really wanted. I wasn't begging to be lined up for that business and that part of the country, and so ultimately, about a year before the business sold, I had kind of left and started my new company.”Connect with Nick and learn more about his work:About NickNick's WebsiteNick's BlogIf you enjoyed today's episode, please subscribe, review and share with a friend who would benefit from the message. If you're interested in picking up a copy of Jonathan Goldhill's book, Disruptive Successor, go to the website at www.DisruptiveSuccessor.com

Love making meaningful connections but hate networking? Do you thrive in small groups but drown in large, overcrowded convention halls? If forming meaningful connections is something you hope to do more of then Nick Gray is someone you have to meet. Fresh off of the launch of his new book, The 2 Hour Cocktail Party, me and Nick breakdown how to host a small event from when to start and who to invite to email templates and agenda's for the event. Notes:07:41 The Best Day To Schedule A Party09:53 Getting Guests To Leave Politely17:30 How To Use Icebreaker Activities22:44 Why You Should Host At Home29:37 How Many People To Invite40:58 Speed Round If you loved this episode you should check out this episode with Myka Meier on Business Etiquette. If you enjoyed today's episode, please:1.) Sign up for notes at copymyhomework.com for a full list of resources, links and recommendations listed on today's episode.2.) Post a screenshot of the episode & tag me on LinkedIn or Instagram @kimkaupe so we can talk about your favorite parts!3.) Leave a positive review (shameless, but someone's gotta say it right?!)4.) Subscribe for new episodes every Tuesday on your favorite podcast app. Connect with Kim over on the socials!Instagram + TikTok: @kimkaupeLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimkaupe

Nick Gray is an entrepreneur and the author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party. He is the founder of Museum Hack. Nick started a web hosting company called vs3 Web Services in high school, and he has sold two multi-million dollar businesses. In this episode, Nick talks about his new book and shares the secret to the success of the 2-hour cocktail party. To learn more about Nick and his businesses, check out the following links. How to Host a Party Website The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: Website The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: Amazon How to Host a Clothing Swap How to Plan a Networking Event How to Host a Happy Hour My Parents Hosted a Party: Here's What They Learned Mocktail Party: How to Host When You Don't Drink Alcohol If I Had $10 Million Dollars, How Would I Live Differently? Nick Gray's personal website Nick Gray's blog Key points include: 06:05: The NICK formula 18:08: Icebreakers 27:07: Cocktails and concluding the evening Unleashed is produced by Umbrex, which has a mission of connecting independent management consultants with one another, creating opportunities for members to meet, build relationships, and share lessons learned. Learn more at www.umbrex.com.

Nick Gray started and sold two successful companies, Museum Hack & Flight Display System. He is the author of the new best-selling book, The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, a step-by-step handbook that teaches you how to build big relationships by hosting small gatherings.  ➡️Connect with Bert Martinez: Twitter - https://twitter.com/BertMartinez Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/TheBertMartinez Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/bertmartinezfans ➡️ Get a free copy of DominatingYourMind: https://amzn.to/2XuM9Xr While supplies last, limited time.

Nick Gray throws parties. Memorable parties. He's also the Founder and CEO of Museum Hack and recent author of a new handbook that will help you build big relationships, make new friends, and even boost your career. It's called The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, a step-by-step handbook that teaches you how to build big relationships by hosting small gatherings. Over 75,000 people have watched his TEDx talk about why he hates most museums. He's been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and New York Magazine called him a host of “culturally significant parties." Sh*t I Wish I Knew In My Twenties is a podcast dedicated to helping 20-somethings thrive in their twenties, not just survive. Host Debra Alfarone knows how hard being in your twenties can be. As a high-school dropout turned-network-TV-correspondent, she learned most of life's lessons the hard way. She overcame the odds and now covers the White House for CBS News nationally. She's also a confidence coach for young women in the TV news industry.    Nick Gray's website Nick Gray's blog How to Host a Party The 2-Hour Cocktail Party book How to Host a Party in a Small Apartment How to Plan A Networking Event How to Host a Clothing Swap Party: Top 5 Pro-Tips How To Host a Happy Hour Event Lightning Talks: What and How to Do Them Don't Host a Dinner Party. Do This Instead If you like Sh*t I Wish I Knew In My Twenties, drop your email at www.pages.debraalfarone.com to be the first to know about new episodes. Follow Debra on IG at https://www.instagram.com/debraalfarone/ and on TikTok at https://www.tiktok.com/@debraalfarone

Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. Your host is  Kelly Molson, MD of Rubber Cheese.Download our free ebook The Ultimate Guide to Doubling Your Visitor NumbersIf you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website rubbercheese.com/podcast.If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned in this podcastCompetition ends October 1st 2022. The winner will be contacted via Twitter. Show references: www.complete-works.co.ukhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/bala-mcalinn-05406683/ Bala McAlinn began working in the Visitor Attraction industry in 2007 writing and directing shows for organisations including London Zoo and the Science Museum. In 2012 he founded Boo Consultancy Ltd, a sister company to the event agency Boo Productions Ltd. Boo Consultancy is a training and staffing agency that applies theatrical techniques to the environments of Visitor Attractions. They predominantly place actors in FOH positions to increase membership sales and visitor donations or deliver workshops to improve the sales and storytelling skills of inhouse teams. In 2021 they rebranded to Complete Works a nod to the greatest storyteller and their theatrical past and because our approach is holistic, redefining the 3 key elements of success: your visitors, your destination and your team.They work with many leading organisations including the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Wembley Stadium, The Macallan Distillery and the National Gallery where they won a 2019 Institute of Promotional Marketing award for increasing visitor donations by more than 300% whilst also improving visitor satisfaction scores.His parents are from Los Angeles, his wife is from Sydney and he was born in London. Thus, he has had various accents over the years and matched with the fact that he has an Indian forename and Irish surname, He has grown accustomed to people being generally intrigued, mildly amused and partially confused by him. Which is great for networking and tricky when changing energy supplier over the phone. Thankfully he does more networking than the latter. Bala has 3 hilarious children whom he enjoys making music, drawing cartoons and boxing with. Transcriptions: Kelly Molson: Welcome to Skip the Queue, a podcast for people working in or working with visitor attractions. I'm your host Kelly Molson. Each episode I speak with industry experts from the attractions world. These chats are fun, informative, and hopefully always interesting.In today's episode, I speak with Bala McAlinn, founder of Complete Works. I ask Bala how you teach someone to be a good storyteller, and he shares his tips for improving visitor experience through performance.If you like