The 14 Relationships That I Appreciate in the February LinkedIn Challenge

Want to build more meaningful relationships on LinkedIn? Find 14 relationships that you appreciate and write an article about why you appreciate each one of those relationships. 

Why? Because you know so many amazing people on LinkedIn and it's important to take the time to celebrate some of your connections who are more than just connections. 

Relationships are people in your life that you are going deeper with, that you are learning more about. That you are supporting and keeping them in your focus. 

Personally, I have 150 people whom I would like to keep in my focus this year but to list them all would take more time than I can invest right now, so I will pick the 14 that are top of mind for me today and mention many more in the comments. 

Here are my 14 relationships, feel free to pick your own and write an article that includes each one of those relationships. 

Chris Vaglio is a superstar networking pro who is always looking to add value. He recently sold his video production company and is now coaching professionals on their personal brand. His company focuses on personal branding and he has built a wonderful personal brand for himself. I met Chris about 5 years ago at EANYC and we became fast friends and networking buddies. Now we see each other a few times a week on Clubhouse and Co-Moderate a room each Monday at 9 am. Looking forward to going deeper with Chris! Thank you for being in my life. 

Annette Naifis a great networker and even better event planner. She always has such wonderful energy and makes me feel special. Annette reached out to me after she saw a video interview I did on Yigal Adato’s podcast on Facebook and we hit it off right away. She invited me to Michael Goldberg's event TNG and I met Liz Capants and a bunch of other amazing people a few years back. Since then Annette and I have done some great things together and referred business to each other. Annette got me booked for an amazing EmCee job in 2019 and I totally rocked the house. I am grateful that you are in my life Annette, thank you for being amazing. 

Corey Kupfer is a master deal negotiator and a professional speaker. He is actually the president of the National Speakers Association NYC chapter. I love how professional yet warm Corey is. He is a real mensch and always cares about the people around him. Corey and I connected at EO when I joined as a new member in 2012 in the NYC chapter and he was the incoming president at the time. I joined as his marketing chair on the board and we spent time going all over the world together. I had so much fun connecting with Corey in Montreal and really getting to know him. Thanks to Corey I joined the National Speakers Association and have been meeting amazing professional speakers to up my game. Thank you for being in my life Corey!

Ramon Ray has a heart of gold and the energy of a bunny. He is always looking to add value to everyone around him. I met Ramon at every small business trade show I exhibited back in 2010 and on. Ramon is always hustling and his smart hustle events are fabulous. He had me come to be a speaker just over a year ago at Microsoft for one of his amazing events and people are still talking about how much fun it was. Every time I speak with Ramon I get uplifted because he has such godly energy. Thank you so much for being you and for being in my life Ramon! 

Morris Stemp is a kind soul who is always looking to make a difference for everyone he comes in contact with. He loves building deep meaningful relationships with those around him. I met Morris at EO New York when he was running his IT business and since then we have been in touch and have gotten to know each other and built a meaningful relationship. Morris is an Excel wiz and understands business to the core. He is now an outsourced CFO and he is helping companies make sense out of their numbers. Morris introduced me to Joe Rojas and he invited me to do some circling with him like two years ago. That was so much fun! Thank you for being in my life Morris, I appreciate you. 

Brianna Carney is a very special person with a very kind demeanor. She is always looking to add massive value to all those that she is around. Her servant leader attitude has helped her become successful in her business. She really cares about the people that she interacts with and is committed to personal growth. I met Brianna when I was on a panel for WeWork in 2015 and she came up from the crowd and said "Joe, I want you to mentor me". We have been meeting regularly since then and I have seen her growth. Her business helps people find talented staff at affordable prices in the Philippines. It so happens that she lives a few blocks from me and she loves cats. Brianna, thank you for always making me feel appreciated. You are an amazing person! 

Mark Green is a master business coach and always has his mindset right. He is an Author, Speaker, and Strategic Advisor to many of my CEO friends. Mark and I have had so many great conversations over the past few years. We went on a Hike together for the INC 500 business owners council and really bonded on that hiking trip. Mark is always looking to add value and I love his LinkedIn newsletter that he puts out consistently. Thank you for being in my life Mark!

Paige Wilhide makes me smile. She is always present and engaged and her light shines bright. I met Paige when I attended a Jeffrey Gitomer event in NYC and Jen Gluckow introduced me to her. At the time Paige had a video production company and I hired her to create a rap music video for Ajax Union promoting one of our lead-in products called B2Bx. I had so much fun with her throughout the year and we introduced each other to so many people. When I wanted to do a LinkedIn Local in Los Angeles, Paige arranged the location and invited all her friends to join the party. Paige is an improv expert and relationship coach now and is helping people who are going through transitions in their relationships. Paige, thank you for making my life brighter. 

Brynne Tillman is such a gem. She is a sales trainer and LinkedIn expert. She is always dropping knowledge bombs in all our interactions and making great introductions to people in her network. Brynne and I connected over dinner at Crown Heights and now we are all over Clubhouse adding value to people looking to grow their business. Brynne, Thank you for being in my life. 

Joe Rojas has a heart of gold. He is a total hugger! We connected after Morris Stemp introduced us. The day I met Joe, I knew he would be a lifelong friend. He was a Spanish speaking Landmark Trainer and built and sold many IT managed services companies. He now coaches MSPs and helps them grow their businesses. Joe had me speak to his networking group about LinkedIn and we danced to his wonderful music together. He is the life of the party and I love spending time with him. Thank you for being in my life Joe! 

Chris Smith is a man of integrity. He keeps his word and works really hard to add massive value. He is a goal achiever and a very hard worker. He was the CEO of a major technology home automation company and now he runs his own coaching practice. I love having Chris in my life because he always makes me want to step up my game in every aspect of my life. Chris and I have been part of the same networking group for many years and now we are spending lots of time together on Clubhouse building meaningful relationships. Chris, thank you for being so valuable and for being a real friend. 

Tina Larson is a new relationship that I met through our LinkedIn course Evyrgreen. She is very active in the NYC networking scene. Her business works with condos and coop boards for NYC buildings to save them money on their expenses. I met Tina during the depth of the pandemic on LinkedIn and I feel like I know her forever! Tina is now also on Clubhouse and I speak to her a few times per week. I love interacting with her because she challenges the status quo and is always paying it forward. Tina, thanks for being in my life. 

Jeff Goldberg is a funny guy! He is smart, respectful, and full of passion. When I speak to Jeff, it's like drinking from a firehose, in a good way. He is the best sales coach I've ever met because he asks the best questions. Jeff and I love spending time together as I train him on LinkedIn and he trains me on Sales. Jeff is also a stand-up comedian and he is one hell of a speaker. I just featured Jeff in our Influencer summit and many of the 1000 people who saw him speak kept saying how much value he added. Jeff introduced me to one of his biggest clients and they are one of my biggest virtual speaking clients for 2021. I introduced Jeff to a billion-dollar law firm and they hired him instantly. I love networking with Jeff because he just makes me look good! Thank you for being in my life Jeff. 

Basil is the nicest, sweetest, best dog all around! She is fun, loving, and smart. She enjoys keeping me company and running around New York with me. She also makes photoshoots a lot more fun! Thank you, Basil!

I probably have over 1000 people who I can write paragraphs about but for now, I will leave it at 14 and show you how you can also start connecting deeper with the people in your life. 

Go ahead and leave a comment with a link to your article detailing 14 relationships that you want to build this month. 

Thank you for being in my life.