Who Belongs in Your SOI?
Now that you know you DO have a sphere of influence, let’s take a look at who’s in it.
Grab a notebook or excel spreadsheet and jot down all the names you can think of, including:
- Past coworkers (even if your last job was waiting tables)
- Your friends (yes, even the high school pals you haven’t seen in 20 years)
- Your spouse’s or partner’s coworkers
- Your spouse’s or partner’s friends
- Your kids’ friends or their parents (depending on age)
- Your kids’ teachers and school workers
- Your extended family
- Your neighbors
- Friends and acquaintances from any social groups such as Neighborhood Association, Rotary, PTA, etc.
- Anyone you interact with regularly (even if that just means once every couple of months), for example: your hair stylist, accountant, doctor, dentist, even your bank teller.
Don’t get sidetracked thinking about what you’re going to say when you reach out, why you really don’t know this person that well, etc.
The first step is to just get the names down on paper — and at this point, it’s absolutely crucial you don’t undervalue or overthink a single candidate for your list.