what you hear, subscribe on all the user channels by searching, Skip the Queue.Kelly Molson: Thank you so much for joining me on the podcast today. It's lovely to have you on.Bala McAlinn: Very welcome, Kelly. Nice to be here.Kelly Molson: I am going to ask you a few icebreaker questions, because this is how we start every interview. We've met before though, I don't feel like we need to break the ice, but everyone loves these, so let's go ahead.Kelly Molson: We're going to talk about storytelling and we're going to talk about visitor experience. I want to know what your favourite story is?Bala McAlinn: I'm going to go with, I think my favourite story of all time is The Diamond as Big as the Ritz by F. Scott Fitzgerald, which is a short story that he wrote about, it's slightly science fiction, but within the real world.Bala McAlinn: And there's a family who for generations live on a mountain and the mountain is a diamond, but they have to control the flow of diamonds into society otherwise the price of diamonds would plummet and they wouldn't be as rich.Bala McAlinn: So they're like a secret Bond villain family who live on this diamond mountain and have servants who speak their own language.Bala McAlinn: And one of the children goes off to college and meets the protagonist of the story and invites him to come to the mountain. I won't give away what happens next, but it's bonkers and fascinating and exciting, innovative.Kelly Molson: Great. Sure. I've never read that either. So I'm going to add that to my list. All right. In terms of customer service, what has been your best ever customer service experience?Bala McAlinn: So I think in recent times, the one that instantly pops into my mind, is a client. So I will share that but I'll also potentially try to think of another one as well. So it doesn't just seem like I'm doing that.Bala McAlinn: So some of the greatest customer experience I've received in recent times is at the Macallan Distillery up in Speyside, which is just second to none, it.Bala McAlinn: When you talk about a five star customer experience, that phrase is used a lot, and people talk about world class customer, visitor, guest, whichever word you want to use, experiences and they are truly nailing it across the board in so many different ways.Bala McAlinn: So their team are fantastic, they've done a great job of investing in them, making them feel important, supporting them and you can just tell because it's so authentically good.Bala McAlinn: All the people you interact with truly want to be there, are truly passionate about Macallan and its history and there's so many good stories.Bala McAlinn: I think one of the last times I was up there, I was given a tour by one of the tour guides and they're in a unique position that not every organisation could do this, but when she was given us the tour, we're in a section that had, it wasn't a museum, but had a case that's like a museum case.Bala McAlinn: And there was an old hip flask in there. It was lady called Lindsay and she's, I would imagine, 25. So quite young in the world of whiskey. And then that was her grandfather's hip flask.Bala McAlinn: And she started telling us about how she's third generation on the estate and all this, and you're just pulled in and it was just such a powerful emotive story and such a connection with her.Bala McAlinn: And she's not unique. When you spend time there and meet other people, there's so many people who have a family connection to the place.Bala McAlinn: But it isn't just that. There's so many people who have immigrated from other parts of the world to come and work there and are equally as passionate. The whiskey is delicious and their food is sublime.Kelly Molson: Wow.Bala McAlinn: They do a incredible tasting meal that the chef Pavel creates and it certainly doesn't stay the same, it's all local ingredients.Bala McAlinn: A lot of it's come from the Spey on their estate and you'll have fascinating adaptations of trout and salmon and local beef and things all paired with wines and whiskeys and it's truly magnificent.Kelly Molson: You've sold it. If that isn't the power of storytelling I don't know what is. There's the example that we've all been listening for today.Kelly Molson: All right. Final icebreaker. I want to know, what is your guilty food pleasure?Bala McAlinn: Turkish Delight. There you go.Kelly Molson: Oh, okay.Bala McAlinn: Yeah, no, I love Turkish Delight. My palette, I've got quite a Victorian palette or something, because I don't like a lot of modern sweets, but I love Turkish Delight. I love marzipan.Bala McAlinn: So it's really convenient if there's a box of chocolates, because everybody goes in for certain truffles or different ones and the Turkish Delight or the marzipan one is often left till last.Bala McAlinn: But I'll definitely go for those or in a box of Celebrations, which I don't particularly like, but if I'm going to have one of those, I want the Bounty. I don't want the others.Kelly Molson: Why has Bounty got such a bad name? It is such a superior chocolate when it comes to Celebrations. I don't understand this. It's delicious.Bala McAlinn: Coconut's delicious. So I like those ones. But yeah, my real guilty pleasure is burgers. I had a burger last night. I eat too many burgers. It's just the perfect meal.Kelly Molson: So compact, all in one.Bala McAlinn: Picking up just a big meat sandwich with lots of cheese, lots of pickles, lots of things in it. Yeah, I'm happy with one of those.Kelly Molson: Okay. All right. And we're at unpopular opinion time. So what have you got for us?Bala McAlinn: I suppose my unpopular opinion, I don't really like technology. And a lot of people say that, but I think I genuinely don't.Bala McAlinn: And obviously I'm aware of how much technology has helped the world in so many ways and why we live longer and we can communicate with people who we wouldn't be able to have connections with if we didn't have technology.Bala McAlinn: But yeah, I find it annoying. So I don't like computers, I don't like phones. I keep a paper diary and a paper notebook, which everybody who works with me finds incredibly frustrating.Bala McAlinn: Because I can't share. I can tell them what I'm doing next Tuesday if they ask. But I can't let the counselors see it on a calendar invite.Bala McAlinn: I struggled getting on this Zoom call today. When you asked me to be on this, I said, "Yeah, but can we do it in person?"Kelly Molson: I said, "No, that's a real pain in the arse."Bala McAlinn: There's a huge insult and an indicator that you didn't really want to chat to me. And I was like, "Yeah, there's a lovely sunny day where we could be strolling through some woodland having a chat or doing something," and you could have invited your listeners to come as well, we could have had a picnic.Kelly Molson: So this will come. I just needed more time to organise it. Oh, it will happen. All right. Okay. Look, we all need technology in our lives but I know that this is quite stressful for you.Kelly Molson: But thank you. I appreciate that you've you've given this a go today for me. Do you think, now I want to talk about your background a little bit, because we've talked about this before and it is super fascinating how you've gone from being a classically trained actor to working with visitor attractions.Kelly Molson: So tell us about your background. So tell us how you've gone from being a classically trained actor to running Complete Works?Bala McAlinn: So yes, so I was an actor, not particularly successfully, but successful enough to do it for five years and pay the bills. Not Hollywood or Royal Shakespeare Company, which is where I wanted to be.Bala McAlinn: Lots of pantomime and theatre and education. And I did a couple of little bits on TV, which was fun, but nothing significant. So I enjoyed the lifestyle of being an actor and the fun and experience of it.Bala McAlinn: And then the reality is I met my now wife and she became more important to me than the lifestyle of basically not having to work that much, doing some shows, and getting to lie in the morning, which was great fun in my 20s.Bala McAlinn: But yes, so decided I needed something with a bit more stability, a bit more of a stable future progression. So yeah, started looking and thinking about what else I might do.Bala McAlinn: So I decided to become a cartoonist because that's really stable as well and the obvious progression from being an actor. So that was fun. That didn't work out.Bala McAlinn: But actually it did give me some really good experience because I started a greeting cards company.Kelly Molson: Oh, wow.Bala McAlinn: It was called Of Mice and Mice. And it was this mouse in human situations but what it did is it talked to me about sales and starting a business.Bala McAlinn: Designed the cards and had them made and website and branding and everything, and then sold them on Portobello Market in West London. So had a stall and sold them there, and they sold.Bala McAlinn: So I was like, "Great, that works." And then had to get them in shops. So I had to go through the process, which was really good for confidence building in terms of being a business person and sales, just having to book appointments, try and convince them to see you then come in and pitch your portfolio and get them to stock and supply you.Bala McAlinn: And so I did that for a year or so. I got 10 London stockists, which for ages I'd really wanted. It was like 10 London stockists, that's like a landmark.Bala McAlinn: So I got there and did it and then realised my cards, because they were printed on recyclable material with vegetable ink and recyclable and everything, costs like 50p to make and I could sell them for a pound to a shop. I have 10 shops selling me and I make about £30.Kelly Molson: Wow. Back to the drawing board.Bala McAlinn: Didn't give me the lifestyle I crave. But it was a good experience. So then I went back to thinking really about my skill set and what I'd done as an actor and the training I'd had to be an actor.Bala McAlinn: So I worked freelance for a number of years for a number of companies. So doing shows again and writing shows, but then working with visitor attractions.Bala McAlinn: So I did projects with the Science Museum and London Zoo, writing shows for them or tweaking the scripts of The Bubble Show and Rocket to Bullet show at science museum and Animal Talks at London Zoo and it was fun and I enjoyed that.Bala McAlinn: And so started doing more of that and then started a business doing that. My business, which I started in 2012, the original company, which we still do is training.Bala McAlinn: What we thought that the majority of our training work would be. The animal team, upskilling them to deliver a better gorilla talk or the workshop team, that's in the education team that museums have.Bala McAlinn: So we did that and we still do some of that, but quite quickly we saw that people were just asking us, "Oh actually, can you apply those skills to the front of house team? Because you're making the animal team better communicators. We want our front of house teams to be better communicators. And ultimately we want them to be better communicators to increase commerciality."Bala McAlinn: And that's where our business really took off for obvious reasons. If we're working to help people make more money, we get more work.Bala McAlinn: So focusing on using the skills of performance communication, improvisation, stagecraft in the environments of visitor attractions to upsell membership or increase onsite visitor donations or special exhibitions, is a huge benefit to the organisation and we are skilled and suited to do that.Bala McAlinn: So we started doing that and then the real unplanned success story of our business is then our staffing agency. So we started the business of training and consultancy, but then whilst I was working at Kew Gardens, this must be I think about 2013.Bala McAlinn: And I was doing communications training for their membership team and I'd mystery shopped them a few times to see the experience through the eyes of their guests.Bala McAlinn: And they had some membership promoters at the front, like sitting on stools behind a desk, and it said talk to me about membership. And I was looking at it and they're like, okay. And if people walked up to them, they would tell them about the membership, but there was no proactivity in it at all.Bala McAlinn: And so I'd put in the report. I was like, "It looks like you've got a real opportunity to increase the membership sales there." Because I was mystery shopping, I presumed, they were Kew staff.Bala McAlinn: They then told me that actually they were from a promotional agency that they book to promote the membership. And I said, "Well, they don't promote it. There's no proactive sales. It's just reactive. They sell the membership and it's testament to the strength of Kew Gardens offer that without any proactive sales..."Bala McAlinn: The results were good that. They were getting a decent return on investment from this company, but there was nothing proactive.Bala McAlinn: So I was like, "Well, actually I know load of actors. Let us have a go and let's see what we can do." So we trialed a summer of doing it and increased the sales exponentially and Kew were really happy.Bala McAlinn: And we were really happy and said, "Well, great, let us now do that for you." And, yeah, so our staffing agency is actors between roles predominantly working at visitor attractions and predominantly doing commercial tasks like membership sales or visitor donations.Bala McAlinn: And it's such a great model. Obviously it was my idea, but I didn't really take credit for it. It was like one of these lovely, accidental things where we saw it, we tried it, but the model worked so well.Bala McAlinn: And we love in the company, myself and my employers, supporting actors because a bunch of us are ex actors in my company so we like having that connection and supporting them.Bala McAlinn: And then the actors, we also like that we support actors and we do it by supporting the arts, which is a lovely little circle of artists supporting the arts in their job to pay the bills.Bala McAlinn: And because we're ex actors, we've managed to create an agency that works really well for our actors. We are only as good as our people on the staff and business.Bala McAlinn: And there are lots of promotional agencies and staffing agencies out there but we are quite niche and we are very good for our people, which makes them very good for us.Bala McAlinn: Because know the trials and tribulations of being an actor, whether it's London, Edinburgh, wherever, it's a tough job and you need to pay your rent and you need flexibility.Bala McAlinn: So we give our staff 100% flexibility so they aren't committed to a job if they get an audition or acting. Whereas if they're working in a bar or working somewhere else, regularly they say, "Oh, I've got an audition tomorrow." And regularly they're told, "Well, if you don't come tomorrow, you're going to lose your job."Bala McAlinn: So then they either turn up to work because they need that job, but then they're in a bad mood so they're not going to deliver great experiences or service for whatever they're doing or they just don't come or mysteriously, their grandmother gets sick or something.Bala McAlinn: So we know this can happen. Just give us as much notice as you can, but if you're not working just tell us, which means we have to restaff all the time, but it means that our staff are happy to be there.Bala McAlinn: And then appreciative that we give them that flexibility and we pay them well. It's a premium product and rightly so. We don't do any commission, which lots of our clients always ask, lots of other agencies do.Bala McAlinn: When I was an actor I did loads of sales jobs, telesales and charity fundraising and all sorts. And it was often commission based. And it's again, it's your highs and lows.Bala McAlinn: So if it's a sunny day and you are doing charity fundraising or membership at a visitor attraction, which is I didn't do myself then yeah, you're going to sell loads and it's fantastic. But if it's a rainy day, you are not.Bala McAlinn: And my experience of seeing people do it in other agencies and businesses when I did it was then on the rainy days nobody tries because everybody knows, "Oh, we're just going to get our per deal or something. We're not going to hit commission."Bala McAlinn: So everybody just sits back because there's no point. Whereas for us, we charge fair, we pay fair and our team appreciate that and the attraction can budget accordingly. It's not in terms of our billing, as can the staff.Bala McAlinn: And they know I will be able to pay my rent if I do those shifts or it might be that one might and that one not, and that emotional journey, we want them to be happy that they're there with the flexibility.Bala McAlinn: We want them to be happy that they're being paid well and then we pay them quickly as well, which lot of agencies don't because they're freelancers and they're used to being paid six weeks, two months after putting in an invoice.Bala McAlinn: So we pay our freelancers every other Friday. Used to be every Friday pre pandemic. We dropped it to every other Friday since the pandemic, but that's still much better than a lot of companies.Bala McAlinn: It means we are often in effect running a bank for our staff because our clients don't pay separate, we're not chasing invoices two months, three months, six months down the line.Bala McAlinn: But we get the results that we do with our staff because they are happy, well paid, have flexibility and know they're going to get paid next Friday.Kelly Molson: This is wonderful. Who have created an organisation or create a business that can deliver so brilliantly for both of the sectors, for both the actors that work for you and the attractions that you work for, that's a huge achievement. Something to be immensely proud about.Kelly Molson: I loved some of the things that you talked about there because I've had this conversation before. I think it was actually with Carly Straughan and a mutual friend of ours about visitor experience and attractions.Kelly Molson: And about how it does attract a lot of people from the theatrical world because you are on show, aren't you? When somebody comes to your attraction, you want that experience to be the best it possibly can be for them.Kelly Molson: And so essentially you are performing for them to make that happen. So it's amazing that you can bring people in that have that background to be able to do it.Kelly Molson: What I find fascinating is that you would never know either. So if I came along to the attraction, if I spoke to the membership people or I spoke to the donations people, whoever it is, I wouldn't know that those people didn't work there. You integrate them so seamlessly in that organisation that you would just think that they were there every single day.Bala McAlinn: Absolutely. And that's what we always tell our clients as well with the staffing offer that we do, we want them in the same uniforms as the rest of the team.Bala McAlinn: We don't want them to look like a promotional team or this is the special team that does something different because for the visitor experience, and this is something you see regularly where obviously in a large organisation there's lots of departments, lots of roles and responsibilities, but to the visitor, anyone wearing a badge or a lanyard or a green fleece or whatever it is, represents the organisation.Bala McAlinn: The visitor will just go to the most convenient person to ask a question or a query. And you do sometimes see in an organisation that isn't delivering great experiences that people work in silos and, "Oh no, that's not my department. You need to speak to someone else."Bala McAlinn: And people hate getting passed around. They just want to deal with the person there and get whatever service it is that they need at that time.Bala McAlinn: So for our guys, we want them in the uniforms so that they integrate also because we are doing sales and we want to do it in a somewhat sneaky way.Bala McAlinn: Because, and it's not malicious by any means, but it's that experience of if you're walking down a high street and you clock someone up ahead with a clipboard or an iPad smiling at you and trying to make eye contact.Kelly Molson: Run.Bala McAlinn: Can I cross it? I'm going to brave this fast moving traffic to get to the other side of the street to avoid this person who's going to either ask me questions on a survey or try and sell me something or get me to sign up something.Bala McAlinn: And that's a natural reaction that we have. So for our teams, we want them integrated and then we always lead with service. We never come straight in with sales because it's off putting. It can be jarring.Bala McAlinn: Wherever you are in the attraction, whether it's entrance, exit or mid experience, if you're suddenly interrupted with sales, it can take you aback. So our team are always trained and we have different processes at different sites, different organisations.Kelly Molson: Can we share an example of this? Because this was one of my questions about what we're talking about, because there's two very distinct trains here of what you do, but they intertwine, don't they?Kelly Molson: So it's very much about storytelling for sales, but also visitor experience as well. And this is the bit where they cross over.Kelly Molson: You've got some absolutely incredible case studies on your website about the results that you delivered. I've got here increased donations at the National Gallery by between 300 and 400%. That's phenomenal.Bala McAlinn: Yeah.Kelly Molson: How do you do that? How do you lead with the experience? What do you teach people to do?Bala McAlinn: Yeah, so that one specifically was all about improving the welcome experience at the National Gallery, which led to those results. So that was a great project.Bala McAlinn: Yeah. So that started 2016, 2017, something like that. So originally we won a tender to do a research trial and the National Gallery was great.Bala McAlinn: Because often we'll do a project like this and we just get given a week or a day even and it's hard to really work everything out in such a period of time.Bala McAlinn: But here we had four months and the tender was put out to see if you could increase onsite visitor donations with a team who self-funded themselves through increased donations, made additional income on top and did not affect the visitor experience.Bala McAlinn: The National Gallery, the director Gabriele, was absolutely resolute that he didn't want suddenly the experience to be altered. And everybody felt that they're being shaken down for cash as they came through one of the entrances.Bala McAlinn: And then in that tender, we won the tender, and then we were given six questions to answer over a four month period. It'll be, who will donate? Where will they donate? What other commerciality can you connect with donations? Times? Et cetera, et cetera.Bala McAlinn: But yeah, so we had four months. So we had four people, seven days a week for four months, with a tablet literally velcro'd to their patent and we'd change the patent every two weeks.Bala McAlinn: So we'd do something for two weeks, look at the data, record it and then tweak it and change it. So we'd try different scripts, different ask, different locations. And after every interaction they'd record on the tablet.Bala McAlinn: We split the visitors into I think, six different broad demographics. So they'd click the type of visitor, whether they donated, if they did donate the amount, and where they were and what time.Bala McAlinn: And we had something like, I can't remember exactly, 140,000 interactions over the period of time. So it was a huge amount of data. So we had the time and opportunity to get it incredibly slick.Bala McAlinn: And we found that there were really surprising, subtle changes and differences that would have dramatic effect on income. The positioning of boxes, the relationship of the positioning of boxes to where security is, or ticket desks or experiences again has dramatic effect. Security in particular. So it was fascinating.Bala McAlinn: So obviously National Gallery's on Trafalgar Square so you absolutely need security, absolutely need that. But the security does affect the visitor experience.Bala McAlinn: Because you're coming into an exquisite, arguably the world's greatest collection of art, and you're going through airport style, beepy things, having bags searched, which it's necessary, but it's not a pleasant visitor experience to have that.Bala McAlinn: So if that is happening and then immediately after that you have a welcome led donation ask, you'll get some, but you won't get as many as if you don't have that.Bala McAlinn: You can still have that, but simply by distancing it from that and distancing it can literally be a few meters and a door. So we moved security from inside the entrance to outside the entrance.Bala McAlinn: And the security guards, they're a bit like, "You can wear a coat, it's all right." We weren't always popular with the things that we did.Bala McAlinn: But yeah, by putting the security outside of the building, at both Portico and Sainsbury entrances that they're covered. So you could put the security there, people are searched, they then walk through the doors and it's like-Kelly Molson: That's the start, yes.Bala McAlinn: So they then disassociate. They then walk in and then they see a friendly, welcoming person who welcomes them to the National Gallery.Bala McAlinn: And, oh, they've now forgotten about the bag searching, forgotten that they had to shove their keys back in a bag or whatever it is.Bala McAlinn: They're now in the building, there's an instant release of tension from that and then they meet a friendly, welcoming person and their propensity to donate instantly increases.Bala McAlinn: And the training for the team there was relatively straightforward. We had 17 frequently asked questions that in such a high percentage can create a great, welcome experience.Bala McAlinn: Most people it's the Sunflowers, Whistlejacket, where's the cafe? Where's the toilet? What time do you close? That level of information can create a brilliant welcoming experience for most people.Bala McAlinn: Of course, there's occasionally somebody looking for a very particular more obscure work of art and that's different. And the team will then have to go to the very efficient in-house team who has a broader knowledge of the collection,.Bala McAlinn: But simply by welcoming people, answering a frequently asked question or two, and then informing people that the National Gallery is a charity and if you can donate, please do, donations skyrocketed.Bala McAlinn: And we kept it consistently between three to 400% for three years. So after the four month tender, we then won a two year contract to do it.Bala McAlinn: Well, there was an extension up to a year then we won a two year contract after that to do it. We kept it for three years at that level.Kelly Molson: That is phenomenal, that's phenomenal, isn't it? Because now it's not just about the visitor experience, not just about sales training, it's about location, it's about understanding how your guests enter your attraction. There's so much involved in it. That's fascinatingBala McAlinn: It's core to what we do and our background. And we predominantly look at three things, which are from the world of theatre, and that's storytelling, stagecraft, and improvisation.Bala McAlinn: Storytelling being your communications, the words you're delivering, but not just verbally with your mouth, but with your body and your tone and voice.Bala McAlinn: And we want whatever you are communicating for it to be articulate and for it to not just be heard, but to be understood.Bala McAlinn: So we look at the nuances of that, and little changes of script can have big differences in a donation ask or in a membership pitch.Bala McAlinn: And then, yeah, we look at stagecraft and if you are producing a play, of course, you have a tech rehearsal or several tech rehearsals.Bala McAlinn: And you block the play so that everybody knows exactly where they're going to be standing so that the technical team and the lighting designer plans it so that they make sure that if it's a touchy moment in the play or dramatic point that the lights are just right, and the audience can not only hear the words, but they can see what they're supposed to see.Bala McAlinn: And we look at that in the environments of visitor attractions, looking at where donation boxes are placed, membership asked, are they front and centre? Should they be?Bala McAlinn: And we'll often see them tucked away in dusty corners and people say, "Oh, nobody really ever donates." It's like, "Well, yeah, because so many people don't notice it or there's nobody interacting with it."Bala McAlinn: So we look at the stagecraft and then we look at improvisation because no two days are the same in a visitor attraction. And the ability to be able to think and adapt quickly on your feet is an incredibly useful skill.Bala McAlinn: And then match with that improvisation, that there's a principle, the yes and principle. When you are doing a scene, you don't block the scene, you don't simply say no, because if you do, it ends the scene.Bala McAlinn: So if I was doing the scene with you and you walked in and said, "Oh, hi, I've got a delivery. Are you John?" If I just say, "No." The scene ends.Bala McAlinn: Where I need to say, "Yes, I'm John. I've been waiting for my delivery. Please give it." So yes and drives the action forward. And we want that mindset within a visitor attraction as well.Bala McAlinn: We can't always say yes to every request, but we can offer an alternative. We can improvise. So somebody wants this X, if we know they can't have it, if we just say, "Oh, I want this." "No, you can't have it." Bad visitor experience.Bala McAlinn: But if I go, "Oh, wow, it's great you want that. However, I've got Y and I think you're really going to like this." Then we've driven the action forward, so yeah.Kelly Molson: I love this. Just going back to what you were talking about with Macallan right at the beginning where you talked about Lindsay and her story.Kelly Molson: Obviously she has a personal connection to the site, that was her grandfather's hip flask. She could talk about it very emotively. But how easy is it to train someone to be a good storyteller?Bala McAlinn: Everybody within reason and physical and cognitive abilities can improve their storytelling, certainly. And in the vast majority of cases, virtually everybody I meet and work with is a good storyteller.Bala McAlinn: They are just often not confident at storytelling so can't necessarily do it in a public environment. But you guarantee that when they are at home with their buddy or their family member, they've been telling stories for years.Bala McAlinn: In the vast majority of cases, there are of course exceptions to every rule, but often it's a fear of presenting or public speaking or interacting with people.Bala McAlinn: There was a study in the Washington Post, it was a year or two ago, of the most common fears in the United States and the third most common fear was snakes. The second most common fear was heights. And the number one most common fear in the United States of America was public speaking.Bala McAlinn: And there will be a correlation with the UK as well there. So I often tell people who aren't confident public speakers that that's pretty much the most normal thing to be, the most number one common fear.Bala McAlinn: So that's often in terms of delivering a briefing to a team of staff, or delivering a pitch to a board or conference speaking or something like that. Often lots of people have reticence to do that.Bala McAlinn: But storytelling in the environments of a visitor attraction is the same, this is public speaking and having the confidence to approach a family next to a work of art who are looking slightly confused and tell them the history of that takes confidence.Bala McAlinn: So to become a good storyteller, there's lots of tips and tricks. As when you go to drama school and when you become an actor in the rehearsal room, you learn lots of nuances of body, breath and voice, and that's great. Absolutely.Bala McAlinn: And that takes you to a higher level of technical ability in storytelling, but by far and above the most important thing is gaining experience more than the technique and it's gaining experience so that you become confident.Bala McAlinn: And what I say is experience leads to confidence and confidence leads to good practice. It's not about being a confident person, the most confident person in the world if you give them a task that they're inexperienced at, they may confidently give it a go, but they'll fail at it.Bala McAlinn: So whatever it is, whether it's public speaking, whether it's small interactions with a visitor, whatever it is, whatever task it is, you need to build experience.Bala McAlinn: And that takes time. So you just have to apply yourself to the task and repeat it and repeat it until there's a point that, "Oh, I've built confidence because of the experience I have."Bala McAlinn: Once I'm confident at the task, then that's when you start adding a bit of vocal technique or body language, more interaction, more humour, because you're now at a confident place where you can play around with it and get to that point of good practice.Bala McAlinn: Then that's fun, that's fun. It takes a while to get there but being at a place of good practice is joyful. And it's not just storytelling and public speaking.Bala McAlinn: We all do it in our jobs. A new job takes a while. A new job on a till, you don't know how it works, all the buttons, and you might be learnt quite quickly, but you're inexperienced for a while.Bala McAlinn: Until click, "Oh, I'm confident at it." Now I can run the products through the till whilst having a conversation with the visitor. For a while, I'm having to look at the till and do this and I can't.Bala McAlinn: Once I'm on the till at the place of good practice, I'm now asking that person how their day is and what did they say, noticing the kid. "Did you see the giraffe? That's great. He's called Henry." So I'm now adding to the experience, but because I'm at a place of good practice.Bala McAlinn: With storytelling, that place of good practice allows you to adapt and change for your audience. If you're having to think about your content and your technique, you are not fully in the moment and connected to your words.Bala McAlinn: If you've got to a place with good practice where I can deliver this animal talk, I can deliver this membership pitch, I can deliver whatever it is because I've done it so many times that I now don't need to really think about it like a person on the till.Bala McAlinn: I can be live, present in the moment, and listen and react. So because I'm not having to think about it, I notice that I start losing the attention of somebody who I'm presenting to.Bala McAlinn: And if I notice that I can probably get their attention back by changing the pitch of my voice or the volume or becoming very serious if I'm being jovial or becoming very jovial if I'm being serious.Bala McAlinn: A juxtaposition or a change brings the attention back. Or if I'm engaged in sales and I'm really confident what I'm delivering, I'll start noticing the bits of the pitch where there's a little flicker in the eye and I go, "Okay, they're interested in that benefit."Bala McAlinn: So I'll talk more about that benefit. Because if I'm not live in the moment, I'm just listing benefits and not really noticing what's good for them or not good for them.Bala McAlinn: So yeah, so to improve storytelling techniques, first and foremost it's just building experience. And you do it in safe environments, you do it with your friends, do it with your family, do it at work.Bala McAlinn: But you have to step out of your comfort zone a bit. You have to push yourself forward to learn and we can all become better storytellers.Bala McAlinn: I do it for a job and have done for a long time, but I certainly am not the best in the world and I'm certainly not the best that I can be.Bala McAlinn: And I certainly hope that, may have been doing it for 20 years, but I certainly hope in 20 more years I will be as much better then from where I am now 20 years.Bala McAlinn: It's a constant journey. It's a constant development. And to develop you need to just push yourself a bit further to the point where I am now a bit inexperienced and then do it, do it, do it until, "Oh. Now I'm confident and now I've grown and I'm better."Kelly Molson: And that's where the magic happens.Bala McAlinn: Yeah.Kelly Molson: Brilliant. Thank you. Absolutely excellent tips today that I'm sure our listeners are going to love. Just before we wrap up, I really want to ask you, how would an attraction recognise that they needed to get in touch with you?Kelly Molson: What's the pain points for them? We've talked a lot about donations side and driving membership. What's that trigger where they would need to think about calling you guys in?Bala McAlinn: So our core products are training and staffing. Some organisations we do one of those things, some we do both. So the training is we come in and deliver storytelling workshops, visitor experience workshops, or sales workshops for the in-house teams to build their confidence, build their experience at those tasks.Bala McAlinn: The staffing is where we simply come in and do it with our own people. Often we do both. I love combining the two on a project where if somebody wants to increase commerciality and wants their team to improve on it, for us to be the best we can be in the workshop, we need to experience it first.Bala McAlinn: So before a training workshop, we'll come and do some benchmarking where somebody will get in touch, say, "We want," whoever it is, "This department to sell more memberships."Bala McAlinn: We go, "Great. Can we come for a week and sell your memberships?" Then we'll come. We'll mystery shop it, look at everything, see if we recommend making a few tweaks in the stage craft.Bala McAlinn: Then we'll put some of our actors in uniforms in position for a week or two and sell the memberships because then we can say, "Okay, definitively we know on a Saturday you should be targeting X memberships. On a rainy Tuesday you should be targeting Y and it's achievable because we've just done it."Bala McAlinn: "And whilst we were doing it, we noticed that this little phrase or this benefit in the offer, that was the tipping point for so many people."Bala McAlinn: So then in the training room where we are training their staff then and we'll be using body language vocal techniques and getting their confidence to interact more with visitors.Bala McAlinn: But if we can then put in specific lines, specific little bits of script, that this little group of words had a great effect for anyone with kids. Oh, the retired couples mentioned that and then that's really useful for them.Bala McAlinn: We like scripts. We don't like anybody ever appearing to be delivering a script because that is the worst type, well, wouldn't say the worst side, it's an awful type of visitor experience.Bala McAlinn: And we've all experienced where you talk to someone and you know they're just saying something that they've been told to say and they've said it a thousand times today.Bala McAlinn: I use the analogy often of a good actor and a bad actor. We've all seen both probably. And the bad actor often appears to be not proficient at their work because they're not in the moment.Bala McAlinn: They're not connected to it because they're thinking about the words they're saying next or thinking about the action in the performance that's about to happen.Bala McAlinn: So suddenly the tone of voice goes a little monotone. Their eyes may come up because I'm not actually thinking about these words, I'm thinking that I need to go open that door because there's another character and you see them come out.Bala McAlinn: Whereas the actor who is the good actor can be delivering Shakespeare, 500 year old words that have been said millions of times, but we've hopefully all seen Shakespeare where it genuinely appears like these words have been said for the first time.Bala McAlinn: And it's emotive and beautiful and powerful and we know they're not, but because the actor's living and breathing that character, they're fully in the moment.Bala McAlinn: Whereas we want that in a visitor attraction. There will be a most likely route to commerciality, whether it's an exhibition ticket, a membership sale, a visitor donation, and then that will change for different audience groups.Bala McAlinn: But okay, you see the family, most likely benefits that appeal to them. You see the overseas visitor, most likely script that appeals to them.Bala McAlinn: So we want the team to know those, have learnt them. We don't want to turn a team into robots saying things but we want them to be at that point of good practice, where they're live in the moment, interacting, having fun.Bala McAlinn: But then there's the moment and suddenly they say something scripted. Like, "You must come to the Botanic Gardens in the fall. It's my favourite time of year. And with the membership, you can come back then too."Bala McAlinn: So it's just suddenly like a scripted line. It doesn't seem like it's scripted, but actually they've said it a lot. But because they've said it so many times and they've seen the benefit.Bala McAlinn: That oh yeah, mention autumn or mention snowfall at Christmas, say something emotive that you use storytelling to put the person you're selling to in the story, "You must come back in February, it's orchid season and you can walk through the glass houses and see these flowers in bloom."Bala McAlinn: And suddenly that person, because you've said, "You must come back," and you're using descriptive language, sees themselves walking through orchids in February and suddenly their propensity to buy a membership goes up because it's not February and they want to come back and they can take the price of their ticket off.Bala McAlinn: To absolutely improvise every single time for the visitor in front of you is a difficult task. Orchids, that's probably going to work at Kew Gardens because it's a growth thing.Bala McAlinn: Jousting, that's going to work at Historic Environment Scotland. It was jousting weekend last weekend. So we've been telling people about that. That was at Linlithgow Castle.Bala McAlinn: But we're telling people about it at Stirling Castle and Edinburgh Castle because they're there, buy the membership, you can go see the jousting. "Imagine being there and seeing..."Bala McAlinn: Suddenly you put someone in a store and then they get their propensity to buy whatever the product is.Kelly Molson: Oh you are good, you're good. I want to go jousting. I want to walk through the orchids. I want to be there in fall. That's the story, isn't it? That's the power of the story.Bala McAlinn: Excellent.Kelly Molson: All right. We're coming to the end of the podcast. I always ask our guests to recommend a book that they love to our listeners. It might be something professional, it might be something personal. What have you got for us today?Bala McAlinn: Cool. Okay. I've got a couple with an admission as well, which is a sad, sad truth about myself, I used to be an avid reader and used to read lots of books.Bala McAlinn: And I started my business 10 years ago and had two more children during that time as well. And for the past eight years or so I've become somebody who starts books and then never finishes them.Bala McAlinn: And George, one of the key guys I work with, George Mclean, always says, "If you talk about tiredness, it becomes a competition." "Oh, I'm really tired to that." "Oh yeah, I'm really tired." "Oh yeah, my kid woke me up at five." "Yeah, my kid was up at 2:00 AM."Bala McAlinn: And it's just this and the more you talk about tiredness, the more tired you become. But the reality is running a business, having kids, I've been exhausted for the last decade.Bala McAlinn: Try and read a book and just fall asleep. However, I do occasionally manage one. So there was a great book I read recently and actually did manage to finish called Get in Trouble by Kelly Link.Bala McAlinn: They're short stories. Maybe they're novelettes, their length, they're 100 page stories as opposed to full novels and in a exciting, surreal sci-fi type environment, which I very much enjoyed.Bala McAlinn: And I've bought a new book this week, which I haven't read, so it could be awful.Kelly Molson: It could be good. Who knows?Bala McAlinn: Hopefully. And it's more connected to visitor attraction industry. So there's a guy called Nick Gray who had a company called Museum Hack.Bala McAlinn: I met him at a conference, the Blooloop conference, in Liverpool a number of years ago. Great guy. Museum Hack was awesome. So it still exists, but he sold it.Bala McAlinn: So Museum Hack is an awesome company who does, primarily in America, tours and museums, but focusing on sex, death, value. So focusing on the idea everybody really wants to know how much that's worth.Bala McAlinn: And then things like people only have an attention span of a certain amount of time. And a lot of people I'd imagine will hate the sound of this, but it ticks boxes for me and they get rave reviews.Bala McAlinn: So they'll be delivering the tour in The Met or wherever and then after half an hour, they'll stop and all do a little bit of yoga because it then reconnects you and your attention span can come back.Bala McAlinn: And they are these super fun companies-Kelly Molson: I love that.Bala McAlinn: Great guy. Really interesting. And yes, so I met him there. We linked, I don't really know, but we linked on LinkedIn an occasionally like each other's post and things like that. He's just released a book called The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, which has just come out.Kelly Molson: Ah, I saw this. I saw this. I didn't know it was him. This looks great.Bala McAlinn: So I haven't read it, but I do know quite a lot about it because he's been talking about this for several years and so he hosts cocktail parties.Bala McAlinn: So he was in New York for a long time. He's now been moving around. I think he lives in Austin now. But yeah, so he used cocktail parties as ways to meet people.Bala McAlinn: And sometimes for business purposes, but also just to make new mates in a new town or a city. And so it's a easy to follow manual of how to produce a simple, effective cocktail party.Kelly Molson: Oh, wow.Bala McAlinn: Simple, lovely idea. So I bought it this week, but I'm looking forward to reading at least the first few chapters before then I fall asleep and it gets put-Kelly Molson: All right, well look listeners. As ever, you can win these books. So if you go over to our Twitter account and you retweet this episode announcement with the words, "I want Bala's book," you could be in with a chance winning that.Kelly Molson: I am going to buy this book and then what we can do is have a competition about who's read the least of it because they're the tiredest.Bala McAlinn: And then we can have a cocktail party, which is much more fun.Kelly Molson: In real life, without any technology.Bala McAlinn: Exactly.Kelly Molson: And that's perfect. Thank you so much for coming on the podcast today, Bala. It's been lovely to talk to you. Thank you for all of the tips that you've shared.Kelly Molson: We will put all of Bala's contact details in the show note. So if you need some sales training or if you need some help with your visitor experience, you'll know exactly where to go. Thanks for joining us.Bala McAlinn: Thanks a lot. Take care.Kelly Molson: Thanks for listening to Skip The Queue. If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us.And remember to follow us on Twitter for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned. Skip The Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. You can find show notes and transcriptions from this episode and more over on our website, rubbercheese.com/podcast.

Sam Parr (@TheSamParr) and Shaan Puri (@ShaanVP) talk about the problem of over hiring (example FTX), party planning tips from entrepreneur Nick Gray's new book, and one successful egg carton business. Also, want $5,000? Check out the My First Million Clips contest. ----- Links: * Nick Gray * 2-Hour Cocktail Party book * The 2-Hour Cocktail Party Amazon link * Streamyard * SSTIK * Eggcartons * Sam's Tweet about Whole Foods Entrepreneur * Do you love MFM and want to see Sam and Shaan's smiling faces? Subscribe to our Youtube channel. * Want more insights like MFM? Check out Shaan's newsletter. ----- Show Notes: (03:45) - Party takeaways from Nick Gray (24:40) - Colin and Samir recap (32:15) - FTX and not hiring many people (52:50) - Egg Cartons (58:00) - Whole Foods tweet ----- Past guests on My First Million include Rob Dyrdek, Hasan Minhaj, Balaji Srinivasan, Jake Paul, Dr. Andrew Huberman, Gary Vee, Lance Armstrong, Sophia Amoruso, Ariel Helwani, Ramit Sethi, Stanley Druckenmiller, Peter Diamandis, Dharmesh Shah, Brian Halligan, Marc Lore, Jason Calacanis, Andrew Wilkinson, Julian Shapiro, Kat Cole, Codie Sanchez, Nader Al-Naji, Steph Smith, Trung Phan, Nick Huber, Anthony Pompliano, Ben Askren, Ramon Van Meer, Brianne Kimmel, Andrew Gazdecki, Scott Belsky, Moiz Ali, Dan Held, Elaine Zelby, Michael Saylor, Ryan Begelman, Jack Butcher, Reed Duchscher, Tai Lopez, Harley Finkelstein, Alexa von Tobel, Noah Kagan, Nick Bare, Greg Isenberg, James Altucher, Randy Hetrick and more. ----- Additional episodes you might enjoy: • #224 Rob Dyrdek - How Tracking Every Second of His Life Took Rob Drydek from 0 to $405M in Exits • #209 Gary Vaynerchuk - Why NFTS Are the Future • #178 Balaji Srinivasan - Balaji on How to Fix the Media, Cloud Cities & Crypto #169 - How One Man Started 5, Billion Dollar Companies, Dan Gilbert's Empire, & Talking With Warren Buffett • ​​​​#218 - Why You Should Take a Think Week Like Bill Gates • Dave Portnoy vs The World, Extreme Body Monitoring, The Future of Apparel Retail, "How Much is Anthony Pompliano Worth?", and More • How Mr Beast Got 100M Views in Less Than 4 Days, The $25M Chrome Extension, and More

Nick Gray is the founder of Museum Hack. A company that hosts creative tours around museums all over the world. He grew Museum Hack into a multi-million dollar business and then sold it recently in an interesting way. Now he spends a lot of his free time hosting cool parties and teaching others how to do the same. Nick is probably one of the BEST party hosts I know. His new book The 2-Hour Cocktail Party teaches you how to host lightweight stress-free parties. Go check it at Party.pro. https://okdork.com/podcast/253 Get the BEST daily deals on software at: https://appsumo.com/noah  

Do you want to make more friends, build your network, and throw parties that make people say “I can't WAIT for the next one!”?  My guest Nick Gray is here to show you how!  He's sharing secrets straight from his book The 2-Hour Cocktail Party. In this episode, you'll learn: How throwing a cocktail party will expand your network. How to get 90% attendance at your party. When/how to send out reminders. Why guest name tags are crucial. What days of the week to throw a party. (It's not what you think) Why you don't need chairs at your party. How to gracefully end a party. About Nick: Nick Gray is an investor, entrepreneur, and author. He's also a 40-year old American man living in Austin, Texas. ​Nick started and sold two successful companies: Flight Display Systemsand Museum Hack. Over 75,000 people have watched his TEDx talk about why he hates most museums. He's the author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, a step-by-step handbook that teaches you how to build big relationships by hosting small gatherings. Nick's links: The 2-Hour Cocktail Party. How to Host a Happy Hour. How to Plan a Networking Event. NEXT STEP: QUIZ - Do you know what your communication style is? Take this quiz and get a custom report based on your results. AUDIO GUIDE - Grab my free audio guide on group conversations here (Includes word-for-word scripts)  PRIVATE COACHING Become more socially confident in 12 weeks with private coaching. MY ONLINE VIDEO COURSE: Breakthrough Charisma - Become more charismatic in everyday situations.

Nick is the author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, a step-by-step handbook that teaches you how to build big relationships by hosting small gatherings. Nick started and sold two successful companies and over 75,000 people have watched his TEDx talk about why he hates most museums. He's been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and New York Magazine called him a host of “culturally significant parties." Nick has hosted literally hundreds of cocktail parties all around the world while developing his simple system for being a great host. If you want to expand your network, make deeper connections, and create fun and memorable experiences with interesting people, you're going to love this conversation. For the video, transcript, and show notes, visit https://forcingfunctionhour.com/nick-gray (forcingfunctionhour.com/nick-gray).

Today on Author Hour, I'm talking to Nick Gray, the author of The 2-Hour Cocktail Party. Here's a brief description of his new book: You know the well-connected friend who only exists in ... The post The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: Nick Gray appeared first on Author Hour.

Nick Gray is the Founder of Museum Hack, a renegade museum tour company. He grew it to over 50 employees and multi-millions in sales before selling the company in 2019. Nick has helped a variety of companies and organizations grow and get on track to meet their full potential. He's the ultimate networker and will be releasing his new book, The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, a step-by-step guide for hosting small parties that help you build big relationships, later this year. Check out The 2-Hour Cocktail Party here!Find us online!https://www.instagram.com/nickgraynews/https://nickgray.net/https://chubbydiaries.com/https://www.instagram.com/chubbydiaries__/https://www.facebook.com/Chubbydiariestravelhttps://www.pinterest.com/chubbydiaries/_created/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEAMJe2-AwcKjE_iq1HMhzwWe'd like to offer a special thanks to Roy, our audio editor, for helping make this episode possible!

What could you do in two hours that could improve your quality of life? Nick Gray wants you to host a 2-hour cocktail party to build big relationships, which can help your career. When Nick moved to New York City, he tried organizing all types of events to build relationships. He realized that a 2-hour cocktail party was the best event for him to host. His new book, The 2-Hour Cocktail Party, is out in June 2022. In this episode, you will learn how to organize your own cocktail party and other life hacks. Excited for you to build and grow your Portfolio Career!As always, this episode with notes is available on my website.Connect with Nick on TwitterConnect with David on TwitterLearn more about Nick's book on his website